Paths and trails in Balboa Park and its adjacent neighborhoods abound. (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Healthy Living, Quality of Life, San Diego

San Diego Scores Well in Study Pertaining to Healthy Living 

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

A comprehensive analysis showing the top 25 cities in the U.S. offering the healthiest urban environments puts San Diego at No. 4 on the list.

The study was conducted by Hers, a health and wellness company that drew its conclusions on four sets of data: nutrition, behavior, movement, and access to medical treatment. The researchers looked at the concentration of grocery stores offering organic products (think Sprouts Farmers Market in North Park; Lazy Acres in Mission Hills; and Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in Hillcrest) as well as walkability, which aids in weight loss and immunity. (Balboa Park and its surrounding neighborhoods are ideal areas for increasing daily step counts.)

San Diego also boasts a hefty number of hospitals, medical facilities, and psychiatric care centers throughout its metro core, which were taken into account for the study.

San Francisco ranked No. 1 on the list, followed by Boston and New York. 

The study also named the 25 worst U.S. cities for healthy living, starting with Las Vegas, Birmingham (Alabama), and Memphis.