Fit in the City

American Fitness Index results

By Yardi Blog Staff on Jun 25, 2015 in News

Ever wondered how fit your city is? The American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) has. Since 2008 the ACSM takes a look at the health and fitness of the nations’ top 50 metropolitan areas, compiling a comprehensive ranking on community fitness to assess city strengths and identify areas in need of improvement. Dubbed the American Fitness Index (AFI), the report scores cities in a plethora of categories, such as walkability, residents’ proximity to public parks, chronic health problems, dietary preferences, recreational facilities and policy for school P.E.

2015’s recently released AFI report uncovered a number of encouraging results, with nine cities jumping up five spots in the ranks compared to last year. Some, such as Las Vegas, did so thanks to local action taken as a result of prior years’ results. An unsurprising result of the report is California’s love for healthy lifestyles. Of the six California MSAs on the AFI, four ranked in the top ten and none in the bottom fifteen. In fact the top five was dominated by California with Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego ranking fifth, fourth and third. Minneapolis, the USA’s most bike-friendly city, was named runner-up to the country’s fittest city: Washington, DC.

1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC –VA-MD-WV

Topping the American Fitness Index, the Washington, DC area seems to be doing everything right. The city excels at the number of people walking, biking or using public transport to work, the number of farmers’ markets, park units, dog parks, swimming pools, rec centers and tennis courts and park-related expenditures per capita, with a high percentage of the population being within a 10-minute walk to a park.

Washington’s fitness-consciousness is perfectly reflected in the Bozzuto

Group-managed Flats 130 at Constitution Square and Flats at Atlas. Built in 2011 and 2013, the 643-unit Flats 130 is a fitness-lover’s dream with its two-story fitness center offering Zumba, yoga an boot camp classes, rooftop pool, dog park, private courtyards, bike racks and bike storage, community car-sharing program, onsite Capital Bikeshare station and a Red Line Metro station right outside its doors. Flats at Atlas also boasts a fitness center, as well as a basketball half court that doubles as a yoga room, bike storage and a bike shop and is pet friendly. Its crowning amenity however is the virtual simulator sports lounge that includes, golf, baseball, football, hockey and soccer.

2. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

Minneapolis excels at the per capita number of golf courses, dog parks, park playgrounds, ball diamonds, park units and many more. Minneapolis does need to increase it veggie consumption, its parklands area and the number of pools. Located in central Minneapolis, 440-unit Heritage Park has two out of three covered with two onsite city parks and its proximity to a farmers market. Located in the nation’s most bike-friendly city, Heritage Park also boasts bike racks and biking/walking trails. As an added bonus the McCormack Baron Management-operated community is pet-friendly and is only two blocks away from the new Twins Stadium. For those looking to make waves, the Westdale Asset Management-managed 534-unit Hampshire Hill in Bloomington has a pool, complete with sundeck, waiting for them, along with a fitness center and proximity to walking and biking trails.

3. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

San Diego is representing California’s outdoors-loving, health- and fitness-oriented mindset in the top three. San Diego excels at healthy eating and exercise habits, a high number of farmers’ markets, parklands, P.E. requirements, dog parks and ball diamonds. According to the AFI, San Diego and Carlsbad could use a couple more golf courses, swimming pools, tennis courts and more people using mass transit.

Holland Residential-managed Form 15 caters to the quintessential California lifestyle. The 242-unit San Diego apartment community boasts a saltwater pool, spa, generous private storage for bikes and surfboards, a dog park complete with pet washing station, a two-story fitness room, outdoor kitchen, bike racks and electric car charging station. The community is also only a four-minute walk from an urban farm and has three farmers markets in a less than 10-minute drive radius, with one a meager 0.9 miles away.

For those looking to get their work out on under the California sun, The Bluffs at Carlsbad offers multiple tennis courts and welcome large dogs. The Triumph Management-operated community has lush landscaping, fitness center, pool and is close to public transit.