America's Healthiest Happiest Cities Revealed

New Yorkers enjoy an abundance of cultural attractions, Angelenos get unblemished blue skies and sunshine, and Denverites benefit from easy access to incredible scenery, but which American city has the healthiest and happiest inhabitants? In its annual Community Well-Being Index Gallup-Healthways revealed the 10 most flourishing, and they’re not the usual suspects…

Researchers analyzed 350,000 health-focused interviews with Americans from 2015 and 2016. They used the data to rank 189 cities across the U.S. based on their physical and emotional health, taking into consideration financial stability and strength of community ties.

States with the highest concentration of happy, healthy communities are California (seven in the top 25), Colorado (three), Texas (three), Florida (two) and Virginia (two). Cities with exemplary records for wellbeing in 2016 were:

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
Barnstable Town, MA
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Urban Honolulu, HI
Charlottesville, VA
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
Lynchburg, VA
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
Boulder, CO

But salt water and vitamin D aren’t the be all and end all of wellbeing. “You don’t need a beach to have someone who encourages you to be healthy; you don’t need a beach to learn new and interesting things; you don’t need a beach to get to the dentist,” lead researcher Dan Witters told TIME. Other factors known to significantly boost mental and physical health are living with a sense of purpose, having a faith or religion, connecting to family, “down-shifting” (going off-line) and even drinking alcohol regularly (in moderation).

Naples, Florida—which claimed the number one spot for the second consecutive year—is part of the Blue Zones Project—an initiative that seeks to improve the health of participating American communities based on key lifestyle principles from the world’s healthiest, longest-living enclaves, known as Blue Zones.

Since the project launched in Naples in 2015, steps have been taken to make the city more bike friendly; introduce farmer’s markets; organize walking groups; and host purpose workshops, providing residents with a more holistic and sustainable approach to their health that’s evidently paying off.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.