SF Bay Area Ranked Second Most Densely Settled Urban Region In US
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - A national analysis of U.S. cities finds the greater San Francisco area is the second most densely settled urban area in the country behind New York City.
San Francisco, San Mateo and Redwood City, a metropolitan division defined by the US Census Bureau, packs in more people than San Jose and Oakland, ranked 24 and 25 in the Measuring Sprawl 2014 report.
SF Bay Area Ranked Second Most Densely Settled Urban Region In US
The comparison of 221 American cities notes many advantages of the close proximity Bay Area residents enjoy, at least when they are not trapped in traffic.
"They do live longer, on average. They have fewer fatal car crashes, and they have a lower body mass index, which means that they weigh less," said Ilana Preuss of Smart Growth America, the city planning advocacy group that compiled the report.
There's also lower rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure in urban areas, she adds.
Chalk it up to networking, or consider it a function of living close to public transportation, but one side effect of having so many people in one place is greater prosperity and more upward mobility.
"The San Francisco area scored very well in terms of having more people and jobs closer together," Preuss said.
