Albuquerque tops magazine's latest 'Fittest Cities' list; Las Vegas fattest

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Flanked by the Sandia Mountain and home to a cottonwood forest that runs through the heart of the city, sunny Albuquerque has been named America's fittest big city by Men's Fitness magazine.

"Albuquerque is turned on, and recognition like this just fuels that phenomenon," Mayor Martin Chavez said. "Nothing succeeds like success, or I guess you could say nothing is better than fitness."

Albuquerque, which touts its recreation, including the 10,678-foot mountain and the forest that runs along the Rio Grande, was named the 13th-fittest city last year.

The magazine's nonscientific survey of 50 cities in its March issue lists Seattle as No. 2 in the most-fit rankings, followed by Colorado Springs; Minneapolis; Tucson, Ariz.; Denver; San Francisco; Baltimore; Portland, Ore.; and Honolulu.

It's Top 10 fattest cities are Las Vegas, Nev., up from No. 2 last year; San Antonio; Miami; Mesa, Ariz.; Los Angeles; Houston; Dallas; El Paso, Texas; Detroit; and San Jose, Calif.

A message left after business hours with the office of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was not immediately returned Friday.

"This is not a scientific list; this is a commonsense list," said Neal Boulton, editor of Men's Fitness. He said he puts out the fittest and fattest lists each year for one reason -- "to motivate folks to look at simple things in their lives they can do to be healthy."

His survey examines lifestyle factors in each city, including fast-food restaurants per capita and availability of gyms or bike paths.