Weight Loss
Pedestrian-friendly Cities: How Does Yours Compare?
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Sep 20, 2005, 19:48

(NUI) - With obesity and lack of physical fitness plaguing the lives of many Americans, the American Podiatric Medical Association and Prevention magazine have teamed up to provide a list of the "12 Best Walking Cities in the United States."

By acknowledging the cities that really put pride in their residents' strides, the APMA and Prevention hope to encourage Americans to take up walking as part of their daily fitness routine.

Cities were judged based on a list of criteria provided by the APMA that included use of mass transit, percentage of people who walk to work, population density and annual attendance at museums, among other factors.

Northern cities that are rich in history and culture like New York and Philadelphia ranked high in their region. Jersey City, N.J., also made the list because of the number of people who walk to work and how often and how long residents exercise.

Down south, San Antonio stood up to the test because its unique layout allows walkers to test their stamina over the course of its long Riverwalk. El Paso boasts the greatest number of exercise sessions completed by its residents in a single month, and Washington, D.C., ranked the highest in annual museum attendance and use of mass transit.

The Midwest's Madison, Wis., came out strong in the competition, earning top honors for the percentage of people who bike to work; meanwhile, St. Louis ranked high on the number of minutes walked per exercise session. Chicago scored big in the areas of mass transit usage as well as museum attendance.

Over on the West Coast, California cities like San Diego and San Francisco fared well on the list and not just because they have bragging rights to beautiful weather. Both destinations have a high percentage of residents who bike to work, and San Diego ranked fourth in museum attendance throughout the year.

But, don't discount the islands of Hawaii. Honolulu scored high on the list because of its citizens' frequent use of mass transit and the number of people who walk to work each day. The city also had a low rate of violent crime and a high rate of museum attendance.

For more information on how your hometown ranks for pedestrians, log on to www.apma.org.

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