Seattle WA Best City Award
Seattle WA - Cooking Light magazine named it’s top twenty cities in the country that provide the resources people need to live healthful lives, and topping that list was our own Seattle, Washington. The magazine ranked major metropolitan areas on 15 different criteria, including healthfulness and exercise data, restraurant ratings, farmers market listings, and parks and recreation data. The result of that study were the list of the top 20 American cities that best fit their philosophy to eat smart, be fit, and live well.
The magazine said with an abundance of fresh local foods, walker-friendly streets, and inclusive attitudes helps make Seattle America’s best city for healthy living.
Whether seen from the vantage point of a peaceful kayak excursion on the waters of Puget Sound or a morning tour of bustling food lover’s mecca Pike Place Market, Seattle always appears to be a place where healthful living comes easily and naturally. In our year-long countdown of U.S. cities that epitomize the Cooking Light philosophy, Seattle ranked highest for dollars spent on parkland—$266 per person annually, according to the Trust for Public Land. The American Podiatric Medical Association ranked pedestrian-friendly Seattle a top spot for walking. Nearly 85 percent of city residents report exercising regularly and 89 percent say they are in good or better health, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. And when Seattleites are ready to indulge, they can do so in any of the city’s many top-rated restaurants—it’s home to both numerous James Beard Award-winning chefs and restaurants ranked “extraordinary to perfection” by culinary review, Zagat. If you love Cooking Light, we think you’ll love Seattle, too.
Portland, Oregon came in second on this list making the Pacific Northwest a must stop for travelor’s looking for quality light dining. Life is good in the second-ranked city, thanks to its seemingly endless supply of outdoor activities, cutting-edge restaurants, and vibrant environmental consciousness.
Portland is called the City of Roses for its proliferation of brightly hued blooms, but the color that best describes this city is green. Portland prides itself on being environmentally friendly, boasting an award-winning public transportation system, 277 miles of bike paths, and city planning that minimizes sprawl.
The soft seasonal drizzle that falls over the city (actually, there’s more annual rainfall in Atlanta) makes it literally green as well. Consequently, Portlanders enjoy 227 parks and 146 miles of lushly forested hiking trails, rain or shine. The climate also nurtures the fabulous food and wine produced here, helping make Portland fourth in the nation in per capita farmers’ markets and top for its number of organic restaurants.
Portland earned the second spot on the top 20 list of Cooking Light cities because it also ranked highly in the following categories: acres of parkland per capita; percent of population that reports to be in good or better health; percent of population that exercised in the last month; and its walkability. Read more about Portland, Oregon restaurants.
Jerry Campbell - The Muljat Group - Bellingham, WA - Whatcom County Real Estate