W.You will be able to enjoy a wide range of leisure activities — From parks and playgrounds to restaurants and theaters — A national survey released last week found that the reputation of Phoenix residents is pretty good.
Phoenix is ranked 18th among the 100 largest cities in the United States on the list of best cities for recreation compiled by financial website wallethub.com.
The city ranks third out of seven Arizona cities surveyed. — It is second only to Scottsdale (6th nationally) and Tucson (12th nationally).
However, Phoenix was even better when it came to the total score that wallet.com assigned to each of the 100 cities to enter the rankings. A combined score of 50.37 was not far from being the top recreational city in the country. — Las Vegas, Nevada scored 61.43 points.
Of the seven Arizona cities, Phoenix fared better, trailing Scottsdale by 5 points and Tucson by 1.22 points.
Phoenix takes its dubious honor with a score of 30.5, well ahead of Chula Vista, California, the least-favorable city for recreation among the 100 cities WalletHub looked at, and behind Newark, New Jersey, the second-worst city for recreation. won.
To determine the rankings, wallethub.com has assigned points to various features that it believes constitute a solid foundation for recreational activities of all kinds, grouping them into four categories.
These categories include: Over 30 different types of public and private establishments. Ranging from trails and per capita basketball hoops to public beaches and pools, coffee shops and baseball/softball diamonds.
WalletHub costs include massages and grooming, as well as fitness club memberships and affordable five-star restaurants.
quality of the park. It includes factors such as the percentage of a city’s population that has walkable parks and the area of parks and playgrounds per capita.
Phoenix finished 17th in the Weather match. Oddly enough, he’s behind Gilbert and Chandler (14 points), but ahead of No. 20 Mesa and No. 20 Buffalo, NY.
WalletHub explained that it is interested in finding the best places for recreation in the country. “Being active isn’t just good for your health. It’s good for your wallet, too.”
“The best cities have a wide range of leisure activities, both indoors and outdoors,” says the report. “These activities require different levels of exercise and contribute to the overall well-being and economy of the city.”
cherish the park — As a result, Awatu Key’s proximity to South Mountain Reserve, Pecos Park, and Pecos Pool puts it ahead of Birmingham, Alabama and bottom-tied San Bernardino, California.
But overall, Phoenix ranked 82nd in the nation for parks, and 5th in Arizona, far behind Scottsdale, which ranks 30th out of 100 cities for the top spot in the state.
In WalletHub’s eyes, what’s the best place for a park? New York City, followed by Madison, Wisconsin. Anchorage, Alaska. San Francisco, California; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
When it comes to spending on recreation, Glendale ranks first in the nation, while Phoenix ranks 82nd nationally and lowest statewide.
WalletHub said its recreation cost assessment also included prices for bowling, movie tickets, booze, burgers, pizza and dining at restaurants.
So, by that formula, not only did Glendale become the most economical recreational destination in the nation, but Toledo, Ohio came in second. Fort Wayne, Indiana is third. Fourth place is Wichita, Kansas. Oklahoma City is fifth.
New York City, unsurprisingly, was found to be the least budget-friendly city in the nation for recreation, according to the survey.
The website has also been thoroughly researched to identify the 5 highest and 5 lowest cities in various individual categories.
Phoenix made none of them.
Here are the cities in Arizona that made it to our list of the worst:
Mesa and Gilbert ranked 5th and 4th respectively for the fewest tennis courts per capita (Honolulu, Hawaii topped the list).
Scottsdale ranked fourth with the highest percentage of parkland as a percentage of total city area. Mesa also made the list, but had the fifth lowest ratio of parkland to total city area.
Tucson is the fifth cheapest city in the country for bowling costs.
WalletHub also asked five university professors (four of whom have PhDs) who are experts in the subject of recreation, whether cities should raise taxes or whether they should raise debt through bond issuances that invest in parks and recreation. and asked for opinions on whether the
All four cautioned that it would depend on individual city needs, but to some extent, all thought the idea was worth pursuing. A fifth expert did not answer questions.
“Exactly,” said Dr. Stephanie West of James Madison University, the most ardent proponent of the idea. “Any recreation professor would answer: Investing in community parks and recreation is like investing in your home. Investing in parks and recreation increases community value.”
All of this puts Phoenix on target for its new fiscal year budget, which begins July 1st.
The city council and administration added $3.6 million. And created 26 new jobs for “healthy communities and community prosperity.” Most of it is recreational in some way, including $100,000 for a special street sweeper that cleans bike lanes and $2 million to hire an additional 14 park rangers.
In a May budget memorandum to the City Council, Mayor Jeff Burton said the Parks and Recreation Department’s spending this year “includes $16.4 million allocated for the construction, renovation and repair of park amenities and facilities. there is,” he said.
Visit wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-for-recreation for the full survey.
