You’ve heard of global “Blue Zones,” right? As in, specific areas of the world that have the highest proportion of both healthy and long-living individuals? Well, what if we told you we took those metrics and identified “Blue Zip Codes” throughout the county! Yup – turns out there are “Blue Zones” in our own backyard, and taking a look into why those regions are flourishing can both inform us and inspire us to live longer, healthier lives too!
First, let’s talk about the globally recognized “Blue Zones”; a term founded by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times bestselling author who popularized the concept of “Blue Zones” after researching the demographic work done by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain outlined in the Journal of Experimental Gerontology. They primarily identified regions of the world that had the most centenarians: people over the age of 100.
The team worked together to compile longevity markers and came up with the “Power 9” concept, a series of 9 lifestyle habits that all “Blue Zones” share. These include,
- Natural Movement
- Purpose
- Downshift
- 80% Rule
- Plant Slant
- Wine at Five
- Belong
- Loved Ones First
- Right Tribe
For a thorough explanation of each of these concepts, visit this site. The globally recognized “Blue Zones” are: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California.
To help us out in our research, we relied on reporting from US News, which built upon the theory of “Blue Zones” and compiled a list of the top 25 ranking counties throughout the country which scored the highest on an 89-point scale. This is known as the “Healthiest Communities Report,” which you can view here. 89 factors within 10 health categories determine a score between 1-100. Here are the winners:
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico
- Falls Church city, Virginia
- Douglas County, Colorado
- Morgan County, Utah
- Carver County, Minnesota
- Sioux County, Iowa
- Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
- Hamilton County, Indiana
- Broomfield County, Colorado
- Delaware County, Ohio
- Dallas County, Iowa
- Loudoun County, Virginia
- Arlington County, Virginia
- Union County, South Dakota
- Teton County, Wyoming
- Morris County, New Jersey
- Fairfax County, Virginia
- Howard County, Maryland
- Williamson County, Tennessee
- Johnson County, Kansas
- Lincoln County, South Dakota
- Waukesha County, Wisconsin
- Dodge County, Minnesota
- Hamilton County, Nebraska
- Washington County, Minnesota
This report differs substantially from the work done by the “Blue Zone” founders. Instead of finding healthy communities and determining what made them that way, this report focuses on socioeconomic factors that appear to lead to holistic health and happiness. We like to think of this report as showcasing the regions with the most “opportunity” and access to flourish. The categories include:
- Population Health
- Equity
- Education
- Economy
- Housing
- Food & Nutrition
- Environment
- Public Safety
- Community Vitality
- Infrastructure
So, what’s the healthiest region in America? According to this exhaustive report, the winner is Virginia! With 4 regions in the top 25 ranking, Virginia had an outstanding showing of opportunity. However, the Midwest had a wealth of winners – a reminder that while our great cities are full of energy and growth, perhaps the happiest regions are still in the heartland.
