2015’s Best & Worst Cities for Recreation
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 11:04 pm
2015’s Best & Worst Cities for Recreation
WalletHub wrote:1 Cincinnati, OH
2 Omaha, NE
3 Scottsdale, AZ
4 Tampa, FL
5 Boise, ID
6 Orlando, FL
7 Minneapolis, MN
8 St. Louis, MO
9 Reno, NV
10 Denver, CO
Methodology
To find the best and worst cities for recreation, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions, including: 1) Entertainment & Recreational Facilities, 2) Costs, 3) Quality of Parks and 4) Climate. We then identified 27 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Please note that “city” refers to city proper and excludes surrounding metro areas.
Entertainment & Recreational Facilities – Total weight: 10
Number of Music Venues per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Coffee & Tea Shops per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Public Beaches per 100,000 Residents: Half Weight
Number of Tennis Courts per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Public Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Public Swimming Pools per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Ball Diamonds per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Basketball Hoops per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Bike Rental Facilities per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Number of Attractions: Double Weight
Number of Food Festivals per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
WalletHub “Sports Fans” Ranking: Full Weight
Note: Includes football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
Costs – Total weight: 10
Spending on Parks per Capita: Half Weight
Average Fitness Club Fee: Full Weight
Movie Costs: Full Weight
Bowling Costs: Full Weight
Grooming Costs: Full Weight
Average Beverage Price (Heineken’s, 6-pack, 12-oz. containers, excluding any deposit; 1.5-liter bottle, Chablis or Chenin Blanc or any white table wine): Full Weight
Average Food Price: Full Weight
Prevalence of Affordable 4.5+ Star Restaurants: Full Weight
Quality of Parks – Total weight: 5
Percentage of the Population with Walkable Park Access: Full Weight
Percent of Designed Parkland Areas: Full Weight
Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Parks” List: Half Weight
Park Playgrounds per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Parkland as Percentage of City Area: Full Weight
Acres of Parkland per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
Climate – Total weight: 2.5
WalletHub “Weather” Ranking