Roach and his researchers also broke out the results by specific health habits, such as which cities had the highest blood pressure or fewest number of smokers. Not surprisingly, five of the 10 fastest-aging cities are among the worst for high blood pressure, and four of the top five "oldies" have the highest percentage of smokers. On the other hand, the most surprising finding concerned sleep. New York, the "city that never sleeps," was the second-best in terms of residents getting a healthy amount of z's. "It's not what I was expecting at all, but it's what the data shows," Roach says.
— CSA Images/Mod Art Collection/Getty Images
So what can you do if you live in one of the cities that can make you old? Don't despair, says Roach.
"It's important to realize that even if you're in a city with the worst habits, it doesn't mean you have to have them. Your job is to take care of you." Here then are the winners and losers.
| Most Youthful Cities for Retiring |
| 1. Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 2. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Calif. |
| 3. Austin, Texas |
| 4. Denver, Colo. |
| 5. Boston, Mass. |
| 6. Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Md. |
| 7. San Diego, Calif. |
| 8. Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| 9. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. |
| 10. Seattle/Tacoma/Bremerton, Wash. |
| Least Youthful Cities for Retiring |
| 1. Knoxville, Tenn. |
| 2. Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, N.C. |
| 3. Nashville, Tenn. |
| 4. Saginaw/Bay City/Midland, Mich. |
| 5. Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 6. Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| 7. Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| 8. Las Vegas, Nev. |
| 9. Jacksonville, Fla. |
| 10. Tulsa, Okla. |
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