Exercise more and lose weight were two of Americans’ top five resolutions for 2024. Where they live can go a long way in reaching those goals.
“It can be difficult to get motivated to stay fit, especially when people are busy with work, but living in a city that promotes physical activity can make things a lot easier,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said. “The best cities are easy to traverse by walking or biking, have a lot of athletic fields that are open to the public, and are in close proximity to natural hiking trails and swimming areas.”
Atlanta is apparently one of those “best cities,” finishing in the top 10 of WalletHub’s ranking of the best and worst cities for an active lifestyle.
To determine the rankings, the financial website compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across two key dimensions: budget and participation, and sports and outdoors.
It then evaluated those dimensions using 35 relevant metrics, each graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for a physically active population.
Atlanta’s overall score of 52.28 placed it at No. 10. We were No. 2 for budget and participation, and came in No. 19 for sports and outdoors.
In addition, Georgia’s capital finished:
- First: Swimming pools per capita
- Ninth: Fitness centers per capita
- 12th: Dance schools per capita
- 37th: Walk score
- 45th: Percentage of physically inactive adults
- 46th: Baseball and softball diamonds per capita
- 46th: Basketball hoops per capita
- 51st: Public and municipal golf courses per capita
- 53rd: Average monthly fitness club fee
Honolulu earned the top spot, with an overall score of 63.09. New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Las Vegas, in that order, rounded out the top five.
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