Just because someone lives in a city doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have a soft spot for the great outdoors. Hiking, bird watching, gardening, and camping are just some activities those who like to keep up a relationship with Mother Nature enjoy.
Realtor.com, using six major criteria (parkland as a percentage of city area, air quality index, number of plots in community gardens per capita, percentage of homes that have a garden or greenhouse, number of farmers per capita, and number of farm-to-table restaurants per capita) has created a list of the top 10 green cities for nature lovers in the entire United States.
Coming in at number one on the list is Portland, Ore., with 17.8 percent of its area designated as parkland, which includes Forest Park, the largest urban forest in the country. The city offers the ability to surf, camp, ski, and hike all in the same general vicinity, meaning regardless of the time of the year, there is always something for nature lovers to do.
Hawaii came in second on the list with a percentage of parkland at 33 percent and some of the most beautiful hiking trails on the planet. Third place was a bit of a surprise: St. Louis, Mo. Although it only has 9.5 percent of its area designated as parkland, it makes the most of it and the nonprofit Gateway Greening supports over 200 community gardens and greening projects, including youth gardens at more than 90 schools to teach students about growing vegetables and cultivating butterflies.
For the entire list of the best cities for nature lovers, click the link below.
