That’s a beautiful picture, isn’t it? That particular image is of the lighthouse in Grand Haven, Michigan. If you’re looking for a better place to live in America, you won’t find it. That’s because the Holland/Grand Haven, Michigan area was ranked as America’s healthiest city/metro area by a Gallup and Healthways survey.
The survey looked at 13 different health factors, including access to medical care, places to exercise, cleanliness of food and water, spending power, and crime rate. Holland/Grand Haven was tops on the list, followed by Madison, Wisconsin, and two cities in Iowa, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. Boston and its surrounding suburbs was the highest-ranked big city on the list.
McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas, ranked at the bottom of the survey, flanked by five different areas of Southern California, all of which were battered by the state’s poor economy and high cost of living. As for McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, it was at the bottom because it was the lowest-rated on six of the thirteen indicators, including money for food, job availability, having health insurance, having a doctor, and dental visits within the past 12 months (it also has the highest unemployment rate in Texas). El Paso, Texas, was the lowest-ranked big city on the survey.
Moving out west might make you happy, but it won’t help keep you healthy.
Tags: America’s healthiest cities, America’s unhealthiest cities, cities ranked by health and safety, safest cities, healthiest cities, the best places to live in America, Holland/Grand Haven, Michigan, McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas, cities ranked by healthiness, Gallup, Healthways, polls, surveys