Boston Walking Score – How Does Boston Compare to Other Cities?
I’m all about walk scores nowadays. I always like to be in a place where I can walk to a great coffeeshop, a great place to get a sandwich, and a great bar. That’s easy in a city. But how’s that Boston Walking Score? As it turns out, pretty good!
According to the 2023 World Population Review, Boston is the 23rd biggest city in the country when it comes to population. So when I’m looking at city rankings in the US, I kind of use that as a barometer. If we rank higher than 23, that’s pretty good (or bad, depending on what you’re ranking). If we rank lower than 23, that’s not so good (again, depending on the ranking subject matter). In this case – the perplexing case of walkability – it’s very good.
Preply.com is responsible for the walkability rankings. I like the method they used for ranking walkability. They compared the walking distance between each major city’s five most popular attractions. Whichever city took the least steps to huff it to all 5 attractions ranked #1. That city was Chicago, Illinois. It would take approximately 2820 steps to walk to Chicago’s 5 most popular attractions. Nashville finished as the 2nd most walkable city, Dallas took third.
Boston Walking Score – So where do we rank?
Boston was the third most walkable city in the Northeast, falling only behind New York City and Philadelphia. Boston is tied (with Boise, Idaho) for the 7th most walkable city in the US. Based on my personal barometer – Boston is the 23rd largest city – finishing at #7 is excellent! Way to go Boston! I really felt this on Marathon Monday, when I got off the T at Park Street and walked all the way to Fenway. I’ve always taken the T when making that trip and have no sense of direction, so walking it and seeing how it all comes together (after all these years living here) was very cool!
So get out and walk! It could help you live longer! And speaking of that, let’s dive in…
Signs You'll Live a Long Life
1. You Eat These Healthy Things
According to a University of Michigan study (via TheHealthy.com), “Women who consumed the most veggies and fruit had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently. The study involved 700 participants in their 70s.
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2. You Workout (Specifically, Run 40 Minutes a Day)
According to NBCNews.com, “Scientists in California found that middle-aged people” who ran “for a total of about 5 hours per week lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older.” They state that the “researchers tracked runners and nonrunners for 21 years.” Aside from running, CNBC.com states that, “Strength training twice a week and aerobic exercise three times a week, even if for just 10 minutes a day” also helps.
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3. For Women, You Had a Baby After Age 44
For women, if you were pregnant and had a baby naturally after age 44, “you’re about 15 percent less likely to die during any year after age 50 than your friends who had their babies before age 40, reports a recent University of Utah study,” via NBCNews.com. Lead researcher Ken R. Smith, PhD, professor of human development at the university, tells NBCNews.com, “If your ovaries are healthy and you are capable of having children at that age, that’s a marker that you have genes operating that will help you live longer.”
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4. You Socialize
The National Library of Medicine states that people with bigger social networks and who socialize tend to live longer. In the study, Dr. Freeman states, “People who have more social support tend to have enhanced mental health, cardiovascular health, immunological functioning, cognitive performance, resilience, life satisfaction, stress response and more.”
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5. You're Slim in the Waist
TheHealthy.com states that, “Women with a waist of 37 inches or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 27 inches or less, found one study. For men, a waist of 43 inches or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 35 inches or less.”
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6. You Drink Tea Each Day
Apparently, drinking one or two cups of tea a day is good for your health. “Both green and black tea contain catechins, which relax blood vessels. However, you should be making the tea yourself; in ready-to-drink teas, most of the catechins have probably dissolved already, so they don’t have quite the same heart-healthy power,” says TheHealth.com.
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7. You're Careful with Your Calories
“Researchers in St. Louis reported that men and women who limited their daily calories to 1,400 to 2,000 (about 25 percent fewer calories than those who followed a typical 2,000-to 3,000-calorie Western diet) were literally young at heart — their hearts functioned like those of people 15 years younger,” says NBCNews.com. So, make every calorie count, and keep calories low.
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8. You Get Your Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is important to overall health. According to CNBC.com, getting good sleep is one of the factors to make it to age 90. So, turn off Netflix and get some shut eye.
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9. You Have a Purpose in Life
Do you wake up each day with a purpose? Do you feel needed in this world? According to a 2014 study in the journal of Psychological Science, having a sense of purpose means you’ll have a longer life. In the study, they report that people in the study who passed away, about 10% of the participants, had reported lower scores for purpose in life.
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Bonus - Take This Longevity Test
The experts at Media.nmfn.com actually have a lifespan test that you can take online. I took it, and I won’t divulge the age is says I’ll make it to, but I was happy and pleasantly surprised by the result. It asks you some basic health and family questions. Take the test here, and hopefully you’ll be happy with the result.
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