Boulder, CO - Up In Smoke... NOT! - We're No. 2 In Lowest Smoking Rates In US

I thought this news was worth repeating. It's something that many visitors and future residents might like to know about Boulder, CO - after all, we are one of the healthiest cities in America. Smoking in public buildings is already prohibited in Boulder, which personally adds to the appeal of living here, and the citywide ordinance also prohibits smoking within 15 feet of any city building.

Friday, June 18, 2010, 9:15am MDT
Boulder No. 2 on non-smoking list
DENVER BUSINESS JOURNAL

Boulder comes in second on a list of 10 U.S. cities with the lowest smoking rates.

The list comes from Healthways Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY), a Franklin, Tenn.-based provider of health and well-being counseling and services (including smoking cessation programs). It's based on Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, a running survey of thousands of Americans on various health behaviors.

Only Provo, Utah, has a lower smoking rate than Boulder among U.S. cities, according to Healthways.

Rounding out the list of cities with lowest smoking rates:
3. Santa Rosa, Calif.
4. Santa Barbara, Calif.
5. Salinas, Calif.
6. Ventura, Calif.
7. San Jose, Calif.
8. Naples, Fla.
9. San Francisco, Calif.
10. San Luis Obispo, Calif.

At the other extreme, Charleston, W.Va. has the highest smoking rate, Healthways says, followed by Fort Smith, Ark.; and Huntington, W.Va.

Healthways did not release the smoking rates in the cities on its list.

The company estimates there are 44.5 million smokers nationwide and that tobacco use leads to 425,000 deaths per year.