One of the largest health-related migrations in U.S. History was the Tuberculosis migration to Colorado from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, when doctors encouraged victims to leave polluted cities for Colorado’s drier and fresher air.
According to Colorado Public Radio, approximately 60% of Colorado’s population in 1925 resulted from these migrations. When you are not feeling well, and associate your illness with your environment, where should you turn to for a new home? Here are three (3) of the most environmentally-friendly communities to move to.
Honolulu, Hawaii
While Hawaii is one of the most expensive states to live, Honolulu boasts 1% of their homes consume solar power, says the Daily Beast, via Scientific American. However, this organization basis it’s research on energy consumption, so their results indicate that New York City is the #2 greenest U.S. city because it has “more than double the amount of public transit ridership per capita than another other U.S. city.” That said, the World Health Organization categorizes Honolulu’s pollution level is “low”. The overall pollution index of Honolulu is higher than the average of the U.S., but is brought up by the air pollution levels, which rank low on the scale. One thing to consider is that Hawaii boasts many relaxing sites and attractions and if that is high on your health quality index, then it’s something to consider.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
According to the World Health Organization, the air pollution in Minneapolis is very low and items on the purity and cleanliness list rank high to very high (most at very high quality). The Environmental Quality Board of Minnesota (EQB) puts out a report card regularly. Within the last two decades, they report that “Minnesotans took the unprecedented step of approving the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the state constitution, increasing the state’s sales tax to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for environmental priorities.” These priorities include restoring natural resources, such as prairies, forests and wetlands as well as taking care of polluted waters.
Portland, Oregon
Interestingly, we have another large city on our list, but multiple research companies rank Portland among its top green city, and these include Escolan, Corporate Knights (Canada), Mother Nature Network (MNN), says Scientific American. One of the reasons it is noted as being so green are the number of dedicated bike trails/paths and the many advocates for local and sustainable food resources.
If you are considering relocating for your health – don’t go about it alone. You have enough work to do determining where you’re going and where you will live once you get there. Partner with a proven moving company like Bekins Van Lines Inc, who have a lot of experience in major relocations and service residential customers as well as large companies.
The notion of moving for one’s health is not a foreign one. Health also covers a variety of areas, mental, emotional, financial and physical. Some communities are known for their highly accessible facilities, others for their recycling efforts and others for their visible cleanliness. One thing is for certain, if you are looking to pick up everything to relocate for your health, focus on your unique health priorities and research communities that meet your needs and goals.
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