Study Says Amarillo Is One Of The Unhealthiest Cities In America
When it comes to the healthiest cities in the United States, unfortunately Amarillo is not at the top of the list. In fact, we are almost at the bottom. Yikes! WalletHub recently conducted a study of 174 cities across the U.S. to see where the the most healthy and unhealthy cities are in each state.
Amarillo came in at #155 out of 174 cities. That means we are down right unhealthy. The study looked at 43 metrics of good health and assigned a weighted number to each. The data set ranges from cost of medical visit to fruit and vegetable consumption to fitness clubs per capita. But it's not all bad news. Amarillo actually scored the top spot in one of the categories measured. Amarillo has the lowest average monthly cost of a fitness club membership out of the 174 cities. That means that even though we don't have a lot of the services and amenities needed to be a healthy city, at least it is cheap to get a gym membership.
Is there anything we can do to change our ranking? It would take a lot of change to make Amarillo a healthier city, but it is possible. Our medical offerings continue to grow with more doctors and specialists moving to the area. As construction continues, we are seeing more recreation options and more park areas to enjoy. And with all that growth, we have the chance to start seeing some healthier retail option. So don't fret, Amarillo has a chance to be healthier, we just need to work at it.