After evaluating 2,000 cities across almost 200 data categories, Fortune Magazine found Silver Spring, Maryland as #1.

Here’s a great 3-minute video synopsis of their findings:

Categories they looked at included: livability, financial health, resources for aging adults, education, and wellness. The winners are communities that are sustainable for their youngest and oldest residents – including many fast-growing suburbs and edge cities that find creative ways to improve people’s well-being

“What people are looking for is that balance of ‘I can afford to live here, so I don’t have to work all the time, but then in my free time, there are actually people to connect with and things to do.”

Of course, I can’t help but notice parallels to our own town here in Laurel, and that makes me smile. The video and accompanying article also gives me thoughts on directions where we as a City can enhance further (i.e., not rest on our ‘Laurels’). 😉

“We know that health isn’t just what’s happening inside your body,” says Rickles. “It’s your social connections, your perceptions of safety, and there’s a lot that goes into what makes a city well.” The index is a “person-centric” metric and considers social determinants of health, such as access to transportation, green spaces, parks, libraries, and community.

When 51-year-old Pazit Aviv walks her dog in her Silver Spring, Md., neighborhood, it takes an extra 30 minutes as she inevitably gets lost in an impromptu chat with a neighbor.

A great vision for what a city can be!