Memphis is Number One

Its not bad enough that Memphis takes the number one spot on lists for violent crime, but the city also ranks as the Most Sedentary City and Most Obese City, according to Forbes:

Memphis, the most sedentary city on our list, landed at the top for scoring high on every indicator. In terms of BMI, 65% of the population is overweight or obese. Though the city is slightly behind the national rate at 66%, about 30% of its residents neglect to exercise regularly. Combined with the 41 hours of TV watched per week–the national average is 30, assuming that patterns remain relatively constant–the numbers revealed the extent of Memphis’ problem.

“We have heavily invested in a sedentary, sprawling lifestyle,” says Tom Jones, a Memphis-based consultant for Smart City Consulting.

Jones’ former colleague, Carol Coletta, president of the nonprofit organization CEOs for Cities, also points out that the economically bifurcated population, lack of transit options, unwalkable neighborhoods and favored Southern cuisine are a “deadly formula” for the city.

Memphis has a long way to go before these rankings change. At least we are number one! Right? Well, from my perspective the only positive list where Memphis has the top spot is for college basketball. And at this point those guys might be the only active, non-obese people in the city.