Where you live can make for better living

Welcome to Albert Lea, where sidewalks invite you to move naturally throughout our community. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan helped our community install more than three miles of bike lanes and seven miles of sidewalks, including a Blue Zones walkway, which invites residents to get outside and move around Fountain Lake. Our tobacco-free parks ordinance keeps the air free of smoke, and several worksites boast tobacco-free campuses, which reinforces our community's commitment to clean, fresh air and has helped decrease tobacco usage by 35 percent.

Stroll through the historic downtown district and you'll find outdoor dining options that promote social connectivity and economic vitality. More than $1.5 million has been invested in this area since 2013 in an effort to encourage people to gather in the heart of our community.

Students at our schools have access to healthy foods through grab-and-go breakfasts and healthy-snack carts. Plus, a new community garden that was planted in 2015 has expanded community garden space by 150 percent and provides people with more space to grow fresh, local food. Food insecurity in our community is now only 7.5 percent, which is well below Minnesota and national levels.

In Albert Lea, 87 percent of residents are satisfied with the place they live, which is evidence that life is good in this Blue Zones Community.