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Snow, wind? So what! Let's walk

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published March 9, 2007

MADISON, Wis. - With the thermometer hovering at 22, and the wind ripping off a frozen Lake Mendota, Rink DaVee and his brother Jim decided to take a stroll.

And why not? After all, according to a recent top 10 list, there's no better place in the country for walking than the capital city of a state known more for cheese and beer than exercising.

"It makes you feel better," DaVee said during a break in his walk Wednesday, standing on the icy, snow-covered trail that extends out over the lake. "It gets you through a cold month of March."

Prevention magazine named Madison as the most walkable of the country's 100 most populated cities. The list was commissioned by the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Madison beat out the likes of Austin, Texas (No. 2), San Francisco (No. 3) and Miami, which barely cracked the list at No. 98.

Factors contributing to the ranking were air quality, the percentage of people who walk to work, access to parks, number of athletic shoes sold and (believe it or not) weather.

Adopting a walker-friendly plan 10 years ago was a major plus for Madison, said Prevention magazine's deputy editor Karyn Repinski. That plan focused on maintaining and improving the city's walkability and requires that when roads are redeveloped, they should accommodate not just cars, but bikes and pedestrians, too.

Zac Stencil, 23, a senior at the University of Wisconsin, said he walks about two miles every day to and from classes.

"You can meet cool groups of people who are walking beside you," Stencil said. "Plus, when the lakes are frozen you can walk right across."

Fast Facts:

Easy on the feet

The top 10 most walkable cities of the 100 most populated, according to Prevention magazine:

1. Madison, Wis.

2. Austin, Texas

3. San Francisco

4. Charlotte, N.C.

5. Seattle

6. Henderson, Nev.

7. San Diego

8. San Jose, Calif.

9. Chandler, Ariz.

10. Virginia Beach, Va.

[Last modified March 9, 2007, 02:24:18]