Talk about “barking up the right tree”!
The aptly nicknamed City of Trees—Boise, Idaho—has been crowned the best dog park city by outdoor services company, LawnStarter.
The group compared 98 of the largest U.S. cities based on factors most relevant to ranking methodology: access, quality, and climate. More specifically, LawnStarter factored in the number of dog parks per 100,000 two-legged residents, visitor ratings, and historical weather data, among eight total metrics.
Boise took the top spot with an overall score of 67.95, ranking particularly high in the categories of access and quality.
Other key insights include:
- Toledo, Ohio (No. 42), boasts the highest average consumer rating, scoring 4.75 out of 5
- Los Angeles (ranked 29th worst overall) has the third-fewest dog parks per 100,000 two-legged residents (despite an estimated 550,000 L.A. households own at least one dog)
- Despite having the 18th-best rank in access, Laredo, Texas, placed fourth-worst overall due to its quality ranking (second-last spot)
Overall, the best dog park cities are:
- Boise, Idaho
- San Francisco, Calif.
- Henderson, Nev.
- Tampa, Fla.
- Arlington, Va.
- New York, N.Y
- Sacramento, Calif.
- Las Vegas, Nev.
- Portland, Ore.
- Norfolk, Va.
Meanwhile, the work dog park cities are:
- Garland, Texas
- Cleveland, Ohio
- New Orleans, La.
- Laredo, Texas
- Columbus, Ohio
- Kansas City, Mo.
- Arlington, Texas
- Santa Clarita, Calif.
- Newark, N.J.
- Irving, Texas
For more on the ranking methodology, click here.