Philadelphia Named One of Most-Walkable Cities

Quick: name something awesome about Philadelphia!

Well, how much time do you have?

There’s the incredible food (from cheesesteaks to pretzels to haute cuisine… the city’s got it all), a bunch of sports teams to root for (even if they all mostly suck), tremendous culture/diversity, and a real sense of living, breathing history. I could blow the whole word count for this post enumerating the many ways that Philadelphia is the bee’s knees, but today we’re going to focus on one nugget of fabulousness, specifically.

Philadelphia’s “walkability” is one of its defining traits.

That is, namely, the fact that you can walk EVERYWHERE and get to EVERYTHING.

It’s not just me saying it! You know it’s true: whether you live in Rittenhouse Square or South Philly, you are likely within walking distance of a few bodegas, bars, some great places to eat, and maybe even a museum or theater or two. It’s a fact, actually – Walk Score, the blog owned by real estate aggregator Redfin, named Philadelphia the nation’s fourth most-walkable city. Walk Score, as the name implies, breaks down individual cities and neighborhoods and gives them a score based on how “walkable” they are.

According to Walk Score: “We believe that walkable neighborhoods with access to public transit, better commutes, and proximity to the people and places you love are the key to a happier, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.”

Philly scored a Walk Score of 78.3, or “Very Walkable.” Walk Score ranks Philadelphia’s most walkable neighborhoods as Rittenhouse Square, followed by Center City West and Avenue of The Arts South. Specific shout-outs went to “walkable Passyunk, with eclectic boutiques, coffee shops, gastropubs and restaurants” as well as University City, Fairmount Park and several historic sites.

New York City, with a stellar score of 88.9, was named the most-walkable city in America, followed by Boston and San Francisco.