Surprising Destination Named as Most Peaceful Vacation in the Country

Travel and Leisure has named a rarely traveled location as the 'most peaceful vacation' in the entire United States.

Trevor Hughes / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vacationers and travelers who are looking to get away from it all may have just found their brand new spot.

Travel and Leisure has named Anchorage, Alaska as the 'most peaceful' vacation in the entire United States in a recent article, detailing all of the incredibly relaxing activities you can do in the city while enjoying beautiful scenery and peaceful serenity.

According to the website, factors considered to decide the most relaxing vacation included noise pollution, commuting times, population density, biking and walkability, construction activity, and parks that are open to the public. These factors gave each city a 'normalized' score out of 100, a number that Anchorage came out on top with an 85.87.

"No surprise there — the city has the lowest population density of all the cities considered, plus a whopping 307,594 acres of parkland per 100,000 people (that's way more than Honolulu in second place, with just 17,144 acres)," Travel and Leisure shared. "Anchorage scored a total of 85.87, making it the clear winner for peace and quiet." 

While seeing Anchorage at the top of the list of 'most peaceful' wasn't a huge shock, the city of Lincoln, Nebraska coming in at No. 2 is certainly a bit of an eyebrow raiser. The biggest thing working in favor of Lincoln, according to the article, is an average commuter time of just over 12 minutes.

Coming in at No. 3 was the city of Boise, Idaho, which ranked near the top of the list in terms of walkability and cycling.

"Visitors can get going to explore the city at their own pace," the Travel and Leisure team said of Boise. "Fewer cars on the road often translate to lower noise levels, adding to the relaxed atmosphere."

The article listed cities that rounded out the top-ten, with Corpus Christi, Texas at No. 4, Lubbock, Texas at No. 5, Louisville, Kentucky at No. 6, Bakersfield, California at No. 7, Tulsa, Oklahoma at No 8, Portland, Oregon at No. 9, and Richmond, Virginia at No. 10. On the topic of relaxation, Travel and Leisure also released an article that included locations that fit the bill from all around the globe rather than just within the country.