These 12 Walkable Cities in the US Will Make You Ditch the Car
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America may be the third largest country in the world, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great place to walk. Whether hiking in one of the many national parks or exploring a new city, you can visit most of the United States’ most famous tourist attractions on foot.
Discovering a new city on foot is a great way to immerse yourself in local cultures, find hidden gems, avoid traffic, and hit your daily goal of 10,000 steps. In this article, we’ll show you the 12 most walkable cities in the US. The cities on our list and their main attractions can easily be explored on foot.
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New York City, New York
We’ll kick this list off with the Big Apple. New York is one of the largest cities worldwide, but it’s surprisingly walkable. One of the best things about the city is how easy it is to find exciting attractions without having to jump in a taxi or take the subway. In every neighborhood, you’ll discover many things to see and do.
Therefore, you can easily target one neighborhood and explore. Take Manhattan, for example. In Manhattan, you can easily walk between iconic attractions, such as Battery Park, Central Park, West Village, and the Upper West Side. Furthermore, the streets are numbered, so it’s easy not to get lost, and you can avoid the busy New York traffic by walking.
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San Francisco, California
If you’re a keen walker and you’ve always dreamt of visiting San Francisco, you’re lucky because the city regularly ranks as one of the most walkable cities in the United States. Although the ultra-steep hills are challenging, you can walk just about everywhere in San Francisco.
Aside from San Francisco’s famous tourist attractions being close together, one of the main reasons the city is so walkable is the pedestrian programs implemented. According to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), San Francisco is the birthplace of parklets and Sunday Streets, two projects that aim to provide pedestrians with more space and safer walking spaces. As we speak, the SFMTA continues implementing strategies to make the city even more walkable.
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Jersey City, New Jersey
In northeastern New Jersey, Jersey City is a picturesque city on the Hudson River. It’s regarded as one of New Jersey’s most modern cities despite being well-known for its rich history and culture. With a population of less than 300,000, it’s not the biggest city in the US, making it one of the easiest to get around.
Jersey City is also an incredibly walkable urban area because the government has placed significant importance on creating spaces for people to walk and relax. For example, the city has a long waterfront walkway along the Hudson River and several green spaces on the West Side that promote outdoor activity. The city’s main streets are also pedestrian-friendly, so tourists can easily reach the city’s main parts.
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Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is often praised for being designed with pedestrians in mind. It features a compact city center and pedestrian-only streets, making it incredibly easy to explore the city on foot. According to a Smart Growth America report, Boston is the second-most walkable large city in the United States.
In Boston, you’ll find walkable neighborhoods like Beacon Hill, Bay Village, and North End, trails like the Freedom Trail, and car-free streets like Newbury Street. You’ll find many things to see and do in all of these places, including famous historic sites, shops, restaurants, and museums. Points of interest in the city include the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Common, and Fenway Park.
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Washington, D.C.
Another excellent East Coast city you can explore on foot is Washington, D.C., famously the United States’s capital. Washington, D.C., is a hugely popular tourist destination best known for being the seat of the U.S. federal government. As such, you’ll find many iconic government buildings, including the White House, museums, and monuments here.
You’ll be pleased to hear that Washington, D.C., is a compact city that offers many open spaces to walk and short distances between major attractions. For example, it takes less than one hour to visit the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial on foot. Conveniently, you’ll also find many famous landmarks in and around the National Mall.
Read also: Stunning Neighborhoods in the US
San Antonio, Texas
The next walkable American city on our list is San Antonio, which makes our list because of its River Walk. The San Antonio River Walk is a 15-mile (24-kilometer) long city park and pedestrian street in the heart of Texas. Construction of the River Walk began in 1939 to harness the river running through Downtown San Antonio.
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Today, almost 5 miles (8 kilometers) of the trail flows through the Downtown area, connecting many shops, restaurants, amenities, and tourist attractions. The construction of the River Walk has meant that tourists can easily visit the city’s major attractions on foot, including the Alamo, San Antonio Museum of Art, Rivercenter Mall, and Brackenridge Park.
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Chicago, Illinois
According to Preply, who recently ranked the top 15 walkable cities in the US based on the distance, walking time, and how many steps it would take to walk between the five main attractions in each city, Chicago is the most walkable city in the United States.
Travelers would only have to walk 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers) to visit the Windy City’s most famous tourist attractions, including Millenium Park, Cloud Gate, and the Magnificent Mile. That’s approximately 30 minutes of walking and less than 3,000 steps. Other notable attractions you can easily reach on foot in Chicago include Navy Pier, Oak Street Beach, and Lincoln Park.
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Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee, came in second place on Preply’s list, with travelers visiting the city’s main sights on foot in less than 40 minutes. Preply reported that tourists must walk 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) and walk just over 3,000 steps to see the main sights in the city, including the Ole Smoky Distillery & Brewery, the Johnny Cash Museum, Downtown Nashville, and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
It’s also worth noting that Nashville has a downtown walking route that allows tourists to explore the lively downtown area on foot easily. That’s not it either, as the Music City is also home to over 120 parks and greenways that offer plenty of outdoor space for walking, running, and cycling.
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Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, is a lively city surrounded by picturesque desert and mountains. Founded at the start of the 18th century, it’s best known for its rich culture, history, and scenery, providing tourists with many outdoor opportunities and exciting attractions.
Luckily, most of the city is very walkable because it comprises several pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, such as Nob Hill and Downtown. These neighborhoods contain a variety of accommodation options, attractions, shops, and restaurants. Furthermore, the Alburquerque government is currently investing millions of dollars into revitalizing the downtown area and pedestrian walkways across the city. KRQE reports that Albuquerque’s Rail Trail will help better connect essential parts of Downtown Albuquerque.
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Miami, Florida
Sun, sand, emerald waters, and beautiful architecture – what more could you ask for when strolling around Miami? This stunning coastal city in southeastern Florida is famed for its pristine beaches, lively atmosphere, and vibrant nightlife, and you can easily experience it all on foot.
Miami is bursting at the seams with walkable neighborhoods, a compact downtown area, and many walking trails, including the iconic Miami Beach Boardwalk. As such, visiting the city’s most famous sights is incredibly easy and relaxed. Of course, you could also spend most of your time strolling along one of the many beaches. Some of Miami’s best neighborhoods to walk around include the Downtown, Wynwood, Edgewater, and Little Havana.
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Seattle, Washington
The penultimate city on our list is Seattle. Like most of the cities on our list so far, Seattle has a wide variety of residential neighborhoods that can easily be visited on foot. For example, neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Queen Anne have plenty of amenities, shops, cafes, and restaurants.
Meanwhile, Downtown Seattle, where you’ll find famous attractions, such as Pike Place Market, the Sky View Observatory, and Nordstrom, is only eight blocks wide, making it very compact and walkable. Another huge bonus is that Seattle has many scenic parks and pedestrian-friendly green spaces, including Lake Union, Kerry, and Centennial Parks.
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Minneapolis, Minnesota
The final walkable US city on our list is Minneapolis, a gorgeous city in Minnesota. This vibrant city combines urban living with a stunning natural landscape, providing residents and visitors with a walkable lifestyle. Aside from the compact city center and friendly neighborhoods jam-packed with attractions, Minneapolis is home to parks and open green spaces free from public transport and traffic.
You’ll find popular neighborhoods like North Loop and Uptown within the downtown district. These neighborhoods feature shopping, dining options, and some of the city’s main attractions. Quite brilliantly, Minneapolis is also home to the “largest contiguous system of enclosed, second-level bridges in the world.” This vast bridge system connects more than 10 miles of pathways and 80 blocks, making the city much more accessible to walk around.
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