24/7 Wall St., a partner with USA Today, ranked the healthiest cities in every state. 

Ames was not only ranked the healthiest city in Iowa, but the healthiest city across the nation. This was based on a variety of factors including obesity, smoking and health insurance. Other indicators involve the length and quality of life. 

Only 11 percent of Ames residents are smokers, which is below the national average of 20 percent and the state average of 17.5 percent. 

Because only 6.4 percent of the city is in poor health, Ames has a population with high physical and mental well-being. On the other hand, 11.2 percentage of Iowans in general have poor health.

Although Iowa’s poor health percentage isn’t impressive, it’s better than many states. 

“It is surprising to hear that Ames is the healthiest city in the U.S,” said Hayley Johnson, an Ames native. “I have never considered Ames an extremely healthy place but when I consider how active everyone in the town is, I guess it is not that big of a shock. I am very proud to be an Ames and Iowa Native.”

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad set a goal of making Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by the year 2016. Healthiest Ames focuses on educating Ames residents about physical activity, chronic disease management and community connectedness.

Events like Healthy Streets, which took place last week, are among the many efforts Healthy Ames uses to engage and educate the population.