Vacation Time: Cities & Recreation — The Best & the Worst

1. Memorial Day officially kicks off the summer holiday season. Some of you will be traveling. That leads us to WalletHub. The consumer website does all kinds of really interesting surveys and studies. The latest involves recreation and cities around the country and how they support recreational activities.

The best cities have a lot of outdoor and indoor activities for those living there, and those visiting.

WalletHub spokesman, Chip Lupo says a city having neighborhood parks is one of the most beneficial places for activities. For a homeowner, having a park within 500 to 600 feet of your property will significantly add to the value of that home. Living that close to one can lead to better health, too, and WalletHub contends you can save up to $1,900 a year in healthcare costs.

When it comes to indoors, lots of theaters, venues for music and neat little coffee shops are also very important to good recreational health.

“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,” Lupo said. “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.”

WalletHub looked at the 100 largest cities in the U.S. and analyzed their recreation places through 47 different metrics. They included the basic cost of living, the quality of parks in a city and accessible entertainment indoors and out.

Five PIA Western Alliance cities sit in the top-10 best. They are Las Vegas, Nevada at number one. It is followed by San Diego, California (6), Scottsdale, Arizona (7), Los Angeles, California (8) and Honolulu, Hawaii (10).

1. Las Vegas, Nevada

Total Score: 67.95

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 1

Costs rank: 21

Quality of parks rank: 22

Weather Rank: 18

2. Cincinnati, Ohio

Total Score: 61.66

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 13

Costs rank: 2

Quality of parks rank: 7

Weather Rank: 58

3. Orlando, Florida

Total Score: 61.10

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 2

Costs rank: 52

Quality of parks rank: 57

Weather Rank: 28

4. Atlanta, Georgia

Total Score: 59.69

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 6

Costs rank: 61

Quality of parks rank: 23

Weather Rank: 41

5. Tampa, Florida

Total Score: 59.20

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 11

Costs rank: 49

Quality of parks rank: 69

Weather Rank: 13

6. San Diego, California

Total Score: 4

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 85

Costs rank: 35

Quality of parks rank: 34

Weather Rank: 34

7. Scottsdale, Arizona

Total Score: 57.05

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 31

Costs rank: 39

Quality of parks rank: 24

Weather Rank: 3

8. Los Angeles, California

Total Score: 55.62

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 5

Costs rank: 90

Quality of parks rank: 70

Weather Rank: 7

9. St. Louis, Missouri

Total Score: 55.10

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 15

Costs rank: 8

Quality of parks rank: 18

Weather Rank: 94

10. Honolulu, Hawaii

Total Score: 54.66

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 8

Costs rank: 92

Quality of parks rank: 8

Weather Rank: 43

The rest of the PIA Western Alliance state cities on the list:

11. San Francisco, California

Total Score: 54.64

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 3

Costs rank: 95

Quality of parks rank: 5

Weather Rank: 49

12. Phoenix, Arizona

Total Score: 54.18

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 25

Costs rank: 46

Quality of parks rank: 64

Weather Rank: 17

13. Tucson, Arizona

Total Score: 53.64

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 32

Costs rank: 19

Quality of parks rank: 74

Weather Rank: 16

15. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Total Score: 52.30

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 44

Costs rank: 26

Quality of parks rank: 26

Weather Rank: 37

16. Sacramento, California

Total Score: 52.09

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 34

Costs rank: 81

Quality of parks rank: 12

Weather Rank: 9

19. Portland, Oregon

Total Score: 51.82

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 16

Costs rank: 66

Quality of parks rank: 13

Weather Rank: 78

23. Irvine, California

Total Score: 50.68

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 57

Costs rank: 75

Quality of parks rank: 1

Weather Rank: 21

Other PIA Western Alliance city rankings — Surprised to see Reno, Anaheim and Seattle so low on the list.

28. Henderson, Nevada

29, Glendale, California

31. North Las Vegas, Nevada

32. Boise, Idaho

40. Long Beach, California

43. San Bernardino, California

49. Chandler, Arizona

50. Reno, Nevada

52. Seattle, Washington

54. Bakersfield, California

55. Mesa, Arizona

57. Riverside, California

66. Stockton, California

72. Santa Ana, California

73. Anaheim, California

78. Gilbert, Arizona

84. Anchorage, Alaska

87. Fremont, California

90. San Jose, California

The bottom 10 cities includes three PIA Western Alliance state cities:

91. Wichita, Kansas

92. Fort Wayne, Indiana

93. Fresno, California

Total Score: 38.51

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 91

Costs rank: 84

Quality of parks rank: 83

Weather Rank: 19

94. Oakland, California

Total Score: 38.01

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 63

Costs rank: 93

Quality of parks rank: 34

Weather Rank: 51

95. Hialeah, Florida

96. Chula Vista, California

Total Score: 37.36

Entertainment & recreational facility rank: 99

Costs rank: 73

Quality of parks rank: 80

Weather Rank: 29

97. Irving, Texas

98. Durham, North Carolina

99. Newark, New Jersey

100. Jersey City, New Jersey

Source link: WalletHub — https://bit.ly/4wNjZ8V