Survey: This is the best city for recreation this year

New research from WalletHub found that Orlando, Florida is the best city for recreational activities this year.

WalletHub took a look at “the 100 most populated U.S. cities” in terms of four factors: “Costs,” “Weather,” “Quality of Parks” and “Entertainment & Recreational Facilities.”

Then, they broke things down further by comparing them in terms of 45 other factors before eventually giving each city a “total score” out of 100. WalletHub used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, among many other sources.

The top 10 cities for recreation in 2018

1) Orlando, FL (total score: 60.03)

2) Las Vegas, NV (total score: 57.47)

3) San Diego, CA (total score: 55.15)

4) Cincinnati, OH (total score: 53.68)

5) Tampa, FL (total score: 53.02)

6) Atlanta, GA (total score: 52.32)

7) Scottsdale, AZ (total score: 51.75)

8) Tucson, AZ (total score: 51.11)

9) Boise, ID (total score: 50.10)

10) Philadelphia, PA (total score: 49.62)

Irving, TX came in last place (#100) with a total score of 34.45.

How the cities compare to one another

Check it out.

The makings of “a good park system”

Amy R. Hurd, CPRE, professor of Recreation and Park Administration and Director of Graduate Studies at Illinois State University, told WalletHub about the five most important factors that cities with good recreational options have.

“First, I feel a good park system will focus on quality of programs, facilities and parks over quantity. Second, these services should be equitably distributed among the community. Place the services where they are needed. Third, services should be accessible. For example, that may mean that there is a park within a half mile of every house, or within a 10 minute walk,” she told the site. “People have to be able to get to the service to use it. Fourth, the best cities for recreation adequately fund the departments and hire a professional staff trained in parks and recreation to manage the system. Lastly, great parks systems have a plan for the future that guides growth to best meet the needs of the community.”

Clearly, a lot goes into creating the right recreational facilities.