My Critique of the AARP Top 10 Healthiest Places List
Every now and then I think about where I want to go later in life. It’s not just a retirement-related thought. I’ve been thinking for a long time that it would be super-energizing to live in a brand-new place. I’ve enjoyed Boston over the years (except for the winters, the unfriendliness, the parking problems and the high prices), but I would love a change of scene. As you know, there is no shortage of “Best Places to Live” lists. Everyone is doing them. But I often find the lists tout places that are either culturally boring, too Republican for me, or are cold half the year.
I am going to show you AARP’s latest list, the Top 10 Healthiest Places to Live, with a little annotation by moi. Remember, my comments are purely subjective and never, ever based on fact:
1. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Fully 86 percent of residents exercise daily and the city boasts 580 physicians per 100,000 people, compared to the U.S. average of 223. Too darned cold.
2. Honolulu: An impressive 95 percent of residents are covered by health insurance; residents spend more time exercising than almost any other city surveyed. Too darned hot and too expensive.
3. Madison, Wisc.: Residents have low rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Wicked cold in winter.
4. Santa Fe, N.M.: The city ranked No. 2 in the U.S. in air quality by the American Lung Association; the rates of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are among the lowest in the country. Too deserty. Not enough green trees.
5. Fargo, N.D.: Ranks No. 9 in the nation for regular flossing and brushing [Gee whiz]; it has one of the best air-quality-index scores, and it uses biodiesel fuel to power its transit buses. They made a scary movie about this town.
6. Boulder, Colo.: This is one of the nation’s healthiest cities with extremely low rates of smoking and obesity (BMI of 24.94). Too much snow.
7. Charlottesville, Va.: Ranks among the top ten cities for family-practice doctors, oncologists and cardiologists, and it ranks fourth among U.S. metropolitan areas in the number of physicians per capita. Too Republican.
8. Minneapolis-St. Paul: Residents rank among the top 10 in the country for share of residents who exercise regularly and the state is No. 1 in the nation for the overall quality of its healthcare by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Cute, but boring.
9. San Francisco Bay Area: Residents are among the least likely to be overweight and smoke, plus the city offers free or subsidized health care to uninsured residents. Too much fog.
10. Naples-Marco Island, Fla.: Residents received very high scores for regular exercise, healthy eating and not smoking; the area has one of the lowest cancer mortality rates in the country. Too humid.
If you want to defend any of these places in the Comments, be my guest.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:07 am
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July 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Sounds like you hit the nail on the head on all of those places! Seems like the majority of them are just way too cold and isn’t it true that as you get older, you get colder? Out of all of them, I think I might take either Santa Fe or San Francisco.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:32 am
If Ann Arbor and Madison are too cold, how can the twin cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) be cute but boring? They are further north and deeper into the snow/frigid belt than either Ann Arbor or Madison.
Madison is my home and in winter I always expect cold and snow (don’t always get as much as I would like of the snow) Right now the horrible floods of early summer have graced us with an over abundance of the state bird (the mosquito).
BUT in all reality, there is no place that is perfect. You just have to make your choices. AARP does not suggest that going to live in these places you will get healthier, just that healthier people live there.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I’m cold now and I’m not that old! I can’t imagine wanting to battle with the ice and stuff when I’m older. I agree that the cities you name are OK, but not perfect, in my book, for the reasons I named above.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I had to laugh at your critique of Charlottesville…I have a friend who lived there and it’s exactly what she always said about it
July 29th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I do like Madison Wisconsin a lot. I’ve been there a few times and I like the anything goes atitude of the city.
What do you mean Boston is unfriendly?
July 29th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Cris, oh, yeah. And it’s too cold in Minn/St. Paul, too.
Rich, I (and numerous friends of mine who live here) have long found people in Boston to be kind of ‘closed off’. They are not that willing to smile, to say hi, to help a stranger. Riding the T is a cold experience, to me. Not a lot of spontaneous conversation, etc. I wish it were different, but I find it not to be. Once I leave Boston, I find things warm up. Even if I just go to Newton!!! And your experience here?
July 29th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Janet: Glad to hear your friend and I are in agreement.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:18 am
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July 29th, 2008 at 11:42 am
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July 29th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Very funny! There’s something wrong with just about any place, isn’t there?
July 29th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I agree with you on every place but Boulder CO. As a proud alumni of CU, I spent many years in Boulder and it doesn’t snow anywhere NEAR as much as it does in Boston. And when it does snow, it does so with the knowledge that the snow will melt by midday, and you can easily be sitting outside in a T-shirt in February with snow all around you. Remember, 300 days of GUARANTEED sunshine per year. The weather cannot be more perfect than it is in Colorado. Plus… hardly any bugs.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Suldog: Yup. That’s the kind of person I am.
Margalit: I am so glad to hear this about Boulder. I have always thought I would live in Colorado one day, and probably Boulder. I have never been to Boulder but I adore Colorado. Thank you for the encouraging information.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
anxious for your list tomorrow??? haha
July 29th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
So is there a list that you *would* consider? Lists are generally generic by nature since we all prefer different things. Myself, I don’t mind the cold even after all these years. 4 distinct seasons is a good thing for me. I never complain about the weather unless it is way out of the norm. So let it snow and be really cold, I’m happy. ah, it is the heat that drives me insane and that leaves many traditional spots off my list.
What about Asheville N.C.? Isn’t there a community on the south side that is pretty ideal? Watch out for the north side, too cold and snowy, and people like me..
July 29th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
If those are the ten best which ones are the ten worst, I’d like to know?
July 29th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Hi, Viking, I hear Asheville is fabulous. I saw it on a list recently.
July 29th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Rhea, I’ve been to and through Asheville many times. A very nice city with lovely mountain scenery and a vibrant art and cultural scene, not too republican as far as I could tell. The south side enjoys a mild climate. The north side is rugged and much more snowy. A definite contrast in weather over a short distance. So much to say nice about the place. I haven’t been there for a number of years but I do have fond memories of the area. Lots of retired folk on the south side, the mountain areas nearby seems to be filled with retired hippies, lol.
But alas I’ve been migrating north my whole life it seems and my Nordic blood just can’t seem to find that magic spot. There is further north here in Canada but little in the way of community, everyone is clustered to the south. So my next ‘hot spot’ is Iceland. Ignoring the insane weather changes it seems to have it all for an old Viking like me…..
July 29th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Thanks for all the info on Asheville. I am going to try to see it. In fact, probably this October, as I will be in the area! Maybe it will be my dream place. Who knows? I loved Iceland when I visited. Of course, I never tried to get through a winter there. Good luck in your travels. And keep reading the ol’ blog!
July 29th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Every town in the country is trying to attract retirees. I’d be bored in any of the places they list.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Rhea:
I’ve spent many years in Boulder. It used to be a nice little town in the 60’s, but today it’s far too crowded, polluted and expensive…too many easterners moved there! Had to move farther north!
Laura Lee (The Midlife Crisis Queen!)
July 30th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Hattie: Honolulu????
July 30th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Rhea,
I was just being facetious. I know all too well about Boston’s unfriendly ways – why do you think I sometimes want to move to Maine.
Some of the most inconsiderate drivers here as well.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Ohhhh, Rich. I totally took you seriously.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:59 am
I agree with you Rhea on all points on these cities. BRAVO!!!
July 31st, 2008 at 11:05 am
I also agree with Vikingisson. I am in the WDC area and it’s too hot and too expensive. I moved here knowing about the heat, but what are you going to do when you are broke, not too long out of college, and you can stay at a friend who is living here for free for a couple of months? I would love to be able to live as far North as possible.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:06 am
Thanks, Libby!
July 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I think where the best place to retire (or live before retirement for that matter) is a very idiosyncratic decision. (I am running a poll on my blog on that very topic). That said, the ratings that AARP, Money, the guys at Retirement Places Rated, etc. can sometimes serve as a beginning research tool to determine what factors matter most to you and then evaluate locales based on that. But I agree with you on your assessment of the AARP 10. BTW: we have spent the summer in Silver City, New Mexico and have decided to relocate here as soon as it is practical to sell the house in Fairfax County, Virginia (suburb of Washington, DC). I recommend Silver City to those who like four gentle seasons, lots of sun, no traffic and don’t mind very low humidity (it’s not really desert; just semi-arid).
July 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
John, thanks for sharing the tip on that spot in New Mexico. We promise not to overrun the place with retirees.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I agree with your comments!! I live in a city, not to be named, that was chosen as the number one place to live in the US a few years ago! It was a really great place too…until it was picked no. 1. All downhill since then
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:13 am
Dr. J, now I wonder where it is…. Seattle?
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:28 pm
i CAN BRING THE DOG?!?!?!? i AM SO THERE
April 27th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
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