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.
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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.
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1. Alabama
Winner: Ozark
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2. Alaska
Winner: Anchorage
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3. Arizona
Winner: Tucson
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4. Arkansas
Winner: Little Rock
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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
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9. Florida
Winner: Jacksonville
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10. Georgia
Winner: Atlanta
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11. Hawaii
Winner: Honolulu
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12. Idaho
Winner: Boise
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13. Illinois
Winner: Chicago
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14. Indiana
Winner: Bloomington
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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
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19. Maine
Winner: Lewiston
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20. Maryland
Winner: Washington
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21. Massachusetts
Winner: Boston
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22. Michigan
Winner: Detroit
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23. Minnesota
Winner: Minneapolis
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24. Mississippi
Winner: Ridgeland
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25. Missouri
Winner: Kansas City
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26. Montana
Winner: Kalispell
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27. Nebraska
Winner: Omaha
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28. Nebraska
Winner: Henderson
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29. New Hampshire
Winner: Nashua
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30. New Jersey
Winner: Vineland
Image Credit: Steve Debenport/istockphoto.
31. New Mexico
Winner: Albuquerque
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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
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35. Ohio
Winner: Columbus
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36. Oklahoma
Winner: Oklahoma City
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37. Oregon
Winner: Portland
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38. Pennsylvania
Winner: Philadelphia
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39. Rhode Island
Winner: Warwick
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40. South Carolina
Winner: Westminster
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41. South Dakota
Winner: Sioux Falls
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42. Tennessee
Winner: Memphis
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43. Texas
Winner: Houston
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44. Utah
Winner: Draper
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45. Virginia
Winner: Chesapeake
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46. Washington
Winner: Seattle
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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.
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