Boston ranks in top 10 of US "Fittest" cities

[Bettafish]

Many Bostonians don't have a car. That helps.

[johnathanc]

I would have to say that you don't see as many out of shape people in Boston compared to metros in the Southern or Midwestern states. The local population does value health (eating and physical exercise) greatly. You won't see as many greasy spoons compared to other cities and plenty of healthier options as well. As others have mentioned, I too believe education levels play a huge role in this disposition. People strive to be in shape for health purposes moreso than showing off in a muscle head kind of way.

[TAM88]

Despite what some might say/think, once the temperature drops and the snow starts, people on New England do not huddle inside for 3-4 months. Plenty of people up here embrace winter and love being outside during it doing various activities.

[Flashpoint922]

Originally Posted by TAM88

Despite what some might say/think, once the temperature drops and the snow starts, people on New England do not huddle inside for 3-4 months. Plenty of people up here embrace winter and love being outside during it doing various activities.

That's also a good point. There is no such thing as "hibernation" here, street foot traffic does not seem to change a bit even among the coldest and snowiest of days.

[ChuckG2008]

I must say, while I'm not surprised by Philly's mediocre rating, I am surprised at NYC being even lower on this list, just barely above Baltimore. Alas, our love of cheesesteaks and pizza negates any exercise we get lol (I know it's not that simple. As others have pointed out, education plays a significant role as well). Very interesting list

[pennyone]

Originally Posted by johnathanc

I would have to say that you don't see as many out of shape people in Boston compared to metros in the Southern or Midwestern states. The local population does value health (eating and physical exercise) greatly. You won't see as many greasy spoons compared to other cities and plenty of healthier options as well. As others have mentioned, I too believe education levels play a huge role in this disposition. People strive to be in shape for health purposes moreso than showing off in a muscle head kind of way.

There are PLENTY of pizza joints all around the city.

The ranking is consistent with the fact that Boston has a high concentration of student population. Youth tends to be more active and fit, before real and serious work drag down their level of fitness and available time for it.

[Parsec]

That list is BS. Atlanta is ranked above NYC? I used to live in downtown Atlanta and it seemed like 50% of the population was overweight. It was even higher than that once you got into the suburbs. The list doesn't pass a simple sniff test which shows their methodology is probably flawed.