Residents of the Washington Park neighborhood in Chicago have a life expectancy of 69 years. Travel a few miles north to the Loop, though, and those residents have an expectancy of 85 years.
Fast Co Exist found maps that show the wild variance in life expectancy within 21 U.S. metros. Research was conducted by the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
The maps emphasize that health is dependent not just on health care, but also on a range of factors such as education and job opportunities, access to housing, healthy food, physical activity, clean air, and other social services such as child care. RWJF promotes communities that have a "culture of health" that go beyond good clinics and hospitals.
Metros and states that were studied include Detroit, New York City, Phoenix, and Mississippi.
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