Stonecrest’s bicycle lanes, walking and running trails, fitness centers, and healthy lifestyle options have garnered national recognition. Stonecrest ranked 17 out of the 159 Georgia cities on BarBend’s list of Top Cities for Fit Lifestyles for 2020. The organization ranks cities throughout the nation.
Barbend ranked the cities on 11 categories backed by peer-reviewed scientific studies. Information to evaluate these categories was collected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Census Bureau, and Country Health Rankings and Roadmaps. BarBend weighed each category according to its impact on overall fitness levels as determined by the organization’s data team. The categories were:
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Poor Physical Health Days
• Drinking
• Exercise Opportunities
• Access to Health Food
• Air Pollution
• Physical Distress Days
• Drinking Water Violations
• Frequent Mental Distress
Categories such as Physical Inactivity were rated per every 1,000 residents so that cities could compete regardless of population size. BarBend is a national health and fitness organization. This year’s competition was BarBend’s first in what is planned to be an annual competition, according to Max Whiteside, the organization’s community outreach director.
“This honor perfectly fits into our Stonecrest vision, which is to be a great place to live, work, play, worship, shop, and educate. Improvements to our quality of life are an important element of our existence. Our city offers bicycle lanes, fitness centers, great parks, and our Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, which is adjacent to one of our parks and connects more than 35 miles of walking, biking, and running trails,” Mayor Jason Lary said. The mayor also said that the city’s new Transportation Master Plan will include more bicycle lanes and that he is working to bring more healthy food restaurants to the city.
Stonecrest will be recognized on Barbend’s website. The organization also awarded Stonecrest with a badge to place on the city’s website. For a complete list of Georgia’s Top Cities for a Fit Lifestyle, visit
https://barbend.com/fit-cities-georgia/