Portland ranks among top 10 cities for best parks in the US
The Trust for Public Land — a nonprofit that aims to create parks and protect public land — ranked park systems in the 100 most populous cities in the United States, noting the index is 'considered the gold standard for park evaluation.'
For a third year in a row, Portland ranked among the top 10 cities on the list — claiming ninth for 2025. This also matches Portland's score for 2024.
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'Portland's ParkScore ranking was boosted by especially high scores for park access and park investment. Eighty-nine percent of Portland residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, well above the national ParkScore average of 76 percent,' Trust for Public Land said.
The organization continued, 'Portland also remains among the national park investment leaders, spending $274 per person on its park system, more than double the national ParkScore average of $133. The city also outperformed on ParkScore's park acreage and park amenities rating factors.'
The ParkScore ranking named Washington DC first on the list for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Irvine, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cincinnati, Ohio and St, Paul, Minnesota.
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Rounding out the top 10 list: San Francisco, California; Arlington, Virginia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon and Denver, Colorado.
'Parks bring people together and deliver enormous physical and mental health benefits for visitors,' Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, president and CEO of Trust for Public Land, said.
'At a time when so much in our nation seems fractured or polarized, parks may be the last ideology-free zones, where everyone can come together, form meaningful relationships, and enjoy a few hours of peace and relaxation,' Hauser added. 'At Trust for Public Land, we will continue to work with park departments and leaders at all levels of government to realize the full community-building potential for parks.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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