SARASOTA, Fla. — One of the best things about living in Florida is the weather. Floridians can get outdoors and do all kinds of activities on a regular basis.
It's one of the big reasons Sarasota County is one of the healthiest in the state.
U.S. News and World Report teamed up with the Aetna Foundation to find the healthiest communities in the country. They just released the report last week and while Florida as a whole didn't fare so well overall, we do have some counties that ranked highly.
Sarasota County is the second healthiest in the state and the county's overall report concluded it's a great place to live. The average life expectancy there is 81.5 years, which is a couple of years higher than the national median average.
Dr. Garth Graham, the President of the Aetna Foundation, says they looked at a lot of other factors too.
"Again, in Sarasota we saw a lot of positive things around," Graham said. "The infrastructure, the layout the ability for people to engage within their community and be healthy."
Part of the reason for this report is also to show where communities can improve. One thing that Dr. Graham mentioned specifically about Sarasota County and really in all of Florida, is educational equity. He said it's important to make sure everybody in the community has access to programs and can take advantage of healthy opportunities.
The report names Douglas County, Colorado, as the healthiest overall. It's between Denver and Colorado Springs. There's access to the state's largest two cities, as well as sprawling woods and trails with plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities. It scored well above average in all 10 categories.
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