Best Value Schools Names the 50 Healthiest College Towns in America

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At Best Value Schools, a new article has been published to rank the 50 healthiest towns and cities in America for college students seeking to maintain good overall physical and mental health while advancing their education. "50 Healthiest College Towns" is a handy new tool to the educational website for pointing active students in the right direction towards finding the best higher education options available in high-energy college towns that have made healthy living a civic priority.

"If you're a student who's a health nut, you'll definitely want to consider towns that will support your obsession with an active lifestyle and nutritious eating," said author Iris Stone.

In creating the ranking, the researchers at Best Value Schools collected data on the 185 metropolitan statistical areas across the United States regarding physical activity, body weight, heart disease, diabetes, depression, prevalence of smoking, and fruit/vegetable consumption for people over 18 years old. Researchers also looked at the number of college students living in and attending institutions in the areas.

Since statistics show that nearly one in four freshmen gain at least 5% of their body weight during their first semester, warding off the notorious "Freshman 15" is becoming increasingly important to maintain a healthy waistline while still having fun. Luckily, Best Value Schools has created this guide on the "50 Healthiest College Towns" to show the most active towns across America that offer college students the chance to meet new people, participate in outdoor recreational opportunities, stay active in bike-friendly areas, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Below are the 50 healthiest college towns across the United States that have been ranked by the Best Value Schools as well as one of the top-notch colleges/universities found there:

50. Bellingham, Washington: Western Washington University

49. Missoula, Montana: University of Montana

48. Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Maui

47. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia: Old Dominion University

46. Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon

45. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Western Michigan University

44. Reno, Nevada: University of Nevada-Reno

43. Baltimore-Towson, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University

42. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University

41. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Commonwealth University

40. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona: Grand Canyon University

39. Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas: University of Dallas

38. Fargo, North Dakota: North Dakota State University

37. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Oregon-Washington: Pacific University

36. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, Florida: Florida International University

35. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah: University of Utah

34. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut: Central Connecticut State University

33. Trenton-Ewing, New Jersey: Rider University

32. Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont: University of Vermont

31. Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina: Duke University

30. Colorado Springs, Colorado: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

29. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii at Manoa

28. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California: Loma Linda University

27. Newark-Union, New Jersey: Rutgers University - Newark

26. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University

25. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois: DePaul University

24. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston University

23. Denver-Aurora, Colorado: University of Colorado - Denver

22. Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah

21. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut: University of Bridgeport

20. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota: North Central University

19. Austin-Round Rock, Texas: University of Texas at Austin

18. New York-Jersey City-White Plains, New York-New Jersey: New York University

17. Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, Massachusetts: Harvard University

16. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington: Seattle Pacific University

15. Nassau-Suffolk Counties (Long Island), New York: Stony Brook University

14. Logan, Utah: Utah State University

13. Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado: Colorado State University

12. Sacramento, California: California State University - Sacramento

11. Atlanta, Georgia: Emory University

10. Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado at Boulder

9. San Francisco, California: San Francisco State University

8. San Diego, California: University of San Diego

7. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia-Virginia: Georgetown University

6. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California: University of Southern California

5. Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, California: University of California - Berkeley

4. Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, Maryland: University of Maryland - College Park

3. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California: Brandman University

2. Provo-Urem, Utah: Brigham Young University

1. San Jose-Santa Clara, California: Stanford University

More detailed information about these top 50 healthiest college towns and metropolitan areas can be found at http://www.bestvalueschools.com/50-healthiest-college-towns/

About: Best Value Schools is a comprehensive online resource guide that helps college students find the most affordable degree programs and universities with the highest return on investment for their money.

Media inquiries regarding Best Value Schools may be directed to Paul Church at 484-945-2742, via email, or on the web at BestValueSchools.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-value-schools-names-the-50-healthiest-college-towns-in-america-621741372.html

SOURCE Best Value Schools

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