Is this the fittest city in your state?

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More than ever before, this past year has made Americans appreciate the opportunity to go outside and get moving, when socially distant and possible.

Since gyms have shut down or are operating at a lower capacity, going for a walk and exercising outdoors have become increasingly appealing ways to work out. Any chance to get outside nowadays is a welcome treat, especially when being outdoors can boost endorphins and improve our overall wellbeing.

It’s easier to take advantage of the outdoors when living in a city that prioritizes the accessibility and maintenance of its recreational facilities and public parks. Investing in parks and providing outdoor spaces for public recreation is as much an investment in residents’ health and wellbeing.

To honor the communities that have shown a commitment to the health and wellness of their residents, the data scientists at Insurify crunched the numbers to identify the most fitness-friendly cities in each state.

Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.

Selection Process for Insurify’s 2021 Fittest Cities Awards

The data scientists at Insurify, a platform to compare home insurance, referred to both proprietary and public data to identify the fittest cities. They rated U.S. cities based on a composite score of factors including residents with physically demanding or health- and fitness-promoting jobs as well as quality and access to parks and outdoor recreational facilities.

Insurify’s data scientists referred to their database of over 4 million car insurance applications to identify the cities with the highest proportion of residents with occupations that demand significant physical activity or promote health and fitness, ranging from park rangers, fitness club managers, and chiropractors, to dancers and choreographers.

To evaluate access to outdoor facilities and recreational spaces, Insurify’s team compiled data from Niche’s most recent Outdoor Activities rankings, which rates each city on its quality and access to the outdoors using key indicators of a location’s environment, such as air quality, local weather and access to natural amenities and outdoor recreation.

Also factored into the composite scores were, the Trust for Public Land’s Parkscore Rankings, which identify the cities with the highest proportion of residents living within a 10-minute walk to a park.

Gyms were not included in this study. Not only are gyms often inaccessible to lower-income residents, but many gyms have been operating at a minimal, or even completely shut down capacity over the past year due to COVID-19.

NOTE: Vermont is not listed.

Image Credit: FitNish Media / Pixabay.

1. Alabama

Winner: Ozark

 

Image Credit: depositphotos.com.

2. Alaska

Winner: Anchorage

 

Image Credit: iStock.

3. Arizona

Winner: Tucson

 

Image Credit: depositphotos.com.

4. Arkansas

Winner: Little Rock

 

Image Credit: depositphotos.com.

5. California

Winner: San Diego

 

Image Credit: depositphotos.com.

6. Colorado

Winner: Denver

 

Image Credit: depositphotos.com.

7. Connecticut

Winner: Stratford

 

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8. Delaware

Winner: Seaford

 

Image Credit: depositphotos.com.

9. Florida

Winner: Jacksonville

 

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10. Georgia

Winner: Atlanta

 

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11. Hawaii

Winner: Honolulu

 

Image Credit: diego_cervo/istockphoto.

12. Idaho

Winner: Boise

 

Image Credit: FatCamera.

13. Illinois

Winner: Chicago

 

Image Credit: kali9/istockphoto.

14. Indiana

Winner: Bloomington

 

Image Credit: visualspace/istockphoto.

15. Iowa

Winner: Davenport

 

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16. Kansas

Winner: Wichita

 

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17. Kentucky

Winner: Louisville

 

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18. Louisiana

Winner: New Orleans

 

Image Credit: tommaso79 / iStock.

19. Maine

Winner: Lewiston

 

Image Credit: skynesher/istockphoto.

20. Maryland

Winner: Washington

 

Image Credit: RyanJLane/istockphoto.

21. Massachusetts

Winner: Boston

 

Image Credit: jacoblund/istockphoto.

22. Michigan

Winner: Detroit

 

Image Credit: filadendron/istockphoto.

23. Minnesota

Winner: Minneapolis

 

Image Credit: Juanmonino/istockphoto.

24. Mississippi

Winner: Ridgeland

 

Image Credit: LanaStock/istockphoto.

25. Missouri

Winner: Kansas City

 

Image Credit: Nikodash/shutterstock.

26. Montana

Winner: Kalispell

 

Image Credit: Zinkevych/istockphoto.

27. Nebraska

Winner: Omaha

Image Credit: GoodLifeStudio/istockphoto.

28. Nebraska

Winner: Henderson

 

Image Credit: Drazen Zigic/istockphoto.

29. New Hampshire

Winner: Nashua

 

Image Credit: SeventyFour/istockphoto.

30. New Jersey

Winner: Vineland

 

Image Credit: Steve Debenport/istockphoto.

31. New Mexico

Winner: Albuquerque

 

Image Credit: m-imagephotography/istockphoto.

32. New York

Winner: New York City

 

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33. North Carolina

Winner: Raleigh

 

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34. North Dakota

Winner: Bismarck

 

Image Credit: vgajic/istockphoto.

35. Ohio

Winner: Columbus

 

Image Credit: .

36. Oklahoma

Winner: Oklahoma City

 

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37. Oregon

Winner: Portland

 

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38. Pennsylvania

Winner: Philadelphia

 

Image Credit: nd3000/istockphoto.

39. Rhode Island

Winner: Warwick

 

Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.

40. South Carolina

Winner: Westminster

 

Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.

41. South Dakota

Winner: Sioux Falls

 

Image Credit: N8tureGrl/istockphoto.

42. Tennessee

Winner: Memphis

 

Image Credit: JackF/istockphoto.

43. Texas

Winner: Houston

 

Image Credit: gilaxia/istockphoto.

44. Utah

Winner: Draper

 

Image Credit: wavebreakmedia/shutterstock.

45. Virginia

Winner: Chesapeake

 

Image Credit: richiesd/istockphoto.

46. Washington

Winner: Seattle

 

Image Credit: Maridav/shutterstock.

47. West Virginia:

Winner: Youngstown

 

Image Credit: agrobacter/istockphoto.

48. Wisconsin

Winner: Milwaukee

 

Image Credit: gradyreese/istockphoto.

49. Wyoming

Winner: Woodridge

This article originally appeared on Insurify.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

 

Image Credit: vitapix/istockphoto.

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