The Healthiest City: Burlington Vermont

November 22, 2008 at 6:00 AM by Cafe Kristen - Comments (2)

First, the CDC called Colorado the skinniest state. Now there's a healthiest city: Burlington, Vermont.

According to the CDC, 92 percent of Burlington's people claim that they are in good or great health. Also, these Northeasterners exercise more and have lower rates of diabetes and obesity.

Residents are known for skiing, biking hiking and doing outdoor community service projects like working on community gardens.

Meanwhile, the unhealthiest city was also named: Huntington, W. Virginia. As a story from The Associated Press points out, there are many similarities between the two towns. Both are centered around colleges; both have populations made up of white people of English, German or Irish ancestry.

But Burlington has several advantages over it's unhealthy opposite city:

• Burlington is younger, with an average age of 37, compared to 40 in Huntington, according to the Census Bureau.
• Burlington is better off financially, with 8 percent living at the federal poverty level, compared to 19 percent in Huntington.
• It's much more educated, with nearly 40 percent of area residents having at least a college bachelor's degree. Only 15 percent in the Huntington area do.

Check out the private group, Vermont Mommies, to connect with other Northeasterners and get their perspectives on good health.

Do you think your current town is healthy--or not?

FILED UNDER: 30's 40's 50's, healthy habits, in the news, obesity, weight loss