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Top 25 US Cities For An Outdoorsy Lifestyle

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During the past year, we’ve all spent a lot of time indoors. This has made us more appreciative than ever of the time we get to spend outside breathing in the fresh air.

Many people have seized every opportunity to get away from the restrictions of city life during the pandemic, taking refuge in the one place isolation brings comfort – nature.

So, which U.S. cities are most accommodating to those seeking an outdoors lifestyle? We conducted a study to find out, and the results are in.

Seattle thumb

Seattle,
WA

Boston thumb

Boston,
MA

Minneapolis thumb

Minneapolis,
MN

San Francisko thumb

San Francisco,
CA

Los Angeles thumb

Los Angeles,
CA

New York thumb

New York,
NY

Aurora thumn

Aurora,
CO

Irvine thumb

Irvine,
CA

Chicago thumb

Chicago,
IL

Portland thumb

Portland,
OR

Denver thumb

Denver,
CO

Vancouver thumb

Vancouver,
WA

Grand rapids thumb

Grand Rapids,
MI

San Jose thumb

San Jose,
CA

Washington Dc Thumb

Washington,
D.C.

Salt Lake City Thumb

Salt Lake City,
UT

boulder thumb

Boulder,
CO

Miami thumb

Miami,
FL

San Diego thumb

San Diego,
CA

Santa Fe thumb

Santa Fe,
NM

Boise thumb

Boise,
ID

Reno thumb

Reno,
NV

Charleston thumb

Charleston,
SC

Honolulu thumb

Honolulu,
HI

Durango thumb

Durango,
CO

Methodology

Narrowing down the list of best outdoor cities in the U.S. is no easy task.

In order to determine which cities come out on top, we collected information from multiple sources on several different factors we deemed the most relevant.

Well, it took us three weeks, copious amounts of coffee, and a lot of work, but we finally did it.

Our scoring system rates cities on a scale from 1 to 10 based on several different criteria:

  1. Housing
  2. Number of parks within 10-minute walking distance
  3. Weather
  4. Nearby hiking & biking trails
  5. Air quality
  6. National & state parks
  7. Population density

Although there will always be a degree of subjectivity in these ratings, we did our best to make it as data-driven as possible.

Each category was analyzed and assigned a score individually, using data from several different sources. The scores from each category were then added up to obtain the final score for each city, which was used to rank the cities in order.

Housing

The housing score indicates the median price of residential property in each city. Cities scoring highest are those with the most affordable housing, while those that are more expensive score lower. We took the median price of housing in each city and used that data to allocate an overall score on a scale of 0-10.  This contributed 15% to the final score.

Sources:

Zillow

Realtor

U.S. Census

Local Parks

The local parks score indicates how many residents in each city have quick access to local parks. We took the percentage of the population in each city that has a park within 10-minute walking distance. Based on this data, each city was given a score on a scale of 0-10. This contributed 20% to the final score.

Sources:

The Trust For Public Land

Google Maps 

Climate

The climate score indicates how pleasant the weather is in each city. This is something that comes down to personal preference, but we based our scoring in this category on the general assumption that warm weather can be considered preferable to extremely cold or extremely hot weather conditions. Based on how many days each year one can expect fine weather, each city was allocated a score on a scale of 0-10. This contributed 15% to the final score.

Sources:

U.S. Climate Data

Weather Spark

NOAA 

Nearby Trails

The nearby trails score is based on how many hiking, biking, and walking trails each city has nearby. We collected data from several different sources to determine the length of the total number of the trails in each city. We then took these values and used them to allocate a score to each city on a scale of 0-10. This contributed 20% to the final score.

Sources:

The Hiking Project

AllTrails

TrailLink

Air Quality

The air quality score indicates the level of air pollution in each city. We took the amount of days each city had good, clean air and divided by the total number of days recorded. The resulting values were used to allocate an overall score for each city on a scale of 0-10. This contributed 5% to the final score.

Sources:

EPA

IQAir

National and State Parks

The national and state parks score is based on the number of different national and state parks within the vicinity of each city.

Rather than including all the parks within the state each city is located in, we went one step further and isolated those that are close enough for residents to visit on a weekend trip.

We took all the national and state parks listed on different sources and looked at which ones fell within a 100 mile driving distance of each given city. These values were used to obtain an overall score for each city on a scale of 0-10. This contributed 20% to the final score.

Sources:

National Park Service

State Parks

Population Density

The population density score indicates the ratio between space and people. In other words, how crowded each city is. We took data from several sources in order to allocate a score to each city on a scale of 0-10. This contributed 5% to the final score.

Sources:

Governing

U.S. Census

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#1

Seattle, WA

#1

Seattle, WA

Median House Price

$ 804 504

Residents Close to Local Parks

96%

Climate Score

5.15

Nearby Trails (mi)

4 452

Days With good air quality

236

National & State Parks

83

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

8 391

Top Score

7.68

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 804 504

96%

5.15

4 452

236

83

8 391

7.68

#2

Boston, MA

#2

Boston, MA

Median House Price

$ 653 632

Residents Close to Local Parks

100%

Climate Score

5.61

Nearby Trails (mi)

534

Days With good air quality

291

National & State Parks

128

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

13 943

Top Score

7.64

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 653 632

100%

5.61

534

291

128

13 943

7.64

#3

Minneapolis, MN

#3

Minneapolis, MN

Median House Price

$ 304 961

Residents Close to Local Parks

96%

Climate Score

5.72

Nearby Trails (mi)

815

Days With good air quality

214

National & State Parks

32

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

7 664

Top Score

7.58

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 304 961

96%

5.72

815

214

32

7 664

7.58

#4

San Francisco, CA

#4

San Francisco, CA

Median House Price

$ 1 385 625

Residents Close to Local Parks

100%

Climate Score

7.85

Nearby Trails (mi)

750

Days With good air quality

254

National & State Parks

78

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

18 851

Top Score

7.41

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 1 385 625

100%

7.85

750

254

78

18 851

7.41

#5

Los Angeles, CA

#5

Los Angeles, CA

Median House Price

$ 794 935

Residents Close to Local Parks

61%

Climate Score

9.06

Nearby Trails (mi)

2518

Days With good air quality

66

National & State Parks

50

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

8 848

Top Score

7.17

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 794 935

61%

9.06

2518

66

50

8 848

7.17

#6

New York, NY

#6

New York City, NY

Median House Price

$ 660 001

Residents Close to Local Parks

99%

Climate Score

5.79

Nearby Trails (mi)

629

Days With good air quality

169

National & State Parks

62

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

28 211

Top Score

7.13

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 660 001

99%

5.79

629

169

62

28 211

7.13

#7

Aurora, CO

#7

Aurora, CO

Median House Price

$ 388 055

Residents Close to Local Parks

88%

Climate Score

6.63

Nearby Trails (mi)

660

Days With good air quality

114

National & State Parks

19

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

2 338

Top Score

7.07

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 388 055

88%

6.63

660

114

19

2 338

7.07

#8

Irvine, CA

#8

Irvine, CA

Median House Price

$ 912 502

Residents Close to Local Parks

80%

Climate Score

9

Nearby Trails (mi)

424

Days With good air quality

216

National & State Parks

49

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

4 025

Top Score

7.05

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 912 502

80%

9

424

216

49

4 025

7.05

#9

Chicago, IL

#9

Chicago, IL

Median House Price

$ 275 616 

Residents Close to Local Parks

98%

Climate Score

5.43

Nearby Trails (mi)

608

Days With good air quality

121

National & State Parks

31

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

11 838

Top Score

7.02

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$275 616

98%

5.43

608

121

31

11 838

7.02

#10

Portland, OR

#10

Portland, OR

Median House Price

$ 497 589

Residents Close to Local Parks

89%

Climate Score

5.22

Nearby Trails (mi)

249

Days With good air quality

285

National & State Parks

92

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

4 795

Top Score

6.99

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 497 589

89%

5.22

249

285

92

4 795

6.99

#11

Denver, CO

#11

Denver, CO

Median House Price

$ 482 700

Residents Close to Local Parks

92%

Climate Score

7.05

Nearby Trails (mi)

670

Days With good air quality

114

National & State Parks

19

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

4 530

Top Score

6.95

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 482 700

92%

7.05

670

114

19

4 530

6.95

#12

Vancouver, WA

#12

Vancouver, WA

Median House Price

$ 399 000

Residents Close to Local Parks

74%

Climate Score

5.19

Nearby Trails (mi)

232

Days With good air quality

285

National & State Parks

92

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

3 763

Top Score

6.89

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 399 000

74%

5.19

232

285

92

3 763

6.89

#13

Grand Rapids, MI

#13

Grand Rapids, MI

Median House Price

$ 205 838

Residents Close to Local Parks

76%

Climate Score

4.98

Nearby Trails (mi)

446

Days With good air quality

298

National & State Parks

25

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

4 424

Top Score

6.69

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 205 838

76%

4.98

446

298

25

4 424

6.69

#14

San Jose, CA

#14

San Jose, CA

Median House Price

$ 1 104 081

Residents Close to Local Parks

78%

Climate Score

8.27

Nearby Trails (mi)

320

Days With good air quality

263

National & State Parks

84

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

5 808

Top Score

6.64

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 1 104 081

78%

8.27

320

263

84

5 808

6.64

#15

Washington, DC

#15

Washington, DC

Median House Price

$ 666 768

Residents Close to Local Parks

98%

Climate Score

5.81

Nearby Trails (mi)

142

Days With good air quality

209

National & State Parks

85

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

11 158

Top Score

6.58

$ 666 768

98%

5.81

142

209

85

11 158

6.58

#16

Salt Lake City, UT

#16

Salt Lake City, UT

Median House Price

$ 454 403

Residents Close to Local Parks

83%

Climate Score

6.55

Nearby Trails (mi)

358

Days With good air quality

169

National & State Parks

17

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

1 744

Top Score

6.5

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 454 403

83%

6.55

358

169

17

1 744

6.5

#17

Boulder, CO

#17

Boulder, CO

Median House Price

$ 809 491

Residents Close to Local Parks

92%

Climate Score

6.59

Nearby Trails (mi)

596

Days With good air quality

227

National & State Parks

16

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

4 383

Top Score

6.48

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 809 491

92%

6.59

596

227

16

4 383

6.48

#18

Miami, FL

#18

Miami, FL

Median House Price

$ 379 460

Residents Close to Local Parks

86%

Climate Score

6.9

Nearby Trails (mi)

248

Days With good air quality

285

National & State Parks

22

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

12 645

Top Score

6.48

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 379 460

86%

6.9

248

285

22

12 645

6.48

#19

San Diego, CA

#19

San Diego, CA

Median House Price

$ 720 031

Residents Close to Local Parks

79%

Climate Score

8.89

Nearby Trails (mi)

356

Days With good air quality

87

National & State Parks

25

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

4 326

Top Score

6.46

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 720 031

79%

8.89

356

87

25

4 326

6.46

#20

Santa Fe, NM

#20

Santa Fe, NM

Median House Price

$422 349

Residents Close to Local Parks

64%

Climate Score

7.76

Nearby Trails (mi)

348

Days With good air quality

274

National & State Parks

16

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

1 824

Top Score

6.28

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 422 349

64%

7.76

348

274

16

1 824

6.28

#21

Boise, ID

#21

Boise, ID

Median House Price

$ 391 754

Residents Close to Local Parks

69%

Climate Score

6.02

Nearby Trails (mi)

429

Days With good air quality

248

National & State Parks

11

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

2 812

Top Score

6.02

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 391 754

69%

6.02

429

248

11

2 812

6.02

#23

Reno, NV

#23

Reno, NV

Median House Price

$431 241

Residents Close to Local Parks

75%

Climate Score

7.5

Nearby Trails (mi)

146

Days With good air quality

244

National & State Parks

12

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

2 381

Top Score

5.74

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 431 241

75%

7.5

146

244

12

2 381

5.74

#23

Charleston, SC

#23

Charleston, SC

Median House Price

$348 052

Residents Close to Local Parks

52%

Climate Score

6.72

Nearby Trails (mi)

71

Days With good air quality

301

National & State Parks

17

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

1 233

Top Score

5.71

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 348 052

52%

6.72

71

301

17

1 233

5.71

#24

Honolulu, HI

#24

Honolulu, HI

Median House Price

$725 220

Residents Close to Local Parks

69%

Climate Score

7.71

Nearby Trails (mi)

62

Days With good air quality

339

National & State Parks

21

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

5 813

Top Score

5.68

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 725 220

69%

7.71

62

339

21

5 813

5.68

#25

Durango, CO

#25

Durango, CO

Median House Price

$ 470 366

Residents Close to Local Parks

55%

Climate Score

6.98

Nearby Trails (mi)

149

Days With good air quality

276

National & State Parks

7

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)

1 290

Top Score

5.12

Median House Price

Residents Close to Local Parks

Climate Score

Nearby Trails (mi)

Days With Good Air Quality

National & State Parks

Pop. Density (per sq. mi.)

Total Score

$ 470 366

55%

6.98

149

276

7

1 290

5.12