Salt Lake City Named Fittest City in America

Salt Lake City earned the "Fittest City" distinction due to its abundance of park space, athletically motivated residents and below-average obesity rates.

The metro region ranks highest in participation in sports such as hiking, basketball, yoga, swimming, running and kick boxing.

Salt Lake residents watch 23 percent less television than average cities in the survey and eat better due to a higher ratio of health-food stores per resident than most metropolitan areas, the magazine says.

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, a cycling enthusiast, was delighted with the ranking.

"Given Salt Lake City's comfortable climate, outdoor-oriented lifestyle, increasingly walkable and bikeable city, and proximity to some of the nation's best hiking and biking trails, as well as the incredible mountains that surround our city," he said, "it's no wonder that those of us who live and work in Salt Lake City are motivated to participate in outdoor recreation activities which also help keep us fit."

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker with Bike to Work Day police escorts. May 13, 2008 (Photo courtesy Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau)

The mayor is a proponent of bike lane additions and improvements in Salt Lake City. He works out every morning before biking or walking the one-mile route to his office. On weekends, he hikes or skis Utah's backcountry.

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon has been a bike advocate for his entire tenure, and has worked with the Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee, to promote bike commuting and bike safety throughout the county.

Salt Lake City is a newcomer to the "Men's Fitness" listing. After Salt Lake, the the next four fittest slots are filled by Colorado Springs, Minneapolis and Denver and Albuquerque.

The "Fittest and Fattest Cities in America" list is determined by looking at factors such as accessibility of fitness centers and sport stores, nutrition levels, sports participation, TV viewing, number of overweight residents, accessibility of junk food, air quality, parks and open space, city recreational facilities, access to health care, as well as city and state obesity initiatives.

Miami is listed as the "Fattest City in America," moving up from number seven last year. It is followed by Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Las Vegas, last year's No. 1 "Fattest City."

Miami has a high number of health food stores per capita, but it also has almost three times the fast-food restaurants as the average city. The area has 79 percent more gyms and health clubs than average, but residents are less likely to regularly use their memberships.

For more than a decade, "Men's Fitness" magazine has conducted a national survey of the top 50 cities across the country to determine which cities take fitness and health the most seriously. The Fittest and Fattest Cities in America List will be published in the magazine's February 2009 issue.

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