Pittsburgh’s No. 9 in U. S. for farmers markets
This is National Farmers Market Week, and Pittsburgh has a good reason to celebrate.
The city ranks No. 9 for farmers markets among the 100 largest U. S. cities, according to the 2019 American Fitness Index rankings published by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation, a group that promotes health and well- being.
Washington, D. C., tops the list and followed by Minneapolis, Madison, Wis., Honolulu, Arlington, Va., Richmond, Va., Boston and Cleveland. Anchorage, Alaska, comes in at No. 10.
The Fitness Index considers farmers markets to be among the humanly built environment indicators and reports they play a key role in accessibility to fresh produce, which in turn affects healthy eating.
While Washington, D. C., offers 82.1 farmers markets per 1 million residents, Pittsburgh has 36.4 per 1 million people.
Philadelphia is the only other city from Pennsylvania featured in the index ranking, coming in at No. 16 with 31.6 markets per 1 million people.
In the Pittsburgh area, there are at least three farmers markets open on any given day of the week. On Saturdays, shoppers can market- hop to 15, and there are 11 to visit on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“It is so exciting that Pittsburgh is No. 9 because the local communities have these wonderful farmers markets,” said Anna Sekine, director of SSA Farm, a sustainability initiative with garden plots at the four Shady Side Academy campuses. “There is a strong sense of community here where you see longtime customers who come on a regular basis.”
She pointed out that it is better to have numerous markets spread out over many neighborhoods than one large central market as they provide easy accessibility to residents who don’t drive.
The index found that farmers markets have led to an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption when paired with nutrition assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program and Women, Infants and Children.
In 2018 and 2019, Arlington, Va., was named “America’s Fittest City.”