According to a recent survey, a city in Orange County is the fourth best place in the United States to take a park walk.
Irvine maintained its title as one of America’s most park-friendly cities, ranking fourth in the nation in an annual ParkScore report compiled by the Trust for Public Land and released Tuesday evening.
Irvine’s fourth place is the same as last year’s ranking, which looks at municipalities’ investments in ensuring public access to open space.
The report shows that 93 percent of Irvine residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, well above the national average of 76 percent. The report also estimates that Irvine spends $643 per resident on parks, lowering the national average of $124.
“Park leaders are working to promote community connection and address the national epidemic of loneliness and social isolation,” Diane Regas, president and CEO of Trust for Public Land, said in a statement.
San Francisco was the only other California city to make the top 10, ranking seventh, the same position as last year.
Santa Clarita, which ranked 47th nationally last year, fell to 49th in this year’s survey, while Long Beach fell three spots to 61st. Anaheim and Riverside tied for 76th nationally. Anaheim was 68th last year, while Riverside fell from 75th.
Los Angeles ranks 88th in the country, up from 80th a year ago. The study found that Los Angeles spends an average of $108 per resident on park space, up slightly from $106 a year ago. But the percentage of LA residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park was only 63%.
Santa Ana ranked 93rd in the survey, up from 90 a year ago.
Washington, DC, was the highest-ranked city in the ParkScore report for the fourth consecutive year. Minneapolis took second place, followed by St. Paul, Minnesota; Irvine; and Arlington, Va.
