Lynchburg named one of best well-being communities in U.S.

The City of Lynchburg, home of Liberty University, has been ranked as one of the top 10 communities with the highest well-being by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Lynchburg placed eighth out of 188 communities from around the country for 2016. The report measured a community’s purpose and its social, financial, community, and physical well-being. The Hill City ranked higher than cities such as Hilton Head Island, S.C. (9) and Boulder, Colo. (10).

The Well-Being Index is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100. Lynchburg’s rating, when pulling from all five elements, was 64.9. The data was based on a subset of more than 354,000 interviews with adults across all 50 states between January 2015 and December 2016.

According to the report, the top communities are “uniquely positioned to promote well-being improvement by transforming policies and environment so that people move naturally, eat wisely, connect, and have the right outlook — all of which can lead to living longer, better.”

This isn’t the first time Lynchburg has been nationally recognized. National Geographic has called Lynchburg one of America’s Best Adventure Towns. The American Institute for Economic Research ranked Lynchburg in the Top 20 Small Metro College Destinations.

Lynchburg is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, its temperate climate providing the variety of all four seasons. More than 250,000 people live in and around the Lynchburg area, making it a city with a small-town feel. The city hosts diverse industries, an active arts community, and several historical sites.

Read more about the attractions that Liberty students enjoy around the Lynchburg area in the Liberty Journal.