Best places for a long life

Residents of these 25 counties enjoy some of the highest life expectancies in the U.S.

17 of 25
BACKNEXT
17. Dakota County, MN
17. Dakota County, MN
Towns include: Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Rosemount
Life expectancy at birth: 79.97 years

Apple Valley, in Dakota County, has become a leader in environmental projects that lower emissions and improve citizens' health."We've been very forward-thinking in terms of green building, reforestation, and making our environment one that's very healthy and active," says Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland. The town is known for promoting green building and has been awarded a grant from the Great Plains Institute to become a model community for energy efficiency.

Dakota County residents can get regular exercise in Lebanon Hills Regional Park, the crown jewel in the county's extensive park system, which offers year-round recreation.

NEXT: 18. Bergen County, NJ

Last updated September 22 2008: 11:08 AM ET
Source: Life expectancy stats from consultant Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, Centers for Disease Control.
6 Best Places to Retire You want water? You got it. These six terrific towns are all on a lake, a river or an ocean - yet they won't sink your retirement budget. More
25 best places for affordable homesWant to retire near the water, but without paying premium prices for a home? Residents who buy real estate in these towns see their incomes go the furthest. More
3 couples who took the plunge These retirees made the move to three of this year's Best Places to Retire. More
Special Offer

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.