In case you hadn’t heard:

U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings for the Healthiest Communities in the U.S., and in 2022 Los Alamos County, New Mexico, came out on top for the third year in a row. It’s the first community to take the number-one spot more than twice. ~ Travel & Leisure

Hmm. We’re the first community to take the number one spot more than twice? Considering the first time we won this award was right smack in the middle of the 2020 pandemic, it’s getting me thinking about what makes living in Los Alamos healthier than other communities.

View of Los Alamos from canyon’s edge at American Springs.

If the criteria for being considered the healthiest community in America is population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food and nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality, and infrastructure, I have to say I would love to see the scores in each category for all of the 500 communities evaluated. How on earth would you put a numeric score on our aging infrastructure or our stop and go vitality. These topics are pretty consistently in the minds of the public. Of course, the other big topic is housing. So how did Los Alamos snag the number one spot?

Rendija Canyon

“Los Alamos County received a perfect score for its availability of affordable housing, public safety, population health, and access to parks.” Travel & Leisure

Wow. Surely some of us are wondering at the notion Los Alamos gets a perfect score in the category of affordable housing. So how does our available housing stack up?

Interestingly enough, according to a 2022 study conducted by Pew Research, Americans worry about the availability of affordable housing more than they worry over drug addiction, the economic and health effects of Covid-19, and crime. Pew studies also go on to say:

About six-in-ten U.S. adults living in urban areas (63%) say that the availability of affordable housing in their community is a major problem, compared with 46% of suburban residents and 40% of those living in rural areas. ~ Pew Research

Careful what you wish for! Affordable housing used to look like this!

This actually infers that while the housing crunch is a national concern, Los Alamos is less worried about this issue than 499 other communities. That actually makes me feel pretty darned positive! It’s hard to let go of that insulated feeling when you’re living in a tiny county perched atop a mesa. Los Alamos was never meant to be anything but solitary. So it’s good to hear that in some things, we’re just like everybody else. Housing all over the world is difficult to find. In America we’re experiencing a tough time finding our dream home, but it’s happening all over the country!

If you’re out there shopping for a home in Los Alamos, have faith that the right situation is out there for you just as it as for so many other hopeful homeowners in other zipcodes. And in the meantime, don’t forget to take advantage of the other amazing things that make Los Alamos the healthiest community in America! Head to the park, plan a hike to the reservoir to check out the fall colors, or go play a round of golf. Get involved, enjoy, and when you’re ready to buy or sell real estate in Los Alamos, give me a call. I’m your hometown real estate broker!