The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has compiled a list of the country’s top 50 fittest cities. Washington D.C. bests ’em all.

I vaguely remember writing about this list last year…and ah yes, there it is: D.C. was ranked number four last year, following San Francisco, Seattle and Boston in that descending order.

Here’s what the ACSM had to say about its top pick:

The Washington metro area scored above average on the percentage of its citizens who eat five or more fruits and vegetables per day and had a low percentage of smokers. The area also has lower percentages of those with chronic health problems such as obesity, diabetes, angina or coronary heart disease.

Washington also boasts a high percentage of city land area for parks; higher park-related expenditures per capita; more recreation centers, tennis courts, park units and swimming pools per capita; a high percentage of citizens using public transportation or bicycling/walking to work; a higher-level state requirement for physical education classes; and a higher-than-average number of primary health care providers.

Forbes.com also chimes in about the list with a few other facts: D.C. residents “have increased access to farmers’ markets, at 13 per 1 million residents, compared to a national average of 11.” Also: “Fewer residents smoke and have diabetes, and nearly 90% have health insurance compared to a national average of 86%.”

Metropolitan Area-Score
1. Washington, D.C.-74.4
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.-72.1
3. Denver, Colo.-71.6
4. Boston, Mass.-71.4
5. San Francisco, Calif.-71.3
6. Seattle, Wash.-69.7
7. Portland, Ore.-68.1
8. San Diego, Calif.-66.8
9. Austin, Texas-65.1
10. Virginia Beach, Va.-63.1
11. Hartford, Conn.-62.5
12. Sacramento, Calif.-62.2
13. San Jose, Calif.-61.3
14. Cincinnati, Ohio-60.8
15. Atlanta, Ga.-59.3
16. Pittsburgh, Pa.-54.3
17. Milwaukee, Wis.-53.0*
18. Buffalo, N.Y.-53.0*
19. Baltimore, Md.-52.5
20. Raleigh, N.C.-52.3

*Scores have been rounded to the nearest tenth of a point resulting in some apparent ties; however, the rankings are based on the full, calculated scores that were not equal in those cases.

Photo by ImageMD, Flickr Creative Commons