Charlottesville: America’s Healthiest City

Year after year, Charlottesville, Virginia pops up in magazines across the country as one of the “Best Places to Live”. Aside from this distinction, in recent years Charlottesville has been given an overwhelming amount of attention as one of the healthiest cities in which to live, and likewise, as a prime retirement city. As visitors look towards the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains and breathe in the crisp, fresh air, it isn’t hard to understand why.

Now AARP Magazine has joined the list of national magazines to recognize Charlottesville’s health benefits, naming Charlottesville #7 on their list of the Top Ten Healthiest Places to Live and Retire. Charlottesville has earned the Healthiest Place several times before, including being named #2 Healthiest Place to Live in America by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Healthiest Place to Live and #3 Healthiest Small City to Live in America by Men’s Journal; and #6 Top Ten Healthiest Cities for Women by American Health.

To determine the healthiest places to live, Men’s Journal took into account the community’s major attributes, especially the area’s abundance of local farms. Locals have organic produce readily available, which provides community food security.

Charlottesville real estate’s rolling hills and protected mountain views provide residents with a wealth of natural beauty, and studies have shown that such a connection to the land can trigger both illness prevention and healing responses. The city has been acknowledged for both short commutes and a reliable system of sidewalks, which not only make Charlottesville healthier, but also provides parents with peace of mind.

Charlottesville’s wealth of vegetation does more than provide the community with a vibrant autumn foliage show; urban trees mitigate air pollution, lower the local temperature, and help keep pollutants already in the air from becoming even more volatile.

Post-operative hospital stays are shortened when patients have a view of trees and open spaces, plentiful in Charlottesville. As a community dedicated to conservation, local residents appreciate the benefits trees provide on a multitude of levels.

The University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville, is one of only 125 medical schools throughout the country, and to have such an institution in such a small city is a rarity. This teaching hospital employs top physicians utilizing the latest technology, and treatments available in Charlottesville are not available in similar hospitals across the country.

This is vitally important, as studies show that people respond better to being treated closer to home. Charlottesville has an immense density of expertise with its two local hospitals, UVA and Martha Jefferson, both of which play a pivotal role in the health of the community.

Charlottesville provides a wealth of opportunity finally fulfill your New Years Resolution to get healthy. Charlottesville is home to several health organizations which work across the board to improve local health, from nutrition counseling to campaigns to encourage residents to be physically active.

Because of the abundance of exercise and fitness options in the area, it isn’t difficult to find a physical outlet to suit everyone in the family, and fresh local produce makes healthy eating practical. With all the area’s health benefits, there’s little question as to why those in the Charlottesville area have such a high life expectancy.