Top Walking Cities 2009

What are the top 25 walking cities for 2009? The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), Prevention Magazine and Sperling's GreatPlaces ranked the 100 most populous cities in the US against 19 criteria for walkability. They came up with the top 25, and then also the top three in specific categories. I have no quibbles with the top 10 this year, compared to 2008's bizarre inclusion of unsafe-for-walkers Trenton.
Photo © Wendy Bumgardner

1. San Francisco, CA
2. Boston, MA
3. New York, NY
4. Philadelphia, PA
5. Chicago, IL
6. Washington, DC
7. Seattle, WA
8. Honolulu, HI
9. Portland, OR
10. Pittsburgh, PA
11. Oakland, CA
12. Minneapolis, MN
13. San Diego, CA
14. Los Angeles, CA
15. Milwaukee, WA
16. Baltimore, MD
17. Rochester, NY
18. Santa Ana, CA
19. San Jose, CA
20. Denver, CO
21. Columbus, OH
22. New Orleans, LA
23. Austin, TX
24. Sacramento, CA
25. Tucson, AZ
TOP WALKING COMMUTES
• New York, NY
• Boston, MA
• San Francisco, CA
BEST FOR FAMILIES
• San Francisco, CA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Seattle, WA
AMAZING NATURE WALKS
• San Francisco, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Santa Ana, CA
GREAT FOR FITNESS WALKERS
• Boston, MA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Santa Ana, CA
SAFEST
• Rochester, NY
• Minneapolis, MN
• Boston, MA
Walkable City Awards Year by Year
The criteria change each year, leading to some real head-scratchers if you are thinking of things from a fitness walking perspective rather than a car-free lifestyle perspective.
Source: Press Releases, APMA and Rodale Press, April 7, 2009.


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