Every competitive endeavor has its dominant figure: Jordan. Woods. Francis. What? You've never heard of Alan Francis? He pitches ... horseshoes. Francis has won the horseshoe pitching world championship 16 times, prompting the New York Times to call him "perhaps the most dominant athlete in any sport in the country."

So now you know what we mean when we say Madison, Wisconsin is almost "Franciscan" in its reign over our annual Best & Worst Cities rankings: The city has the most No. 1 finishes in the history of our Metrogrades melee.

Madison's secret? Midwestern consistency. When we delved into the data from the usual assortment of alphabet agencies (CDC, FBI, EPA), we found that the capital of the Badger State kept throwing ringers in the key categories of health, fitness, and quality of life. All told, we crunched 37 different criiteria, from man killers (heart disease, cancer, and so forth) to man thrillers (ratio of single men to single women).

When all was said and done, we checked our math then checked it again, because close only counts if your last name is Francis.

The Best:

Madison, WI Fargo, ND Plano, TX Burlington, VT San Jose, CA Lincoln, NE Austin, TX Aurora, CO Virginia Beach, VA Seattle, WA Minneapolis, MN Boise City, ID Santa Ana, CA Colorado Springs, CO St. Paul, MN Raleigh, NC Salt Lake City, UT Manchester, NH San Diego, CA Anchorage, AK Portland, ME Honolulu, HI San Francisco, CA Boston, MA Sioux Falls, SD Chesapeake, VA Bridgeport, CT Omaha, NE Des Moines, IA Portland, OR Oakland, CA Phoenix, AZ Fort Worth, TX Charlotte, NC New York, NY Denver, CO Laredo, TX Durham, NC Billings, MT Los Angeles, CA Lexington, KY Atlanta, GA Jersey City, NJ Providence, RI El Paso, TX Cheyenne, WY Sacramento, CA Orlando, FL Houston, TX Albuquerque, NM Buffalo, NY San Antonio, TX Reno, NV Wilmington, DE Dallas, TX Fort Wayne, IN Fresno, CA Riverside, CA Miami, FL Tucson, AZ Columbus, OH Lubbock, TX Washington, DC Wichita, KS Greensboro, NC Winston-Salem, NC Stockton, CA Cincinnati, OH Norfolk, VA Pittsburgh, PA Bakersfield, CA Milwaukee, WI Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN Corpus Christi, TX Las Vegas, NV Tampa, FL Nashville, TN Oklahoma City, OK Kansas City, MO Newark, NJ Baton Rouge, LA Tulsa, OK Columbia, SC Little Rock, AR Richmond, VA Jacksonville, FL Jackson, MS Cleveland, OH Louisville, KY Toledo, OH New Orleans, LA Charleston, WV Baltimore, MD St. Petersburg, FL Memphis, TN Detroit, MI Birmingham, AL Philadelphia, PA St. Louis, MO

NEXT: Criteria used, and tips for turning your own zip code into a contender for 2012

Criteria

Malignant Neoplasms Mortality Rate

Heart Disease Mortality Rate

Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate

Suicide Mortality Rate

Liver Disease Mortality Rate

Diabetes Mellitus Mortality Rate

Cerebrovascular Mortality Rate

Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease Mortality Rate

Homicide Mortality Rate

HIV Mortality Rate

Prostate Cancer incidence rates

Life expectancy of a man born in 1981

Adults who have consumed fruits and vegetables five or more times per day

Obesity

Adults who are current smokers

Adults aged 50+ who have ever had a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy

Urologists per 100,000 men

% Everything is an effort- All or most of the time

% Hopelessness - All or most of the time

% Sadness- All or most of the time

Percent of People 25 Years and Over Who Have Completed a Bachelor's Degree

Mean Travel Time to Work of Workers 16 Years and Over Who Did Not Work at Home (Minutes)

C2ER Index Q2 2010

Violent Crime per 10,000

Property Crime per 10,000

Percent change in employment July 2008- July 2010

Percent of Labor Force Unemployed, July 2010

Number of Unhealthy Air Quality Days from 2005-09

Ratio of Unmarried Men 15 to 44 Years per 100 Unmarried Women 15 to 44 Years

Percent adults 20+ min VPA, at least 3x/week

% HH Activities - Sports: How Often Engaged In (last 12 months): Basketball, 2009

% HH Activities - Sports: How Often Engaged In (last 12 months): Bicycling - Mountain, 2009

% HH Activities - Sports: How Often Engaged In (last 12 months): Bicycling - Road, 2009

% HH Activities - Sports: How Often Engaged In (last 12 months): Jogging/running, 2009

% HH Activities - Sports: How Often Engaged In (last 12 months): Weight lifting, 2009

Market % Males - Exercised 3+ Times Per Week

Market % Males - Exercised at Private Club Last 12 Mths

Market % Males - Make Sure I Exercise Regularly

Market % Males - Exercised Reg Last 12 Mths

Tips

#1 Madison, WI

Ward off a brain attack

The men of Madison have the second lowest rate of death from strokes. Credit well-timed medical intervention. "Madison is a community with a high proportion of doctors, and people take advantage," says Matthew Jensen, M.D., a professor of neurology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. If your BP is inching up, see your M.D.: Research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine showed that people who regularly followed up with their doctor to manage their blood pressure were less likely to die during the study period than those who stayed away.

#3 Plano, TX

Tap your competitive spirit

To understand why Plano finished first in weight training, just imagine Dillon, the fictional Texas town of Friday Night Lights. "Plano is filled with overachievers," says Thomas Jensen, a certified personal trainer in the super-ripped city. "That competitive edge gives them an advantage in all aspects of life, including fitness." Put yourself in the same mindset by trying to outdo a friend when you lift. In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, people chest-pressed 11 percent more weight when competing against others.

#4 Burlington, VT

Use friends as medicine

Stroll down Burlington's main street and you'll see something strange: frequent displays of friendliness in place of urban indifference. Heartwarming, right? Possibly heart saving, too. A recent Swiss study reveals that people with supportive social networks are less likely to die of heart disease. Expand your presence in the community--join a basketball league, volunteer at a food bank, attend city council meetings. "Burlington government has lots of opportunities for citizen input," says Ben Littenberg, M.D., director of general internal medicine at the University of Vermont.

#9 Virginia Beach, VA

Raid the icebox

It's easy to be among the leaders in produce consumption when there's a cornucopia next door. "Practically everyone in Virginia Beach lives within a 15-minute drive of a farmers' market," says local dietitian Darden Chronister, M.S., R.D. If fresh produce is in short supply or out of season, go with frozen fruits and vegetables: They taste better and retain more nutrients than canned or even fresh stuff that's been sitting too long. (See "Subzero Heroes," in this issue.)

#10 Seattle, WA

Tell cancer to take a hike

The Emerald City's endless opportunities for outdoor recreation--along with the resulting boost in mood and fitness--may be one reason for its enviably low cancer mortality rate, says Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., a researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. A recent study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology reported that men who regularly participated in sports and outdoor activities had a reduced risk of several cancers. Visit localhikes.com to find nearby trails.

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