Today Discovery News highlighted research showing that the more your neighborhood allows or encourages you to walk, the less you are likely to weigh.
So if you're looking to slim down and you've decided moving is cheaper than joining a gym (it is more likely to stick), Walk Score can help you pick the most walkable parts of any of the country's largest 40 cities. I'm a bit disappointed that Minneapolis-St. Paul is not on the list, because the two cities are counted separately and neither makes the top 40 on its own.
But if you live in Milwaukee, Cleveland, or 38 other cities, you can see a map and list of the most walkable neighborhoods in town.
According to Lawrence Frank of the University of British Columbia, Walk Score uses distance to many destinations to determine walkability, which has limitations. "You could be right near a mall, and you could be on the end of the culdesac and not be able to get to the mall," he said.
So, that's just to say that you shouldn't buy a house without visiting it first and making sure you really can walk where you want to. Indeed, Walk Score suggests this and notes its own limitations. But the site has some pretty nice maps and it's certainly better than nothing.
Check out America's most walkable neighborhoods.
Do you live in one? Does a walkable lifestyle make your life or health better?
(Image: Flickr user Atilla1000, some rights reserved.)
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