What's Good
- According to Nielsen Media Research, TV viewers in the Portland market spend 45 percent less time in front of the tube than average among cities in our survey.
- The CDC says 85 percent of adults are physically active, at least to the point where they're not putting their health at risk. That's the 2nd best score of any city in our survey. The national average for our survey was 76.35 percent.
- In a CDC survey, 85 percent of adults said they'd gotten at least some leisure time exercise in the past month. The average in our survey is 77 percent.
- Portland residents received a top score in fruit and vegetable consumption, with 15 percent eating the recommended five or more servings per day.
- Residents don't have far to go to get to their local parks: Portland has 294 municipal parks, among the most of any city on a per capita basis, according to our exclusive survey of municipal park departments.
- Health-food stores are plentiful in Portland: There's one for every 7,161 residents, handily beating the national average of 12,441.
- Portland residents participate in sports much more than average - 10 percent more than average, in fact.
- Oregon is one of 28 states that participates in a CDC-sponsored program to reduce obesity and other chronic diseases.
- Our survey has found 66 percent more sporting-goods stores in Portland than average, a good indicator of an active populace.
- On a per capita basis, Portland has 39 percent more gyms and health clubs than average, the 7th highest in our survey.
- You'll find a higher percentage of mountain bikers in Portland than almost anywhere else in our survey - 3.8 percent of residents. The national average is 2.5 percent.
- Pluck someone off the streets in Portland and there's a 50 percent chance that he or she uses a rowing machine. The city has the 2nd highest participation rate for rowing machine use among cities in our survey.
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What Isn't
- Oregon state law limits or prohibits obesity-related lawsuits against food manufacturers and restaurants.
- It rains 153 days per year in Portland, discouraging outdoor exercise. That's the 3rd highest number of rainy days in our survey.
- On any given day in Portland, there's a 16 percent less than average probability of sunshine compared to other cities surveyed.
- Prefer to lift weights 12 ounces at a time? You'll fit in better in Portland than in most places. Per capita, there are 91 percent more bars here than the national average in our survey.
- Fast food, widely implicated as a contributor to obesity, is more common in Portland than most places in our survey. In a per capita comparison there are 42 percent more fast-food joints here than average.
- Portland is home to 37 percent more pizza places per capita than the average among cities in our survey.
- Portland has the 2nd lowest cheerleading participation rate of any city in our survey, 80 percent lower than average.
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