KING CITY — City of King hosted its final community walk of the year last month, with officials announcing that the weekly group activity would return next summer.
The community walks, held in partnership with Blue Zones Project Monterey County, took place every Thursday evening from June through October in downtown King City. This was the second year of the program, which invited the public to meet at the Town Square once a week for a leisurely 30-minute walk around the city.
“Thanks to everyone who participated in the second year of this weekly program and helped make it a success,” stated the City on social media. “We will start up again in June 2025. Please join us to continue to make it bigger and better! Let’s join together through the Blue Zones Project to help each other live longer, healthier and happier!”
Blue Zones Project is a community well-being initiative designed to implement built environment improvements, food practices and more active-oriented lifestyles associated with areas around the world where people live the longest.
King City’s walks aim to promote good health and happiness, while offering an opportunity for the community to come together and meet their neighbors and local officials. The weekly event included food, giveaway items, music and raffle prizes, in addition to a $500 grand-prize drawing that was awarded to one lucky walker at the Oct. 24 finale.
According to City Manager Steve Adams, attendance was good this year — with the first few weeks attracting more than 90 participants before dropping to about 40 most weeks.
One change for next year’s program, Adams said, is that the group will meet in the new Downtown Plaza, which is under construction at the corner of Broadway Street and N. Vanderhurst Avenue.
“We hope the increased visibility will encourage more people to join in,” he added. “We also hope to coordinate it with more different activities in the downtown.”
The community walks are part of King City’s mission to become a certified Blue Zones Community, following in the footsteps of Salinas, which was the first city in Monterey County to achieve this certification earlier this year.
For more information about Blue Zones Project, visit montereycounty.bluezonesproject.com.
