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I've always found it odd that Hawaii is number one and MN, my state, is second in longevity. Two polar opposites. So there is no secret formulas that match, that's for sure. Maybe it's the health care options?
Rank....State.............Life Expectancy (in years)
1.........Hawaii............81.3
2.........Minnesota.......81.1
It comes down to the population pool of good genes - In Minnesota, you have a lot of people of Scandinavian and German descent - both areas with higher life expentency than the US in general. In Hawaii - a lot of people with Japanese ancestry - the highest in the world.
I've always found it odd that Hawaii is number one and MN, my state, is second in longevity. Two polar opposites. So there is no secret formulas that match, that's for sure. Maybe it's the health care options?
Rank....State.............Life Expectancy (in years)
1.........Hawaii............81.3
2.........Minnesota.......81.1
Wow! I'm shocked California is that high, NY surprised me too. And New Jersey? Then again the top twenty are all within 2 years of each other. I'm not sure how statistically significant 2 years is.
It comes down to the population pool of good genes - In Minnesota, you have a lot of people of Scandinavian and German descent - both areas with higher life expentency than the US in general. In Hawaii - a lot of people with Japanese ancestry - the highest in the world.
When I think of NY I think of New York City and a lot of immigrants. Immigrants who don't have the highest quality of life. I also have never seen NY as a state rank high in socio-economic rankings. Then again it's not like I study this sort of thing so I can't be too surprised.
When I think of NY I think of New York City and a lot of immigrants. Immigrants who don't have the highest quality of life. I also have never seen NY as a state rank high in socio-economic rankings. Then again it's not like I study this sort of thing so I can't be too surprised.
As someone who grew up in the great state of New York, I would like to point out to you some of the benefits of living in the state. Let me start off by gently reminding that NYC is only a small part of the state. (You know how in Hawaii it's a pet peeve when people talk about "the states"? Upstate NY has that pet peeve of people hearing New York and automatically thinking about the city.) The rest of the state contains such AMAZING things as...
Niagara Falls
the Finger Lakes region including the amazing Watkins Glen
the Adirondack Moutains
the Catskills
the Thousand Islands
I mention these to point out how much of the state is truly natural wonder. There is so much beauty in the state that it's, in my experience, pretty unusual to not have a tradition of going for hikes or going camping in these wonderful places, plus of course the plethora of outdoor winter activities. Not only is the exercise and fresh air good, but the stress relieving properties great as well. Upstate NY also has a relatively low cost of living and pretty overwhelmingly decent if not great public schools (more education is linked with longer life expectancy)
So yes, NY has the city, complete with the crowds and immigrants and all of the things about large city life that aren't beneficial to ones health. But the rest of the state is vast stretches of small cities, suburbs, lots of rural areas, farms, and large untouched regions of nature that go hand in hand with healthy living
Hawaii's life expectancy in general would be even higher if the people of Polynesian descent would not be taken into account. Theirs is sadly one of the lowest.
That's not a political or racial comment, but is based on how various cultures and races are affected by western diet, healthcare system, economic means, exercise or the lack of it.
I realize NYC is just a small portion of the state geographically but doesn't NYC (and suburbs) contain the majority of the state's population? That's why I logically thought of NYC when life expectancy was mentioned. Simply because it has the majority of people living in NY. If this was a thread on natural beauty of a state than of course I wouldn't be thinking of NYC as the only part of New York state. I've always wanted to visit NYC as I've never been to the Northeast and I'm sure it's very different from Hawaii or the west coast. If I ever do visit New York, besides visiting NYC, I'll make sure to also take in the beauty of the countryside
Hawaii's life expectancy in general would be even higher if the people of Polynesian descent would not be taken into account. Theirs is sadly one of the lowest.
That's not a political or racial comment, but is based on how various cultures and races are affected by western diet, healthcare system, economic means, exercise or the lack of it.
That's a sad but perceptive observation. Another corollary: if Hawaii's statistical longevity is due mostly to Japanese genetics, transplant mainlanders won't live longer just because they live in Hawaii. Quite the contrary when you take into account the increased risk of skin cancer...
It would be interesting to have some numbers along those lines.
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