America's Healthiest City Is A Vibrant West Coast Destination With 256 Sunny Days And Dozens Of Parks

Wellness is a way of life, and Berkeley, California, is proof that, with Niche.com crowning it the healthiest city in America in 2025. Located in Alameda County, just under 14 miles east of San Francisco, Berkeley earned its title based on its residents' overall health, alcohol and tobacco use, obesity rates, and access to health care, including doctors, hospitals, and gyms. Thanks to a mix of good fortune and strategic planning, it stands out from the competition with its location minutes from San Francisco Bay, offering its nearly 122,000 residents access to 256 days of sunshine a year — about 20% more than the U.S. average, per BestPlaces — and to abundant outdoor space, including 53 parks and convenient public transportation. The Bay Area Rapid Transport System (BART) connects the city to communities across the San Francisco Peninsula, making it one of California's most walkable destinations. 

Along with its temperate climate and recreational activities, Berkeley also boasts top-rated schools and nightlife, a combination that helped earn it titles like  best place to live and one of most exciting places to move to for young college graduates. Like many metropolitan districts, though, it does struggle with challenges related to housing, crime, and high cost of living.

Home to the hallowed halls of University of California, Berkeley — with Stanford University and Santa Clara University less than an hour away —Berkeley's status as one of the smartest cities in America also contributes to its health-conscious culture. About 75% of its residents who are 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, helping them stay on the pulse of the latest in health. At UC Berkeley alone, research in areas like stem cells, neuroscience, and children's health is ongoing, often in collaboration with community settings. 

This city of activism — some may recall its anti-Vietnam War protests of the 1960s — has long championed open spaces, with development occurring in waves over the past century. The exodus following the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 spurred the first parkland acquisitions.  In the 1930s, in response to the Great Depression, the New Deal job programs encouraged further park development. Then, in 1974, voters passed Measure Y, allowing the city to acquire lands for new parks. In October 2024, voters renewed the measure, this time with a property tax increase to help maintain existing parks.

That long-term planning is paying off for citizens. Tilden Regional Park spans more than 2,000 acres of natural beauty and family-friendly activities, including miles of hiking trails, a golf course, a botanic garden, a steam train, a merry-go-round, and the sandy shores of Lake Anza, open for swimming May through September. Residents enjoy expansive views of the Golden Gate Bridge at Cesar Chavez Park, located on the Berkeley Marina. With 90 acres of rolling hills, it's perfect for flying kites and strolling the 1.5-mile perimeter trail. For kids, Adventure Playground is a dream come true, a free utopia where they can climb over forts, towers, and bridges, ride zip lines, and build their own structures with hammers, nails, and paint. Piedmont Park offers a retreat shaded by trees, complete with paved walkways, waterfalls, creeks, and a Japanese teahouse. At the Berkeley Rose Garden, you can take in the fragrance of 1,500 rose bushes before walking through a tunnel to Codornices Park, home to a 50-foot hillside concrete slide. Pro tip: Bring a piece of cardboard for the ride.

There's no question that Berkeley residents have the means to live well and eat well. With top employers such as Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Siemens Corp., UC Berkeley, and Bayer Corp., the city's diverse economy provides a nice buffer against business swings in the state or nationwide. Healthcare go-tos include Kaiser Permanente, which has held top rankings for cardiac, pediatric, and diabetic care, and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.The latter, ranked among America's top 100 hospitals and recognized for top-tier maternity care, stroke care, and gastroenterology, is building a $1 billion-plus medical center in nearby Emeryville as of this writing.

Residents have access to organic groceries at local favorites like the Berkeley Bowl Marketplace and Whole Foods Market. The food scene here is often a bastion of freshness and goodness. Open since 1971, Chez Panisse is a restaurant that changed America with its farm-to-table fare. Diners can enjoy garganelli pasta with fava beans or halibut with snap peas and new potatoes in the cafe, or opt for a four-course meal in the restaurant. Michelin-starred establishments abound. Comal is a buzzy Mexican restaurant known for its mushroom quesadillas, white shrimp ceviche, and wood-grilled rock cod tacos. Tapas and paella are the stars at La Marcha. The carnivore-averse are more than welcome here, too. Plant-based sushi is a thing at Tane Vegan Izakaya, which uses vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and flowers to create stunning rolls, salads, nigiri, and ramen. At The Butcher's Son, feast on all-vegan lobster roll sandwiches made from hearts of palm and lobster mushrooms or BLT's with soy bacon. 

Even fitness-minded locals aren't dessert atheists. Just hit the park after you order that matcha green tea gelato at Caravaggio Gelato or a Thai tea crepe cake slice from U:Dessert Story.