Jacksonville: America's Least Walkable Big City

July 22, 2011 21 comments Open printer friendly version of this article Print Article

Jacksonville comes in dead last in Walk Score's 2011 ranking of most walkable cities.




There are several isolated pockets of Jacksonville which are considered walkable, however a majority of the city is completely car dependent.

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New York, San Francisco and Boston top Walk Score’s rankings of America’s Most Walkable Cities and Neighborhoods

Walk Score rates the walkability of 2,500 cities and 10,000 neighborhoods

(Seattle, Wash) – New York has been named America’s most walkable city by Seattle-based Walk Score, in its list of America’s Most Walkable Cities and Neighborhoods. Miami, Minneapolis and Oakland are new additions to the top ten. Walk Score also rates the walkability of 2,500 cities and 10,000 neighborhoods.

Walk Score’s ten most walkable cities for 2011 include: 1) New York, 2) San Francisco, 3) Boston, 4) Chicago, 5) Philadelphia, 6) Seattle, 7) Washington, D.C., 8) Miami, 9) Minneapolis, and 10) Oakland.

This is Walk Score’s first ranking since 2008, when San Francisco was the top-ranked city. The complete list of 2,500 cities and their neighborhoods is available at www.walkscore.com. Walk Score also announced today that over 10,000 websites now feature Walk Score’s neighborhood data (see www.walkscore.com/press).

Walk Score’s walkability ranking is the only national, quantitative ranking of walkability in the U.S. Cities and neighborhoods are ranked on a scale of 0-100, with locations receiving a score of 90-100 deemed a “Walkers’ Paradise.”

“With rising gas prices, Americans are looking for alternatives to long commutes and driving around town to complete their errands,” said Walk Score CEO Josh Herst. “America’s most walkable cities and neighborhoods make it easy for residents to leave their cars at home more often. The latest real estate trends show that homes and apartments in walkable areas are in higher demand and are worth more than their less-walkable counterparts.”

People can find their city’s Walk Score, find the Walk Score of their own address, and vote for the city they think is most walkable at www.walkscore.com.

Walkable neighborhoods offer a number of benefits:

• Homes in walkable neighborhoods, on average, are worth more than those in less walkable neighborhoods.

• Homes with easy access to public transit and nearby amenities save more energy and money than an Energy Star home in a conventional suburban development.

• The average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs eight pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.

“With Millennials entering the marketplace, volatile gas prices, and fringe suburban home prices in decline, the demand for walkable neighborhoods has outstripped supply in most of the U.S.,” says Christopher B. Leinberger, Non-resident Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution. “An American family living in a house that is accessible only by car is spending on average 25 percent of their income on cars. Households in walkable communities spend less than half that amount, putting more money in their pockets.”

Walk Score is advised by an Advisory Board, which includes urban planning, environmental and technical experts from organizations such as Sightline Institute and The Brookings Institution. Detailed methodology information is available at www.walkscore.com/methodology.shtml

About Walk Score: Based in Seattle, WA, Walk Score rates any address based on its proximity to nearby amenities (grocery stores, restaurants, schools, parks, public transit, etc.) and promotes walkable neighborhoods for their economic, environmental and health benefits. Walk Score delivers four million scores per day across a network of over 10,000 websites. According to independent research conducted by CEOs for Cities, one point of Walk Score is worth as much as $3,000 in home value. Visit www.walkscore.com for more information.
http://blog.walkscore.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2011MostWalkableCities.pdf

2011 Walk Score Rankings (50 largest US cities only)

100 - 90 Walker's Paradise - Daily errands do not require a car.

 89 - 70 Very Walkable - Most errands can be accomplished on foot.


 1. 85.3 New York

 2. 84.9 San Francisco

 3. 79.2 Boston

 4. 74.3 Chicago

 5. 74.1 Philadelphia

 6. 73.7 Seattle

 7. 73.2 Washington, DC

 8. 72.5 Miami


69 - 50 Somewhat Walkable - Some amenities within walking distance.

 9. 69.3 Minneapolis

10. 68.2 Oakland

11. 66.4 Long Beach

12. 66.3 Portland

13. 65.9 Los Angeles

14. 63.9 Baltimore

15. 60.6 Milwaukee

16. 60.4 Denver

17. 58.3 Cleveland

18. 55.7 San Diego

19. 54.5 San Jose

20. 52.9 Atlanta

21. 50.9 Omaha


49 - 25 Car Dependent - A few amenities within walking distance

22. 49.9 Detroit

23. 49.8 Houston

24. 49.3 Sacramento

25. 49.2 Las Vegas

26. 48.6 Fresno

27. 48.2 Tucson

28. 47.5 Albuquerque

29. 47.4 Columbus

30. 46.9 Dallas

31. 46.7 Austin

32. 45.8 Tulsa

33. 45.4 Phoenix

34. 45.1 Colorado Springs

35. 42.9 Mesa

36. 41.4 Raleigh

37. 41.3 Arlington

38. 41.0 Wichita

39. 40.8 Virginia Beach

39. 40.8 San Antonio

41. 39.7 Louisville-Jefferson

42. 39.4 Memphis

43. 38.1 Kansas City

44. 37.8 El Paso

45. 37.4 Indianapolis

46. 36.4 Nashville-Davidson

47. 36.1 Fort Worth

48. 35.6 Oklahoma City

49. 34.3 Charlotte

50. 32.6 Jacksonville

24 - 0 Car Dependent - Almost all errands require a car.

Source: http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/



Walking at Jacksonville's St. Johns Town Center.


Let the local excuse making begin...


Update by Ennis Davis.