Iowa City is named the "Healthiest Town in the United States," in the February issue of Men's Journal. The article is based on criteria set by Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent. Dr. Gupta's standards were based on information about the healthiest diets in the world, the importance of regular exercise, and how to "quiet your mind" to increase mental focus and reduce stress to live longer. He also said there is a relationship between where a person lives and how that affects how long they live, saying people should look for local farms, short commutes, sidewalks, low pollution, green spaces and good weather--all of which Iowa City has. Considering Iowa City winters, the city still beat out Boulder, Colo.; Logan, Utah; Northampton, Mass.; and Charlottesville, Va.

The area also ranked 10th on MSN CareerBuilder's "Today's Best and Worst Cities for Jobs" list.  The CareerBuilder article cited the Iowa City metro area's 1.2 percent job growth between July and October 2009, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to a news release, 77 of the nation's 281 metro areas added jobs during the same period, though only 19 posted growth rates of 1 percent or higher.