Arlington Named #23 Top Bike-Friendly City
Bicycling Magazine has again named Arlington as one of the Top 50 Bike Friendly Cities in the nation, citing our Capital Bikeshare system, bike lanes, and Car-Free Diet challenge. (May 2012)

Arlington 2nd Healthiest County in Virginia
Arlington is ranked Virginia’s second healthiest county in the 2012 County Health Rankings  in a study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin. The rankings measure health in four categories: health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment. (April 2012)

Another "Gold Level Award" for Arlington
Arlington County Government has been designated as an American Heart Association "Gold Level Award" recipient for the third year in a row! The award comes through the County promoting an active and healthy environment for its employees in recognizing the importance of a healthy workplace and taking steps to create a culture of physical activity and well-being. (Nov. 2011)

Arlington Named #30 Best Bike City
Once again, Arlington has been named one of America's Top 50 Best Bike Cities, landing in the #30 spot. To make the Top 50, a city must also support a vibrant and diverse bike culture. It must have smart, savvy bike shops. (Nov. 2011)

Arlington Ties for "Most Walkable"
The site Walk Score ranked Arlington as one of the top two 'most walkable' communities in Virginia. The site measures "how easy it is to live a car-life lifestyle - not how pretty the area is for walking." The survey says it calculates the distances from residences to amenities like restaurants and businesses to judge a city's walkability. (2011)

Arlington Named Walk Friendly Community
Arlington is one of just four communities nationwide to receive a Gold-level designation as a Walk Friendly Community. Our walkability report card congratulated us for "...stepping outside the status quo and making an effort to improve walkability and health in the community." (2011)

• Historic note: Our friends at the Arlington Sun-Gazette tell us that on May 5, 1944, the Northern Virginia Sun reported that "Arlington has won the National Pedestrian Safety Award for communities of its size."

Arlington Named #2 Healthiest County in Virginia
In a new study, Arlington ranked #2 in Virginia for healthiest county. The study measured many factors including individual health behaviors, education and jobs, to quality of health care, to the environment. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborated with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute to develop the County Health Rankings. (Mar. 2011)

Arlington Named "Top 50 Bicycling Community"
Arlington County was ranked number 30 in the nation for top Bicycling Communities by Bicycling Magazine and Bicycling.com (a site with nearly 500,000 unique visitors a month). The publication noted that an essential element is local governments that support a vibrant and diverse bike culture, boast segregated bike lanes, municipal bike racks, and more. (2011)

Healthy Workplace Award
Arlington County Government was recently honored as a Gold Level Award recipient by the American Heart Association’s Fit Friendly Companies initiative.  As a Gold Level recipient Arlington is providing a healthy workplace for its employees and taking steps to create a culture of physical activity in the workplace. 

Bicycle Friendly Community
Arlington was among only three local governments across the country receiving a Bicycle Friendly Business designation. The League of American Bicyclists also announced five new awards for Arlington businesses. With a total of seven recognized Bicycle Friendly Businesses, Arlington County is now one of the leaders in nation. (2010)

"Best New Program"
Arlington's U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) Junior Team Tennis Program received the "Best New Program" award from the Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS). (2010)

Arlington Wins ACHIEVE Grant
The Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources was one of 10 communities nationwide to receive a $35,000 ACHIEVE grant from the National Recreation and Park Association. The funds will be used to develop a Community Health Action Response Team to address chronic disease risk factors of physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use.

Well Workplace Award
The Wellness Councils of America recognized Arlington as one of America’s Healthiest employers with our comprehensive, results-oriented programs. The rigid worksite wellness criteria include creating a supportive health-promoting environment and carefully evaluating program outcomes. 

Healthy Environment for Employees
The American Heart Association recognized Arlington County government with its American Heart Association Fit Friendly Companies Gold Award. This award, given under the association's Start! Program acknowledges Arlington County government for promoting an active and healthy environment for its employees through educational programs and services. (2009)

Healthy Innovations
The American Heart Association also recognized Arlington County with its Community Innovation Award, which recognizes the partnership among Fit Arlington, HealthSmart, and community residents and businesses to create and support a healthy community. (2009)

Arlington First in Nation Recognized by President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Arlington became the first County in the nation to win the Community Leadership Award from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which recognized our FitArlington initiative. The Community Leadership Award is given annually to those who improve the lives of individuals within his/her community by providing or enhancing opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, or fitness-related programs. (2008)

Bike-Friendly Community
The League of American Bicyclists on Oct. 20, 2007 honored Arlington with its prestigious Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation. Arlington was recognized for its longstanding commitment of providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and for efforts to encourage bicycle use for transportation, recreation, sustainability and health. Arlington is one of only two communities on the entire eastern seaboard with a designation of Silver or higher.

Fittest Jurisdiction
In April 2006, Arlington was awarded the "Metropolitan Cup" for being the "fittest jurisdiction" in the National Capital Region. The award was presented by the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, a 10,000-runner event held the first weekend in April in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. Race officials score the top 100 runners in each jurisdiction and award the Cup to the community with the lowest total time. This year, Arlington County won the Metropolitan Cup, with an average time of 1:05:48.

No. 1 Walking City in America
Arlington County came in no. 1 on the American Podiatric Medical Association’s list of the “Top 10 Best U.S. Walking Cities.” In selecting Arlington, the APMA noted that 23 percent of workers in the County use public transportation to get around: "Keeping on their feet may be a way of life since 35 percent of Arlingtonians walk for exercise." A press release and the WALKArlington website offer more information.

Arlington Named Sportstown USA
In October 2003, Arlington's sports program was voted the best in Virginia. Who would know better than Sports Illustrated (SI) and National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)? In October 2003, at Arlington's Sports Day and Extravaganza, SI and NRPA named Arlington its Sportstown for Virginia. The award recognizes the County as having the best sports program in Virginia. Arlington received a Sportstown road sign and a grant to enhance its sports programs. Arlington also received a mention in the October 8, 2003, SI magazine. Read more.