[quote=briansd1]This article with map is too good not to add to this thread.
Americans are continuing to get fatter and fatter, with obesity rates reaching 30 percent or more in nine states last year, as opposed to only three states in 2007, health officials reported on Tuesday.
The two “states with the thinnest people” were Colorado and Washington DC.
Colorado is comprised of 5/8 mountains. The parts of the mountainous area that are inhabited are 7,400 to 10,800 ft. in elevation. Just BREATHING in these locales consumes many more calories than at sea level. In addition, the bitter winter storms are often windy, frequently requiring a face mask and a LOT of energy to stay warm when outside.
I just got back from Washington DC yesterday. On this trip, we took a double-decker tourist bus on Sunday from NW DC thru Georgetown and all the way around the government monuments and across the bridge to Arlington Cemetery. There were 29 stops, many of them close to subway stations. MANY MORE people take the buses and subway in DC and walk than drive, even in close-in towns such as Chevy Chase (with homes of similar architecture to Coronado but with larger lots). I was last there over six years ago where we were able to park in the free parking all day next to the “cherry-tree” path near the monuments. That parking is now “2-hour” parking. Union Station is very difficult to get in and out of (if not already full) and costs $17-$22 to park. Many of the streets now no longer allow a u-turn, necessitating driving around several blocks to be able to turn onto certain driveways/streets.
Washington DC is, for the most part, walkable and entirely available thru (cheaper) public transportation as well as thru numerous cabs and hired “cars.” This could account for it being on the list of thinnest places.
The states on the fattest list are of no surprise to me. With drive-thru Sonics (biscuits and gravy for breakfast :)) and every fast-food joint under the sun now available in every single town with more than 2000 people, it’s no wonder that obesity is the new “norm” in those states.
Over the last 50 years and as recently as one month ago, I have either camped in or visited relatives in the following states where I had to buy groceries, often in rural or semi-rural areas: AZ, NM, TX, OK, LA, MS, AL and FL. I CAN state that the quality of most produce available in the stores I visited was not only sorely lacking in variety, it was more expensive and MUCH less fresh than what we (in CA) have available to us. This situation is slowly improving, however.
For example, we in CA take our in-season fresh strawberries for <.99 lb. for granted.
I maintain that 1/3 to 1/2 of the US population does not have access to reasonably-priced fresh produce and many areas of the country have only a 2-1/2 to 3 month growing season and thus are completely reliant upon the trucking industry and its high (and necessary) fuel surcharges. This greatly contributes to the cost of preparing a meal at home, and, when family economics are factored in, I can see how a "fast-food fix" would win that contest.
