Bragging on Wake’s healthy glow

Not to brag or anything – OK, it’s bragging – but Wake County is ranked as the healthiest in North Carolina. The news comes from County Health Rankings, a joint effort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin. (They know good health in Wisconsin, even with all the cheese.)

The county’s great health care, along with good economic conditions and lots of outdoor recreation, helped bolster the rankings, which weigh many factors such as the health of individuals, obesity, smoking rates and the availability of good exercise opportunities. Credit the efforts of greenway advocates such as Wake Commissioner Sig Hutchinson, whose activism helped build those 300 miles of greenway trails. And of late, Raleigh City Council members have supported a bike sharing program.

A positive from this ranking may be to raise the awareness of residents to the need to watch their health and that of their children, who need the opportunity for good exercise. Now is the season to get out more to enjoy the generally good weather hereabouts.

North Carolina remains, overall, in the bottom half of the country in health rankings, though better than in many parts of the South.

Still, it’s good to know folks in Wake County are staying active, while still managing to enjoy the cheese and crackers at the Angus Barn or the famed burgers of the Players Retreat or blizzards of Dairy Queen.

Life has to have a little balance, after all.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Bragging on Wake’s healthy glow."