Where you live affects the quality of your life. Perhaps that’s obvious, but this animated video about California shows just how true the statement really is. Narrator George Takei paints a picture of two imaginary California citizens who are the same age, are both employed, and have similar families. The only difference between them is that they live less than a mile away from each other—but that one difference turns out to be huge.
One community is wealthy, the other impoverished. Other than the general disparity in wealth, that means that they have vastly different access healthy food, recreation, and schools. That small mileage difference can even result in lower air quality. And if you think not having access to these things sounds stressful, you’re right. Which is also bad for your health.
The ultimate outcome is a shorter lifespan. The video above bears out this heartbreaking connection between zip codes and life expectancy.
