SELF Magazine Healthiest Cities List

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA)-- Last year Bethesda, Maryland actually topped SELF Magazine's healthiest cities list.

This year Burlington, Vermont takes the coveted top spot.

So what makes a city a health mecca? The expert driven survey is broken down into 3 main categories.

The list includes, rates of disease, such as cancer and depression, number of doctors in the area and the number of women who are covered by insurance.

Next, environmental and community health are weighed, including a city's air quality and the rate of unemployment.

Last but not least, the survey includes how many female residents really practice a healthy way of life, from diet to exercise to avoiding smoking and keeping alcohol use in check.

SELF Magazine says Burlington won this year because it has one of the lowest rates of diabetes, cervical and ovarian cancer deaths in the nation.

Editors attribute some of this to the fact there are high numbers of OBGYN's practicing in that area.

Meanwhile, Bethesda comes in number 2, in part because female residents tend to get outdoors much more than women in some other cities.

The editors note that many Bethesda women choose to walk, bike or run convenient paths like the Capital Crescent Trail and also use one of the many fitness clubs scattered through town.

The healthiest cities survey comes out in SELF's November issue.

It also says the Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Frederick metro areas is great for women because of lower crime rates with 46 percent less violent crime than average and 54 percent fewer rapes.

The Montgomery County Police department also gets a nod for doing free home security reviews and neighborhood watch training.