Top 'Heart Friendly' Cities for Women

May 19, 2008 -- The American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement today issued its first ratings of how "heart friendly" U.S. cities are for women.

The ratings are based on heart disease death rates, factors that make heart disease more likely (including obesity, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol), heart-healthy habits (including healthy eating and regular exercise), and access to medical care.

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The ratings come in three lists -- one for big cities, one for medium-sized cities, and one for smaller towns.

At the top of those lists:

• Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area (the top-rated major metro area)
• Salt Lake City (the top-rated medium-sized metro area)
• Boulder, Colo. (the top-rated smaller metro area)

The bottom of those lists:

• Nashville, Tenn., metro area (the lowest-rated major metro area)
• Birmingham, Ala. (the lowest-rated medium-sized metro area)
• Spartanburg, S.C. (the lowest-rated smaller metro area)

Most, Least Heart-Friendly Big Cities

Here are the 10 most heart-friendly major metro areas:

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul
2. Washington, D.C.
3. San Francisco Bay Area
4. Denver
5. Boston
6. Seattle-Tacoma, Wash.
7. Portland, Ore.
8. San Diego
9. Los Angeles
10. Phoenix

The 10 least heart-friendly major metro areas are:

1. Nashville, Tenn.
2. St. Louis
3. Detroit
4. Pittsburgh
5. Dallas-Fort Worth
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. Cincinnati
8. Las Vegas
9. Cleveland
10. Indianapolis

Most, Least Heart-Friendly Medium-Sized Towns

Here are the 10 most heart-friendly medium-sized metro areas on the list:

1. Salt Lake City
2. Honolulu
3. Colorado Springs, Colo.
4. Rochester, N.Y.
5. Albuquerque, N.M.
6. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.
7. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.
8. Hartford, Conn.
9. Tucson, Ariz.
10. Boise, Idaho

The 10 medium-sized metro areas at the bottom of the list are:

1. Birmingham, Ala.
2. Lakeland, Fla.
3. Tulsa, Okla.
4. Louisville, Ky.
5. Toledo, Ohio
6. Baton Rouge, La.
7. Memphis, Tenn.
8. Oklahoma City
9. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.
10. Greenville, S.C.

Most, Least Heart-Friendly Smaller Towns

The most heart-friendly smaller metro areas on the list are:

1. Boulder, Colo.
2. Portland, Maine
3. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.
4. Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo.
5. Ann Arbor, Mich.
6. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.
7. Charlottesville, Va.
8. Provo-Orem, Utah
9. Bellingham, Wash.
10. Barnstable Town, Mass.

The 10 least heart-friendly smaller metro areas are:

1. Spartanburg, S.C.
2. Terre Haute, Ind.
3. Anderson, S.C.
4. Montgomery, Ala.
5. Florence, S.C.
6. Fort Smith, Ark.
7. Charleston, W.Va.
8. Huntington-Ashland, W.Va.-Ky.-Ohio
9. Mobile, Ala.
10. Jackson, Miss.