Too much has been written about childhood obesity, the Xbox culture, and how kids these days don’t get off their butts to get out and play. But that’s just showing the glass half empty, when, in fact, in Santa Cruz it is more than half full, and not with chocolate milk or sugary soft drinks either. According to Time Magazine, Santa Cruz is the fourth most active city in the nation, topped only by Medford, Ore., Santa Fe, N. Mex., and Boulder, Col. Of course, the list has some surprises. Who would have thought of Medford, and right behind us is Boise in the Couch Potato State.
Still, there’s definitely something about Santa Cruz that makes it a city on the move … literally. Time attributes it to the counter culture movement—and by that the magazine doesn’t just mean surfers. It mentions hippies and other tree huggers, because, after all, you have to hike a forest or two to find a redwood to hug. It also mentions punks. It could just as easily have brought up cyclists and skateboarders, who take to the streets without the benefits of gasoline.
The survey, based on research by the Centers for Disease Control, admits that there may be smaller towns with populations lower than 100,000 and higher activity levels. Throughout the United States, Colorado and California appear to be the most active states, while Mississippi and West Virginia seem to be the most inactive. Of course, if California has one thing that keeps it tops over Colorado, it would be the weather. Read more at Santa Cruz Sentinel and Time.
