Study names Alexandria, VA one of the best towns in America for mental health and wellness

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A new study has named Alexandria, Virginia one of the 10 best cities in America for mental health and wellness.

The study meticulously examined 192 American cities on five key measures supporting mental health outcomes. Within each of these measures were a number of considerations.

• Mental Wellness and Access: this category included the number of stated mental health issues per 100K residents and ease of access to mental health resources.
• Physical Wellness: this category studied health indicators like overall health measures, sleep habits, work hours, use of alcohol and drugs, and access to physical health resources (like bike trails).
• Mindfulness and Social Wellness: looked at lifestyle indicators like divorce rate, pet rate, and access to meditation centers.
• Financial Wellness, examined factors such as housing affordability, food insecurity, and the poverty rate.
• Environment, including access to greenspace, crime rate, and the likelihood of sunshine, among other things.

Why Alexandria?

The city came in 7th out of almost 200 entries with a total of 67.33 points, only a few points behind overall winner Naperville, Illinois at 71.07.

Alexandria's highest ranking was number 2 in the Mental Wellness and Access category. This is due to several factors - the city was lauded for its access to greenspace, biking trails, and other exercise opportunities and has the third highest number of therapists (per 100K people) in the country.

Alexandria also nabbed an impressive five place in the Mindfulness and Social Wellness ranking. The study claims that, as with Naperville, "a small share of adults with poor mental health and low divorce rates brought this city to the top." In fact, in a country known for hustle culture, the study indicates Alexandria is a city "full of therapists, as well as healthy, financially stable, and well-rested adults."

The city ranked a little lower in the Physical Wellness category, in 31st place. However, it's still relatively high in a category dominated by the health enthusiasts of California and other Western juggernauts like Portland, Oregon, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Comparatively, Washington DC ranked 86th in this category and 58th overall.

Alexandria also did fairly well in the ranking for Financial Wellness (32nd), which is no surprise given its proximity to the nation's capital. Career opportunities are plentiful in the area.

The city's lowest score was in the ranking for Environment, at 62nd place.

Alexandria is known for its historical feel as George Washington's hometown and its old town full of well-preserved 18th and 19th-century buildings. Tourists enjoy visiting Gadsby's Tavern Museum, to see where America's founding fathers went for refreshments.

As an affluent community, it also has unique shopping and many eclectic restaurants to enjoy. And now, it can also boast of its strong mental health supports as well.

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