By SADIE WHITELOCKS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 13:16 EDT, 3 April 2025 | Updated: 13:35 EDT, 3 April 2025
If you're looking to live well into your nineties and beyond, you should relocate to Washington DC, which has been named America's 'longevity hotspot.'
A study has deemed the US capital the place to be for a long healthy life, with experts believing it will be home to the first person in the world to reach 150 years old.
To pinpoint the best cities for living the longest and healthiest life, researchers looked at a variety of factors including the number of hospitals in the area, air quality, access to quality food, education and a strong sense of community.
The Longevity Care Clinic, based out of Colorado, highlights that living in a community provides numerous benefits that can contribute to increased longevity.
It notes: 'A sense of belonging and connection to others has been shown to reduce stress, boost the immune system, and improve overall health outcomes.
'Studies have found that individuals with strong social networks are more likely to live longer and have a higher quality of life compared to those who are socially isolated.'
The findings stated D.C. ranked fourth in terms of 'social capital' and for 'wellness' and its positioning was further helped by 'lower-than-average smoking and excessive drinking rates'.
However, the researchers said the city's score could go up further if more residents plumped for a plant-based diet.
Want to live past 100? Then maybe you'll want to relocate to Washington D.C. A study has outed the US capital as the country's top longevity hotspot, with experts believing it will be home to the first person to reach 150
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine says a plant-based diet is 'the cornerstone of healthy longevity and potentially the most important prescriptive tool to help patients achieve a longer life and better quality of life as they age'.
In at second place in the longevity study was the San Francisco Bay area, thanks to residents engaging in a high amount of physical activity.
In a recent study by WalletHub, San Francisco was ranked the healthiest city in America with 100 percent of the population living 'reasonably close' to a location where they can do some sort of physical activity.
It was also deemed one of the most walkable and bikeable cities in the US.
Meanwhile, in the longevity-focused study, the metropolis and surrounding suburbs were found to have low obesity and smoking rates.
Good accessibility to high-quality food and medical care further boosted its rating.
However, San Francisco missed out on the top spot as it ranked lower than D.C. on the social capital front, which experts said was likely due to its 'fast-paced work culture.'
The new longevity study could help pinpoint where the world's next blue zone will land.
Blue zones - like Sardinia in Italy and Okinawa in Japan - are geographic areas that are home to unusual amounts of centenarians.
From studying these regions, experts have come up with nine evidence-based common denominators among the world’s centenarians that are believed to slow the aging process.
These include daily physical activity, a sense of purpose, healthy routines to counteract stress, a diet packed with beans, wine in moderation, a strong sense of community and putting family values first.
In the latest study looking at America's longevity hotspots, Bridgeport in Connecticut came in at third place, followed by Boston, Seattle, and the city of Madison in Wisconsin.
They ranked high on healthy eating practices, access to healthcare and air quality.
Honolulu in Hawaii surfed in at seventh place.
Bert Sperling, who is the founder and analyst behind Bestplaces.com which conducted the study, said some of the city's age-boosting benefits include low smoking rates, good air quality and access to fresh, local food.
He explained: 'The social environment really stands out in places like Hawaii.
'In Hawaii, there's a feeling of connection... of a strong family and community bond that influences not just how people live but how well they live.'
He also applauded the city's access to good healthcare.
In a 2024 study by U.S. News and World Report, Hawaii was revealed as the best US state for healthcare access.
The percentage of the Hawaiian population without health insurance was just 4.8 percent, compared to a national average of 11.3 percent, while its obesity rate was shown to be 26.9 percent - compared to the national average of 33.9 percent.
Rounding out the top 10 best cities for longevity, were Portland in Oregon, Denver in Colorado and Raleigh in North Carolina.
To pinpoint the best cities for living the longest and healthiest life, researchers looked at a variety of factors including the number of hospitals in the area, air quality, access to good quality food , education and a strong sense of community
Another key finding from the study, which was focused on the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the US - included the fact that the first person to live to 150 will likely be female.
According to the report, it's because 'data from the Gerontology Research Group's database of US supercentenarians (someone who has reached the age of 110 years or older) shows that only seven percent (142 out of 1,980) are men.'
The researchers also found that many believe advancements in technology will enable longer, healthier lives.
A majority of US adults agree that if a 150 year lifespan is possible, healthcare technology will play a role - more specifically, they believe brain stimulation (70 percent), personalized medicine (69 percent), AI (66 percent), and robotics (66 percent) will have a beneficial impact on living healthy to this unprecedented age.
Commenting on the findings, Sperling said: 'It's really about livability, not just health. It's about quality of life.
'What we found in this study is that longevity is not just about being healthy. It's about community, lifestyle and even access to good healthcare.
'We may not all live to 150, but the key takeaway here is that as a society, we should focus on living longer and healthier lives. The ultimate goal is not just to live a long time but to live well.'
BestPlaces, a research firm specializing in quality of life and livability, released the report in conjunction with Medtronic, a manufacturer of healthcare technology.
As of today, the oldest living person is Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, a Brazilian nun born on June 8, 1908, making her 117 years old.
Canabarro said the secret to her long and happy life has been her faith.
'I'm young, pretty and friendly - all very good, positive qualities that you have too,' the Teresian nun told the visitors to her retirement home in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.