If you make it in NY, you will live longer

• Tweet

NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Babies born in New York City have a life expectancy of 80.6 years, nearly 2.5 years longer than the national average of 78.2, city officials say.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Dr. Thomas A. Farley, health commissioner of New York City, said the city's innovative public health initiatives and improvements in the quality of the healthcare delivery system contributed to the longer life of those living in the Big Apple.

"A baby born in New York City has a life expectancy 2.5 years longer than the national average, in no small part due to our bold public health initiatives," Bloomberg said in a statement. "This means we can expect to see many of the very popularly named Isabellas and Jaydens more than 80 years from now."

The Health Department's birth certificates also showed more than 600 Isabellas and more than 800 Jaydens were born in the city in 2011 -- the city's most popular names for babies for last year, Farley said.

From 2010 to 2011, the number of babies born in New York City dipped slightly, down 1.4 percent from 124,791 to 123,029 -- 62,808 boys and 60,221 girls. Farley said.