Hawaii Is Number One At All Of These Things
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Megan Shute
Author
Hawaii may have been the last to become an American state, but that certainly doesn’t mean that the Aloha State is the last in everything. In fact, Hawaii is proud to lay claim to a variety of number one titles in everything from well-being and health surveys to stellar beaches and punctual airlines. Here are 11 such areas where Hawaii is better than of the rest of the United States.
We’re starting out this list with an obvious one – as the only island state in America, there is no doubting why our pristine white sand beaches and turquoise waters are constantly ranked among the best in the world. A Florida State University professor affectionately nicknamed Dr. Beach has chosen a Hawaii beach as the best 14 times in the last 25 years.
According to America’s Health Rankings, Hawaii is the healthiest state in the country – for the third year in a row. With low rates of obesity, smoking, preventable hospitalizations, and cancer and cardiovascular deaths, Hawaii has been ranked in the top six healthiest states for more than two decades. It’s got to be all that hiking and surfing, right?
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The Aloha State is truly a melting pot of ethnic diversity; not only are the islands are home to the most multiracial residents in America, but the state has more than twice the diversity percentages of the second and third place states.
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Out of 150 cities across America, Honolulu was rated as being the best place for providing a healthy environment for its residents, according to a study by NerdWallet.com. With widespread use of solar energy and a ban on plastic bags, as well as high air quality, the city is considered the greenest city in the country.
At 81.3 years! Minnesota comes in second at 81.1.
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After World War II, the government found that it was difficult to get fresh meat out to Hawaii to feed U.S. soldiers – and Spam was the best option. Many locals learned to incorporate Spam into their favorite dishes, and now, approximately six million cans of the processed meat are sold in Hawaii each year – more than any other state in America. Oh, and there is even a festival dedicated to the product.
Hawaii has grabbed the No. 1 spot in the Gallup and Healthways Well-Being Index for the fifth time since the survey began in 2008. Alaska outranked Hawaii in 2014, but the Aloha State grabbed the No. 1 spot again in 2015.
Punahou was named the "greenest school in America" last decade, and has also been recognized as having the best sports program in the country by Sports Illustrated. It is also the alma mater to our President, Barack Obama.
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For the twelfth year in a row, Hawaiian Air was recognized as the most punctual airline in the United States. With less than 7 percent of flights arriving late during the 2015 holiday season, Hawaiian Air is far ahead of the crowd.
Perhaps it is our beautiful island location, near-perfect weather year round, or endless adventure options that makes Hawaii Island the No. 1 honeymoon destination in America. Kauai, Maui, Lanai and Oahu are also included in the top ten list of domestic honeymoon spots, as ranked by U.S. News.
In the latest 50-state favorability survey conducted by Public Policy Poling revealed that Hawaii is the most popular state in America – 54 percent of respondents see Hawaii positively, and only 10 percent see the state in a negative light.
If you weren’t convinced that Hawaii was the greatest state in America before reading this article, you should be now.
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