Live Long and Prosper

Want to live a long time and be happy and know it? Honolulu is the place you want to be. However we choose the number one (1) place for health as well as life. For that we'd say. Kauai. The first healthiest and the second longest living place in the United States. Yesterday we said maybe you could move to the better side of town or state. Now you can with the newest research information from County Health Rankings. Of course you'll have to be well-to-do and really paranoid but it'll also be a useful piece of information for all those real estate developers looking to unload property in the right zip code. You can always drive to the best places for care that don't happen to be in these places.

We examine mortality (or death) data to find out how long people live. More specifically, we measure what are known as premature deaths (deaths before age 75). Morbidity is the term that refers to how healthy people feel while alive. Specifically, we report on the measures of their health-related quality of life (their overall health, their physical health, their mental health) and we also look at birth outcomes (in this case, babies born with a low birthweight). (County Rankings)

There are state rankings and though the news was announced in the District of Columbia's Union Station the statistics for DC were not included in the rankings. Fifty (50) states means fifty (50) jurisdictional rankings. We started to piece the surrounding jurisdictions of Maryland and Virginia together to blending the areas in to a pseudo DC map except there are natural barriers that would limit such speculation.


Marylanders, as the president returns to a nuclear alternative for immediate energy relief to the oil sky high prices, you might want to consider Howard, Montgomery, Frederick, Carroll or Queen Anne's counties as the place to live. Calvert County the home of Maryland's only nuclear power plant is located in the tenth longest living place in the state and fourth in overall health.

Virginians will love to know that life is better in the lovers state the further you get from your nuclear alternatives. You might want to consider Fairfax, Fairfax City, Arlington, Loudoun,York and Albemarle.

North Carolinians can live with at least only one of their nuclear facilities not far from Charlotte and Raleigh the others aren't quite so enriching. You'd be better considering Wake, Orange, Chatham Union, Polk and New Hanover all the while remembering that you're making the best of a bad situation. Living in the tarheel state is considered the worst of the four (4) local areas to live. That it has the most nuclear power plants probably has nothing to do its rankings.

If you're looking for the local cheese you'll find it here. Again this means that you're making a commitment to the area to receive the full effects and that means holding to the local traditions that created the conditions that can contribute to a healthier community, a healthier state and a healthier nation. It's going to take more than just relocating to make it so. It's going to take a real commitment to the factors that make things better.

Hawaii is nuclear free and according to the Hawaii Reporter:

"Nuclear power plants are located in 32 states. Hawaii, of course, is not one of them, and it's very unlikely that a large "baseload" nuclear plant will ever be built here. But we need to remember that our country needs a mix of energy sources, and nuclear power must continue to be part of the mix. Quite simply, nuclear power is crucial for our energy security."

We'd certainly be amiss to not mention that Hawaii has virtual "universal health care" under a system that makes them the healthiest and happiest place in the United States of America. That might just be a coincidence or then again it might not be. In any event what's important is what's available to us and what our leaders will strive to create for us.

There is a video of the state of Wisconsin and their review of the county ranking and on the video it can be seen where one of the director's says to his staff: "Who was number one?" The problem with that type of thinking is trying to be be the tallest short person. The information, however, when presented to the state was only by county within the state and not within nation. To be fair the only information Wisconsin might have had may have only been state wide. Aiming lower than the highest high is our concern. Every jurisdiction needs to aim higher than Hawaii's Kauai which most certainly will be aiming to continue to be the best in the nation.