Fayetteville Named One Of The Unhealthiest Cities In America

Fayetteville has landed a dubious spot among the unhealthiest cities in America.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult. There are a plethora of factors that can influence a person's health habits, including where they live. Some cities in America have a less-than-stellar track record when it comes to fostering physical health and wellness. Unfortunately, one of the worst offenders is the city of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

WalletHub recently released a new study listing the healthiest and unhealthiest cities in America. Health experts analyzed 182 US cities while focusing on four key dimensions: Health Care, Food, Fitness, and Green Space.

Each dimension then contained different subcategories, each with different point distributions relative to their importance. For instance, the subcategory under Health Care with the highest priority was each city's premature death rate. For the Food dimension, most attention was paid to inadequate food and vegetable consumption. Under the dimension of Fitness experts most heavily analyzed each city's share of adults who engage in any physical activity. Finally, the Green Space dimension included factors like parkland acres per capita, along with the quality of the parks.

Out of all 182 cities included in the city, Fayetteville was ranked among the bottom ten, sucking it in to fit at #176. Out of a possible 100 points once all four dimensions are added up, Fayetteville only scored a pitiful 32.8 overall. The city scored the worst in the Food dimension, which I think is to be expected in a town with a Krispy Kreme AND Cold Stone Creamery.

In addition to conducting the study, WalletHub also reached out to health analysts across the country to get their insights on how people can practice healthier lifestyle habits. Columbia University professor Peter A. Muennig suggests forming bonds with other likeminded individuals. "As with choosing a healthy city, it is really a matter of surrounding yourself with people who have shared values of eating well and exercising," says Muennig.

Here are some key takeaways from the study about the unhealthiest cities in America:

San Francisco was named the healthiest city in America. The city scored number 1 in the Food and Green Spaces dimensions, which makes up for its less impressive Healthcare ranking.

The beautiful city of Honolulu comes in at number two on the list, citing luscious greenery for residents to explore as well as an abundance of healthy fish-based cuisine.

The eccentric city of Seattle is the third healthiest city in the US. It ranks in the top 30 for Healthcare, top 10 in both Food and Fitness, and ranks 11th in Green Spaces.

Brownsville was named the unhealthiest city in America. The Texas city has the worst Food and Fitness scores in the entire list, and is just a hair off from the worst in Healthcare and Green Spaces.

Gulfport ranked consistently low across all four key dimensions, making it the 2nd unhealthiest city in the country.

Yes, Texas holds two of the bottom three spots on the list. Not only is the physical health of Laredo residents one of the worst in the country, but the city's mental health scores are abysmal as well. Laredo has the fewest mental health counselors per capita, which takes a heavy toll on its overall score.

Raleigh was named the healthiest city in North Carolina, coming in at number 31. The capital city has the third best score for the Fitness dimension, due to its abundance of gyms and fitness groups.

Further down the list is the Queen City of Charlotte, which ranks 67th in overall health.

96 - Durham

161 - Greensboro

171 - Winston-Salem

176 - Fayetteville