![\"Header\"](\"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Header.jpg\")
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While many of the articles in the eMagazine discuss places that are far removed from the big city, \u00a0where you live can also have \u00a0a big impact on the availability of recreational opportunities, on\u00a0your access to them and\u00a0on your health. \u00a0Last July we discussed a study that ranked cites for their recreation opportunities<\/a> in a broad sense. \u00a0In this story, we’ll discuss a new study that looks specifically at how friendly cities are to people\u00a0that are interested in personal fitness.<\/p>\n Nick Wallace\u00a0and\u00a0SmartAsset<\/a>, set about evaluating 293 of the largest cities in the U.S. for how friendly they are to people who are interested in fitness. \u00a0They collected the following data from the U.S.\u00a0Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics:<\/p>\n Mt Sential rises above the University of Montana in Missoula. It’s a popular place for hikers and joggers.<\/p><\/div>\n These metrics\u00a0are intended to give some indication of how friendly a city might be for those that want to be fit. \u00a0Cities that make it easier for people to walk or bicycle to work are friendly to those that want to get their exercise that way. \u00a0The number of fitness-related jobs suggests the level of professional support people can find in the community. \u00a0Fewer fast food restaurants suggests an industry that caters to those more interested\u00a0in their health.<\/p>\n The sporting good store\u00a0metric looks like\u00a0a chicken and egg situation. Are there more people recreating so there are more sporting goods stores or are there more sporting goods stores because there are more people recreating? \u00a0It really doesn’t matter because, either way, there are more people recreating and that’s the point.<\/p>\n The hourly pay for trainers is a bit tricky. \u00a0A higher hourly pay rate suggests a shortage of this kind of professional support. \u00a0While that may be good from the perspective that suggests a lot of\u00a0people must\u00a0want that service, it’s not so good when it suggests that there aren’t enough trainers around to offer the level of service residents might want at a price they can afford. \u00a0Further, \u00a0the number of trainers is incorporated in one parameter and the pay for those trainers is incorporated in another. \u00a0This increases the importance of trainers. \u00a0 Perhaps recognizing this conundrum, Wallace only gave trainer pay\u00a0half the weight of the other\u00a0metrics.<\/p>\n Wallace\u00a0combined all of these metrics\u00a0through a weighted average into a single indicator that was then used to rank the cities. \u00a0The results:<\/p>\n All of these cities except Bend (that has a branch campus of Oregon State University)\u00a0are big university cities. \u00a0I suspect that this attribute has a significant effect upon the ranking because college students tend to commute on foot or bicycle more than others. \u00a0I suspect they also tend to have stronger interest in fitness than the general population.<\/p>\n Wallace adds: “None of the top 25 cities in SmartAsset\u2019s study is located in a warm-weather locale. Cities in the Southeast, Texas and the desert Southwest tend to have below average numbers of fitness professionals and recreation centers. Likewise, in many of these cities, fast food joints constitute over half of all restaurants.” \u00a0If we were looking at rural areas, this might be attributed to income disparities, but remember, this is all about big cities where incomes tend to be higher. \u00a0It could simply be that the warmer climates, with oppressive heat during part of the year, make it less enjoyable to get exercise outdoors.<\/p>\n Many of the top ten cities are located in the west and more than half are in mountainous areas. \u00a0These cities are close to large expanses of public lands that offer many outdoor recreation opportunities.<\/p>\nConsidering the Data<\/h1>\n
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![\"Mt](\"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Umt-mt-sentinel-225.jpg\")
<\/a>Developing an Indicator for Ranking<\/h1>\n
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![\"Madison](\"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/MadisonMap.jpg\")
<\/a>Missoula, Montana<\/strong><\/li>\nTrends<\/h1>\n
![\"Bicycle](\"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/CycletoWork.jpg\")
If you are looking to move to a city that better supports your interest in personal fitness, \u00a0you might start with the