With July being National Parks and Recreation Month, the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on the Best & Worst Cities for Recreation in 2024, along with expert commentary, to showcase the cities that keep their residents the most entertained and active.
One California city – San Diego – ranked in the top 10, while four others were ranked near the bottom of the list, including the lowest ranked city of Chula Vista. WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 47 key indicators of recreation-friendliness. For each city, the study examined the availability and cost of recreational activities, along with the quality of parks and the weather.
Best Cities for Recreation
Las Vegas, Nevada was the top ranked city for recreation, followed by Orlando, FL; Tampa, FL; Cincinnati, OH; Honolulu, HI; Scottsdale, AZ; San Diego, CA; St. Louis, MO; Atlanta, GA; and, rounding out the top 10, New Orleans, LA.
Worst Cities for Recreation
In the bottom of the rankings for recreation were Fort Wayne, Indiana at number 91, followed by San Jose, CA; Jersey City, NJ; Durham, NC; Hialeah, FL; Newark, NJ; Fremont, CA; Irving, TX; Oakland, CA at number 99 and Chula Vista, CA at number 100.
Best vs. Worst
San Francisco and Boston have the highest share of the population with walkable park access, which is 3.1 times higher than in Indianapolis, the city with the lowest.
Las Vegas has the most playgrounds per square root of the population, which is 22.2 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the fewest.
Irvine, California has the highest spending on parks per capita, which is 46.7 times higher than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the lowest.
San Francisco has the most bike rental facilities per square root of the population, which is 36.7 times more than in Fresno, California, the city with the fewest.
“Recreation is an important factor to consider when moving to a new city. Without adequate space for activities you enjoy, your mental health will suffer. In addition, a lack of green spaces or indoor places to exercise can make it hard to stay fit and take care of your physical health. The best cities for recreation have a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities that can help people of all ages stay entertained and active,” said WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe. “Las Vegas is the best city for recreation, boasting an extremely high number of attractions and ranking at the top of the country when it comes to the number of music venues, amusement parks, zoos and aquariums per capita. In addition, Las Vegas is a great city for staying active, with a very high number of basketball hoops, hiking trails, bowling alleys, sport venues and park playgrounds per capita. Finally, Las Vegas is one of the best cities for the availability of affordable restaurants with 4.5+ stars.”
To view the full report, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-for-recreation/5144
Expert Commentary
What are some cost-effective ways for local authorities to improve parks and recreation facilities?
“Municipalities should be utilizing federal granting programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to help offset the cost of large-scale recreation infrastructure projects if possible. I also like to see smaller municipalities planning long-term and creating financial tools to build up capital over time such as expendable trust funds, capital reserve funds, or special revenue funds if a municipality has a revenue-generating site. Planning over a longer time horizon allows local officials to meet the needs of their stakeholders without an undue effect on the municipal tax rate.”
Matthew Frye, M.S., CTRS/L – Clinical Associate Professor; Therapeutic Recreation Option Coordinator, University of New Hampshire
What is the biggest mistake local authorities make in building and maintaining parks and recreation facilities?
“The biggest mistake I have seen is one that is difficult for small communities to avoid: not having a long-term plan for parks and recreation facilities. Decisions regarding investment in these should come within the context of a strategic plan for that community. This process is typically guided by resident input and includes a needs assessment of the community. In ideal settings, parks and recreation facilities are then approached at the collective community level, where not all parks need to provide all services. Taking a portfolio approach to parks and recreation facilities that a city or community might be managing, can help reduce service redundancy and take a more intentional approach to making sure all needs are being met. Additionally, a long-term plan also helps communities remain realistic about maintenance costs. A one-time donation or grant that can support the purchase of playground equipment most often does not consider the weekly, monthly, and annual maintenance.”
Lauren Duffy – Associate Professor, Clemson University
“All too often, municipalities develop a new facility without considering the long-term maintenance costs. Whether indoors or outdoors, recreation infrastructure requires a certain level of upkeep and maintenance to protect your investment. The maintenance costs should be built into the annual operating costs and funded through a reliable means of funding. In addition, local leaders have been known to put the cart before the horse and develop a new facility or amenity without gauging the public’s desire for such.”
Matthew Frye, M.S., CTRS/L – Clinical Associate Professor; Therapeutic Recreation Option Coordinator, University of New Hampshire
Do you think cities should consider raising new taxes or increasing debt levels in order to invest in parks and recreation?
“Yes. Obviously, there is no context to this question (what is the current rate, where, what other challenges face the community, etc.), but parks and recreation are a mostly free public good that we should all have equitable access to (and with similar quality). A strong park and recreation system has recently been linked in a $375 annual reduction in individual healthcare expenditures. Municipal bonds for parks, recreation, and greenways have a strong track record of positive votes. If done correctly, the bonds, or taxes, should be supporting all constituents and communities; young and old, low-income and upper-income; all races and ethnicities; and all gender-identities. We should all feel that we belong in and are included in these public, active, outdoor spaces. This takes investment and this takes community input and guidance - it takes us all.”
J. Aaron Hipp, Ph.D. – Associate Director, Center for Geospatial Analytics; Professor, North Carolina State University
“In communities where the residents prioritize public health and the well-being of its citizens, yes. Strong recreation departments have a positive impact on property value, overall quality of life, and public health. Additionally, recreation often serves as a valuable tool in the fight against climate change because recreationists see changes in their preferred recreation venues that can be attributed at least in part to changes in weather patterns. Issues like a shorter ski season, or decreased water quality at a favorite fishery or swimming hole. Decisions about the distribution of resources is up to each community, (but) my hope is that elected officials and voters will begin to view recreation as a part of the public good as opposed to an ancillary service.”
Matthew Frye, M.S., CTRS/L – Clinical Associate Professor; Therapeutic Recreation Option Coordinator, University of New Hampshire
