*This article appeared on Sharecare.com but since has been redirected to a landing page on longevity.
Title/Meta Title: America’s Top 5 Youngest and Oldest Cities 2016
Subhead: Find out where residents have the healthiest and unhealthiest RealAge.
Meta Description: Certain cities have a healthier culture than others. Find out where residents are living younger and where they are aging too fast by checking out Sharecare’s top five youngest and oldest cities report.
Meta Keywords: anti aging, quit smoking, high blood pressure, realage test, youngest cities, oldest cities
Topic: anti-aging-skin-care
Title of Slide: Is Your City Keeping You Young?
Copy: Aging is inevitable, but there are some cities in the U.S. where you’d swear residents stopped time. What’s their secret? People in these cities put a higher premium on their health than in other places. “On a large scale we’re talking about blood pressure control, not smoking, healthy diet and exercise,” says Keith Roach, MD, Sharecare Chief Medical Officer and co-creator of the RealAge Test®. “Those are the factors that are going to be the most likely to predict the health of a city in aggregate.” We looked at those health factors and more from the nearly 400,000 people who took the RealAge Test to figure out which cities had residents with the youngest – and the oldest – collective RealAge.
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Title of Slide: Youngest: #5 Washington, D.C.
Copy: Our nation’s capital can thank its booming job market for helping keep residents young. Washington, D.C., ranks the best for employment and the second-best for income. “Employment is one of the most important factors for young people,” says Roach. “People who have been laid off tend to have real problems with stress, depression and self worth.” High employment, which tends to go hand-in-hand with access to insurance, and lack of financial stress both help provide residents with a solid means for taking good care of their health.
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Title of Slide: Youngest: #4 New York, NY
Copy: New Yorkers should give major props to former mayor Michael Bloomberg for helping make it one of the youngest cities in America. Not only did Bloomberg mandate that restaurants and vendors phase out unhealthy trans fats from their food, he also heavily taxed cigarettes and banned smoking from bars and restaurants. Now, The Big Apple has the fifth-lowest rate of smoking in the U.S., according to RealAge Test data. “Quitting smoking is the single most important thing that people can do for their health,” says Roach. New Yorkers also have low rates of alcohol abuse, make a great income, get plenty of sleep and seem to do a good job at managing stress, not to mention all that walking they do!
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Title of Slide: Youngest: #3 Miami, FL
Copy: Miami may be known for its club scene, but residents here are partying responsibly. The Magic City has some of the lowest rates of alcohol abuse and smoking in the country. Miamians also rank number one when it comes to good cholesterol. “There are lots and lots of doctors in Florida, and I think we’re doing a better job than we used to in keeping cholesterol levels in a good range,” says Roach. Another fun fact about Miami: Men and women here tend to have a very active sex life (despite ranking poorly for happy marriages). While sex isn’t a huge factor in predicting a person’s RealAge, Roach says that the sheer quantity of sex can slightly help reduce a man’s risk of prostate cancer.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Youngest: #2 San Francisco, CA
Copy: With exceptional access to fresh fruits and vegetables thanks to a plethora of farmer’s markets, it’s no surprise that San Franciscans rank first in the nation for nutrition, eating fruits and vegetables and chowing down on nuts. Residents of The Golden Gate City also take good control of their medical issues, have very high levels of exercise and fitness and don’t smoke. “You can find that a really healthy city like San Francisco tends to do a lot of things well,” says Roach. “Starting one healthy behavior tends to promote other healthier behavior.”
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Title of Slide: Youngest: #1 San Diego, CA
Copy: High five to San Diego for taking the top spot as the youngest city in America.
This SoCal city boasts idyllic year-round weather, a multitude of parks and 70 miles of pristine beaches. That means residents can exercise outside anytime they want! “Exercise is critically important because it keeps your energy balance up and your weight stable,” says Roach. “That does a great deal towards promoting a healthy RealAge.” Exercising also helps control chronic illnesses like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Additionally, San Diego residents eat very well (the city has more than 7,000 farms!), don’t smoke, don’t stress out and are very optimistic; all factors that help keep them young.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Is Your City Aging You Too Fast?
Copy: While some cities boast a younger collective RealAge, other cities seem to have an aging problem. “If you look at cities generally doing poorly, you find that they are often economically depressed,” says Roach. “Just financial stress is detrimental to one’s RealAge, but people who don’t have a lot of dispensable income probably don’t have time to exercise or time to prepare good, healthy meals.” Roach says the silver lining is that no matter where you live, you can personally take outstandingly good care of yourself. But he notes that in some cities that may be harder than others simply because of the culture. Here are the top five cities that are aging too fast.
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Title of Slide: Oldest: #5 Cincinnati, OH
Copy: A lot of Midwestern cities are particularly well known for having unhealthy food choices, and Cincinnati is no exception. The city’s two local specialties are Cincinnati chili, spiced meat sauce served over spaghetti or hot dogs, and goetta, a fried pork and grain sausage. Dishes like these could be why Cincy residents have some of the highest rates of hypertension and diabetes in the country; two chronic conditions Roach says can have a very powerful effect on RealAge. Residents here also tend to drink heavily (Cincinnati is home to two major beer festivals), stress out a lot and smoke.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #4 Greenville, SC
Copy: This southern city may have gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but the city’s picture of health isn’t so pretty. Greenville residents have a wide range of unhealthy habits that make them older than their calendar year. According to RealAge Test data, they don’t make a lot of money, don’t exercise, eat poorly, drink heavily and smoke. The lack of income could be why Greenville is the second-most stressed out city in the country. “People with continuous levels of stress are at high risk not only for heart disease, but for cancer as well,” says Roach.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #3 Louisville, KY
Copy: Home of Kentucky Fried Chicken, it’s no surprise that Louisville is the worst in the country for eating fruits and vegetables and second-worst for nutrition. But those are just two of several factors making residents older. They also don’t seem to exercise much, are sleep-deprived, smoke, have high cholesterol and aren’t very optimistic. Plus, residents seem to drink a lot of alcohol, possibly because of Louisville’s rich bourbon culture. “Good behaviors tend to aggregate with each other, and so do bad,” says Roach. “But just one simple change can lead to multiple changes, which together can have a big effect on your RealAge.”
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #2 Oklahoma City, OK
Copy: There is no doubt that Oklahoma City residents love their red meat. The city has the largest livestock market in the world. The problem is that eating all those steaks and burgers, and not eating many whole grains or fruits and vegetables, are taking a toll on the population’s health. OKC has high rates of both cholesterol and hypertension. Residents also don’t seem to make a decent income or have health insurance, which makes it doubly difficult to maintain good health. “That’s just a bad combination of things,” says Roach. “A lot of it does stem from economics. If you’re not doing well you’re less likely to take care of yourself.”
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #1 Knoxville, TN
Copy: Knoxville tops our list as the oldest city in America. Residents are the most stressed out, have the highest rates of smoking, the lowest rate of employment and the most alcohol consumption of anywhere else in the nation. They also battle high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes thanks to poor diet and exercise habits. The only real redeeming factor seems to be that residents have happy marriages. So what can people in Knoxville do to make their RealAge younger? “Act like you’re in one of the youngest cities,” says Roach. That means having better relationships with food, exercising on a daily basis and taking control of chronic illnesses.
Image URL: TBD
Title/Meta Title: America’s Top 5 Youngest and Oldest Cities 2016
Subhead: Find out where residents have the healthiest and unhealthiest RealAge.
Meta Description: Certain cities have a healthier culture than others. Find out where residents are living younger and where they are aging too fast by checking out Sharecare’s top five youngest and oldest cities report.
Meta Keywords: anti aging, quit smoking, high blood pressure, realage test, youngest cities, oldest cities
Topic: anti-aging-skin-care
Title of Slide: Is Your City Keeping You Young?
Copy: Aging is inevitable, but there are some cities in the U.S. where you’d swear residents stopped time. What’s their secret? People in these cities put a higher premium on their health than in other places. “On a large scale we’re talking about blood pressure control, not smoking, healthy diet and exercise,” says Keith Roach, MD, Sharecare Chief Medical Officer and co-creator of the RealAge Test®. “Those are the factors that are going to be the most likely to predict the health of a city in aggregate.” We looked at those health factors and more from the nearly 400,000 people who took the RealAge Test to figure out which cities had residents with the youngest – and the oldest – collective RealAge.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Youngest: #5 Washington, D.C.
Copy: Our nation’s capital can thank its booming job market for helping keep residents young. Washington, D.C., ranks the best for employment and the second-best for income. “Employment is one of the most important factors for young people,” says Roach. “People who have been laid off tend to have real problems with stress, depression and self worth.” High employment, which tends to go hand-in-hand with access to insurance, and lack of financial stress both help provide residents with a solid means for taking good care of their health.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Youngest: #4 New York, NY
Copy: New Yorkers should give major props to former mayor Michael Bloomberg for helping make it one of the youngest cities in America. Not only did Bloomberg mandate that restaurants and vendors phase out unhealthy trans fats from their food, he also heavily taxed cigarettes and banned smoking from bars and restaurants. Now, The Big Apple has the fifth-lowest rate of smoking in the U.S., according to RealAge Test data. “Quitting smoking is the single most important thing that people can do for their health,” says Roach. New Yorkers also have low rates of alcohol abuse, make a great income, get plenty of sleep and seem to do a good job at managing stress, not to mention all that walking they do!
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Youngest: #3 Miami, FL
Copy: Miami may be known for its club scene, but residents here are partying responsibly. The Magic City has some of the lowest rates of alcohol abuse and smoking in the country. Miamians also rank number one when it comes to good cholesterol. “There are lots and lots of doctors in Florida, and I think we’re doing a better job than we used to in keeping cholesterol levels in a good range,” says Roach. Another fun fact about Miami: Men and women here tend to have a very active sex life (despite ranking poorly for happy marriages). While sex isn’t a huge factor in predicting a person’s RealAge, Roach says that the sheer quantity of sex can slightly help reduce a man’s risk of prostate cancer.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Youngest: #2 San Francisco, CA
Copy: With exceptional access to fresh fruits and vegetables thanks to a plethora of farmer’s markets, it’s no surprise that San Franciscans rank first in the nation for nutrition, eating fruits and vegetables and chowing down on nuts. Residents of The Golden Gate City also take good control of their medical issues, have very high levels of exercise and fitness and don’t smoke. “You can find that a really healthy city like San Francisco tends to do a lot of things well,” says Roach. “Starting one healthy behavior tends to promote other healthier behavior.”
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Youngest: #1 San Diego, CA
Copy: High five to San Diego for taking the top spot as the youngest city in America.
This SoCal city boasts idyllic year-round weather, a multitude of parks and 70 miles of pristine beaches. That means residents can exercise outside anytime they want! “Exercise is critically important because it keeps your energy balance up and your weight stable,” says Roach. “That does a great deal towards promoting a healthy RealAge.” Exercising also helps control chronic illnesses like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Additionally, San Diego residents eat very well (the city has more than 7,000 farms!), don’t smoke, don’t stress out and are very optimistic; all factors that help keep them young.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Is Your City Aging You Too Fast?
Copy: While some cities boast a younger collective RealAge, other cities seem to have an aging problem. “If you look at cities generally doing poorly, you find that they are often economically depressed,” says Roach. “Just financial stress is detrimental to one’s RealAge, but people who don’t have a lot of dispensable income probably don’t have time to exercise or time to prepare good, healthy meals.” Roach says the silver lining is that no matter where you live, you can personally take outstandingly good care of yourself. But he notes that in some cities that may be harder than others simply because of the culture. Here are the top five cities that are aging too fast.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #5 Cincinnati, OH
Copy: A lot of Midwestern cities are particularly well known for having unhealthy food choices, and Cincinnati is no exception. The city’s two local specialties are Cincinnati chili, spiced meat sauce served over spaghetti or hot dogs, and goetta, a fried pork and grain sausage. Dishes like these could be why Cincy residents have some of the highest rates of hypertension and diabetes in the country; two chronic conditions Roach says can have a very powerful effect on RealAge. Residents here also tend to drink heavily (Cincinnati is home to two major beer festivals), stress out a lot and smoke.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #4 Greenville, SC
Copy: This southern city may have gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but the city’s picture of health isn’t so pretty. Greenville residents have a wide range of unhealthy habits that make them older than their calendar year. According to RealAge Test data, they don’t make a lot of money, don’t exercise, eat poorly, drink heavily and smoke. The lack of income could be why Greenville is the second-most stressed out city in the country. “People with continuous levels of stress are at high risk not only for heart disease, but for cancer as well,” says Roach.
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #3 Louisville, KY
Copy: Home of Kentucky Fried Chicken, it’s no surprise that Louisville is the worst in the country for eating fruits and vegetables and second-worst for nutrition. But those are just two of several factors making residents older. They also don’t seem to exercise much, are sleep-deprived, smoke, have high cholesterol and aren’t very optimistic. Plus, residents seem to drink a lot of alcohol, possibly because of Louisville’s rich bourbon culture. “Good behaviors tend to aggregate with each other, and so do bad,” says Roach. “But just one simple change can lead to multiple changes, which together can have a big effect on your RealAge.”
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #2 Oklahoma City, OK
Copy: There is no doubt that Oklahoma City residents love their red meat. The city has the largest livestock market in the world. The problem is that eating all those steaks and burgers, and not eating many whole grains or fruits and vegetables, are taking a toll on the population’s health. OKC has high rates of both cholesterol and hypertension. Residents also don’t seem to make a decent income or have health insurance, which makes it doubly difficult to maintain good health. “That’s just a bad combination of things,” says Roach. “A lot of it does stem from economics. If you’re not doing well you’re less likely to take care of yourself.”
Image URL: TBD
Title of Slide: Oldest: #1 Knoxville, TN
Copy: Knoxville tops our list as the oldest city in America. Residents are the most stressed out, have the highest rates of smoking, the lowest rate of employment and the most alcohol consumption of anywhere else in the nation. They also battle high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes thanks to poor diet and exercise habits. The only real redeeming factor seems to be that residents have happy marriages. So what can people in Knoxville do to make their RealAge younger? “Act like you’re in one of the youngest cities,” says Roach. That means having better relationships with food, exercising on a daily basis and taking control of chronic illnesses.
Image URL: TBD