ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A new report from Trust for Public Land ranked St. Petersburg as having the best parks in Florida and among one of the best cities for parks in the United States.
With 193 parks to its name, St. Pete was ranked 11th nationally, beating out New York City and coming behind Chicago, according to TPL's report. The Sunshine City, along with cities across the nation, were reportedly ranked on a point system across the five following characteristics:
- Acreage - 48 Points
- Access - 72 points
- Investment - 80 points
- Amenities - 70 points
- Equity - 86 points
In addition to these statistics, TPL said 78% of residents in St. Petersburg live within a 10-minute walk of a park. That's 4% above the median of the 100 most populous cities in the U.S., according to TPL.
Also, St. Pete citizens living in low-income neighborhoods reportedly have access to 33% more park space per person than those in the average St. Petersburg neighborhood. On top of that, TPL found that low-income residents have 32% more park space per person than those living in high-income neighborhoods.
As far as amenities are concerned, St. Pete scored a perfect 100 points for bathroom access and a solid 85 points for dog parks. Rec & Senior centers also scored highly with 76 points, 1.2 per 20,000 people.
In terms of investing in parks, over a three-year average, TPL found that St. Petersburg spends $207 per capita. Meanwhile, 14% of St. Petersburg's land is reportedly used for parks and recreation.
To check out more of TPL's St. Petersburg report and see which other cities cracked the top 10, click here.
