The accolades for the region just keep coming. Seems like our area continues to rank very high in a lot of quality of life ratings these days. A
recent survey by the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) ranked the District and Arlington (third and fourth, respectively) in the top five localities with the best park systems in the
United States.
The TPL survey, called ParkScore®, examines what percent of a locality’s land mass is in public parks, the proximity of the parks to the residents, how much the locality spends on parks and the amenities within the park system. TPL’s analysis concluded that an incredible 98% of Arlington and District residents are within a 10 minute walk of a public park!
Both Arlington and the District moved up the rankings scale this year, overtaking such park- friendly cities as San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.
The top 10 park systems include:
1. Minneapolis
2. St. Paul, Minn.
3. Washington
4. Arlington
5. San Francisco
6. Portland, Ore.
7. Cincinnati
8. Chicago
9. New York
10. Irvine, Calif.
The public investment in our local park systems has created a great quality-of-life benefit for our residents. These parks are there to be used, so this summer turn off the TV, get off the couch and go explore a nearby park. As we like to remind our readers, “live more, commute less” and perhaps “park more”!