http://cgi.cnn.com/2005/H...t.city.ap/

Seattle has been named the fittest city in the United States in the February issue of Men's Fitness magazine, leaping past the buff competition from Honolulu, Colorado Springs, San Francisco and Denver.

Exercising faithfully and shunning fast food boosted Seattle to the top from No. 6 last year, Men's Fitness Editor in Chief Neal Boulton said.

"Eighty-five percent of Seattle residents get some exercise every month, and that's a really significant thing," Boulton said. The city's jittery love affair with espresso might fuel some of that activity, he noted: "There's not only a lot of it, it's pretty darn strong."

In its nonscientific Seventh Annual Fattest and Fittest Cities Report, the magazine compares 50 cities by weighing 14 factors, including fast food restaurants per capita, TV watching, air quality, and parks. In Seattle, for example, sporting goods stores and gyms outnumber fast food joints -- a key statistic.

Houston was named the fattest city for the fourth time in five years, followed by Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis and Chicago.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels praised the city's many walking trails and called the fitness of his fellow residents "inspirational."

Nickels said he made a New Year's resolution to get in better shape by walking with his wife and working out at a gym near City Hall.

"It's pretty hard to go more than a few blocks without seeing a gym," Nickels said.

Seattle's claim to the fitness crown makes sense to Doug Sherry and his Wheaten Terrier, Bing, who walk the three-mile path around Seattle's Green Lake every day, rain or shine.

"Everyone I know does something," explained Sherry, 35, who also hits the gym several times a week. "There's lots of good terrain to walk and bike and hike. You're close to the water, you're close to the mountains."

His advice for those seeking to emulate Seattle's healthy ways?

"Enjoy the outdoors," Sherry said. "And get a dog."

In other news, Los Angeles was named America's Most Liposuctioned City...

25 Fattest Cities
Rank City Rank in 2004
1 Houston 2
2 Philadelphia 7
3 Detroit 1
4 Memphis, Tenn. 20
5 Chicago 5
6 Dallas 3
7 New Orleans 22
8 New York 21
9 Las Vegas 16
10 San Antonio 4
11 El Paso, Texas 24
12 Phoenix 18
13 Indianapolis 17
14 Fort Worth, Texas 6
15 Mesa, Ariz. 12
16 Columbus, Ohio 10
17 Wichita, Kan. 16*
18 Kansas City, Mo. 14
19 Miami 15
20 Long Beach, Calif. 23*
21 Oklahoma City 13
22 Tulsa, Okla. 19
23 Atlanta 11
24 Charlotte, N.C. 22*
25 Baltimore 23
* Ranking in the top 25 fittest cities in 2004

25 Fittest Cities
Rank City Rank in 2004
1 Seattle 6
2 Honolulu 3
3 Colorado Springs, Colo. 5
4 San Francisco 2
5 Denver 4
6 Portland, Ore. 8
7 Sacramento, Calif. 10
8 Tucson, Ariz. 9
9 San Diego 14
10 Albuquerque, N.M. 12
11 Boston 7
12 Virginia Beach, Va. 3
13 Minneapolis, Minn. 18
14 Fresno, Calif. 15
15 Milwaukee, Wis. 21
16 Omaha, Neb. 11
17 San Jose, Calif. 20
18 Jacksonville, Fla. 13
19 Austin, Texas 19
20 Oakland, Calif. 17
21 Los Angeles 25
22 Arlington, Texas 8*
23 Washington 25
24 Cleveland 9*
25 Nashville-Davidson, Tenn. 24
* Ranking in the top 25 fattest cities in 2004
[Edited 1/7/05 9:34am]

Byron said:

Damn...Mephis, New Orleans and New York really porked out this year, didn't they??...

YES! We're no longer number one!

applekisses said:

Slackers.

I think Oakland is the PHATTEST city.

(hello? is this thing on?)

Why isn't Springfield on the list??...

applekisses said:

Booooo!!!!!

Jersey is neither here or there.....

We just chill in between.

Yeah, Seattle is pretty intense on that front. Triathalons are kind of the civic hobby around here. Not kidding. If you haven't done one, you know somebody (or several somebodys) who have.

dreamfactory313 said:

One thing I noticed after relocating from Indianapolis (#13 on the "Fattest Cities" list) to Seattle is the relative absence of fast food here. Sure, you can find it if you want it, but Seattle isn't like Indy, where fast food is all over the place.

It's probably a good thing for me... these days I might have a falafel pita sandwich and lentil soup instead of a burger and fries.

Come to think of it, a few weeks ago I was looking for a place to grab a quick bite to eat in downtown Seattle, so I headed to a corner where McDonald's had a location. I arrived to find... an empty store and a "For Lease" sign.

matt said:

SWEET

ReturnOfDOOK said: