See ya, Cali!

Former teen heartthrob is latest Hollywood celeb trading LA for Austin

James Van Der Beek and fam are paddling up a new creek.

Just as podcaster Joe Rogan recently did, Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues star James Van Der Beek is putting LA in the rearview mirror and relocating to the Austin area.

In a September 30 post on Instagram, Van Der Beek divulged that he, his wife, and their five kids (all age 10 or under) were saying goodbye to their home in Beverly Hills.

“Sometimes a fuller life begins with an empty house. Leaving Los Angeles incredibly grateful for all the friends and memories we’ve made here. Onto the next big adventure!” wrote Van Der Beek, dubbed a former teen heartthrob and “current general heartthrob” by HuffPost.

The actor didn’t mention where his and his family would wind up. But on her Instagram account, Kimberly Van Der Beek revealed September 30 that they were embarking “on a new adventure in Texas.” She elaborated on the new location in a recent episode of The Make Down podcast, telling the podcast hosts that her family was moving “outside of Austin.”

“I think we’re in a time right now where people are wanting to ground themselves a little bit more into nature. And LA has been a magical place for many years for me. So much life has been lived here,” Kimberly said. “I’m going to go through a process to leave. I mean, I birthed three kids in the home I’m living in, in particular. But you know, I gotta get out of the concrete jungle for a little bit.”

It’s no great surprise that if the Van Der Beeks were pulling up stakes and heading to Texas, they’d settle in Austin. James has previously spent time in the Capital City, filming the 1999 coming-of-age flick Varsity Blues in and around Austin. James played the lead role of sensitive, brainy, inspiring high school quarterback Jonathan “Mox” Moxon.

Aside from Rogan, celebrities who own homes in the Austin area include Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, The Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood (although his place in South Austin is on the market), Friday Night Lights stars Kyle Chandler and Taylor Kitsch, musician Gary Clark Jr., Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, and directors Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez.

“With ever-rising rent prices and California’s cost of living increasing on the daily, some folks have forged an exodus from the Golden State to find greener, and cheaper, pastures elsewhere in the country,” Variety noted in May. “According to historical data, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon are some popular places for transplants to move. However, the favorite choice for many Californians is its political (and meteorological) polar opposite: Austin, the capital city of Texas.”

celebrities

keep austin healthy

Austin is the 2nd 'healthiest' city in America, Forbes says

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

There are plenty of places for Austinites of varying abilities to be active.

The city's abundance of yoga studios, health-conscious restaurants, and run clubs is paying off: Austin was just named the second healthiest city in the nation in a new study by Forbes Advisor.

The report, "Cities With The Least Healthy (And Healthiest) Populations, Ranked" examined 2021 health data from the City Health Dashboard for 46 of the most populated cities in America. Eight metrics were analyzed for each city, such as the number of heart disease or opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, the percentage of adults with diabetes or high blood pressure, among others.

The study focuses exclusively on physical health, and leans on broad risk factors more than the actual occurrence of specific diseases or conditions.

Austin ranked second to San Jose, California, which was dubbed the No. 1 healthiest city in America.

Forbes found that Austin has the lowest percentage of adult high blood pressure out of all 46 cities in the report, at just 22.5 percent. Only 7.4 percent of Austin residents have diabetes, which is the fourth-lowest rate nationwide. The city also boasts the fifth-lowest percentage of adults who smoke (11.3 percent).

Here's how the report ranked four other metrics for Austin:

Eighth-lowest number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 residents (175.5)
Eighth-lowest number of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents (9.6)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report having obesity (28.2 percent)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report being physically inactive (18.5)

Austin has a reputation for being an accommodating city, whether it's through restaurants expanding their culinary offerings for vegans and vegetarians, or through local organizations adding exercise equipment to outdoor trails. And you can't forget about all the new gyms and country clubs opening around the city.

At the opposite end of the study, Detroit, Michigan landed as the most unhealthy city in the country.

Elsewhere in Texas
Though Austin is one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., and the healthiest in the state, several other Texas cities fell far behind. Houston appeared as the No. 12 most unhealthy American city on the list, and unhealthiest in Texas. The report attributes this to a high percentage of adults who report binge drinking (18.2 percent), smoking (17.2 percent), and more.

"Houston has the seventh-highest percentage of adults who report having obesity (37.7 percent) and the eighth-highest percentage of adults with diabetes (12 percent)," the report said.

San Antonio ranked as the 15th unhealthiest U.S. city, followed by Dallas (No. 18), El Paso (No. 22) and Fort Worth (No. 25). Arlington appeared as No. 30, technically making it the No. 18 healthiest city in the U.S.

The top 10 cities with the most healthy populations are:

No. 1 – San Jose, California
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – San Diego, California
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 8 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 9 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 10 – Minneapolis

The full report can be found on forbes.com.

austin healthy reports rankings