Minneapolis, St. Paul are some of the top cities in US for parks

FOX 9 Staff
·2 min read
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<div>St. Paul skyline.</div>
St. Paul skyline.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A new study shows that U.S. cities that have the most parks are more socially connected with their communities. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul rank in the top three cities for parks in the country.

The study, done by the Trust for Public Land, judged the 100 most populated U.S. and ranked them based on park acreage, investment, amenities, access, and equity.

How does Minneapolis rank for parks?

Minneapolis is ranked second in the U.S. for parks, with 99% of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park. However, according to the Trust for Public Land, in Minneapolis, residents in neighborhoods of color have 13% less access to park space per person compared to Minneapolis' average neighborhood, and 54% less than residents in white neighborhoods.

Those in lower-income neighborhoods have 32% less access to park space than the average neighborhood, and 65% less than residents in a high-income neighborhood.

Minneapolis parks' amenities rank highly in the study, which looks at the number of basketball hoops, dog parks, playgrounds, bathrooms, rec and senior centers and splash pads, per 10,000 people.

Minneapolis has a total of 301 parks, and 15% of its land is used for parks and recreation.

How does St. Paul rank for parks?

St. Paul ranks third in the U.S. for parks, according to the study. Like Minneapolis, 99% of St. Paul residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. St. Paul residents in neighborhoods of color have 24% less access to park space per person than the average St. Paul neighborhood, but 8% more than residents in white neighborhoods.

Those in low-income neighborhoods have access to 12% less park space than the average neighborhood, and 23% less than residents in high-income neighborhoods.

Again, similar to Minneapolis, 15% of St. Paul's land is used for parks and recreation. Which is also the national median, the Trust for Public Land study said. St. Paul has a total of 270 parks.

St. Paul's amenities are ranked slightly lower than Minneapolis, though St. Paul does have more dog parks per 10,000 people than Minneapolis does.

Minneapolis also invests more in its parks than St. Paul does.

Here are the Top 12 U.S. cities for parks:

  1. Washington, D.C. (697 parks)

  2. Minneapolis, Minnesota (301 parks)

  3. St. Paul, Minnesota (270 parks)

  4. Irvine, California (356 parks)

  5. Arlington, Virginia (186 parks)

  6. Seattle, Washington (874 parks)

  7. San Francisco, California (495 parks)

  8. Cincinnati, Ohio (377 parks)

  9. Portland, Oregon (330 parks)

  10. Chicago, Illinois (1,247 parks)

  11. St. Petersburg, Florida (193 parks)

  12. New York, New York (2,363 parks)

According to the Center for Active Design, those who live near parks are more likely to be happy with their local government. The study also states that cities that are ranked higher have residents who are more social with their neighbors and community.