Twin Cities among AARP's 10 healthiest places to live
MINNEAPOLIS, July 23, 2008—AARP Magazine has announced the top 10 healthiest cities to live and retire in, and the Twin Cities were rated number 8.
The September/October issue of the magazine named Ann Arbor and Honolulu the healthiest two cities.
Ann Arbor's residents exercise a lot, and the city boasts 580 physicians per 100,000 people, compared to the U.S. average of 223. Honolulu's residents have the highest rate of people with health insurance (95 percent).
Minneapolis-St. Paul placed among the top 10 for regular exercise, And "Minnesota is ranked the #1 state in the nation for the overall quality of its health care by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality."
Fargo, ND also made the listing, cited for regular flossing and brushing.
The entire top 10:
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Honolulu, HI
- Madison, WI
- Santa Fe, NM
- Fargo, ND
- Boulder, CO
- Charlottesville, VA
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
- Naples-Marco Island, FL.
AARP evaluated over 20 measures of vitality to help make its decisions and incorporated not only the physical aspects of a community (clean air and water), but also the health and habits of people who live there, taking into special consideration the health needs of people age 50+.
Communities were chosen based on various criteria including opportunities for exercise, number of doctors in the area, availability of health care, diagnosis of health problems, healthy eating habits, and more.
The magazine also evaluated quality of life measures such as housing affordability, the local economy, educational resources, crime, climate, recreational amenities, and arts and culture to help make their selections.