23-05-2025
Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks
Plano has the best city park system in Texas, per a new ranking.
Dallas, meanwhile, has jumped up in the annual ranking.
Why it matters: Public parks offer greenery, shade and fresh air on hot days and a free gathering space for community groups.
Driving the news: None of the biggest Texas cities landed in the Top 10 in the 2025 ParkScore index, an annual ranking from the Trust for Public Land, a pro-park nonprofit.
The report ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities' park systems relative to one another based on five categories: acreage, access, amenities, investment and equity.
Zoom in: Plano landed in the Top 25 at 17, followed by Dallas (34), Frisco (37), Arlington (46), Garland (67) and Fort Worth (72).
Irving was bottom ranked at 99.
State of greenery: Dallas was ranked 53 in 2022, with 73% of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park. Now 81% of residents are within a 10-minute walk to green space.
City leaders have prioritized adding park space, but Dallas still lags the national median for percentage of land used for parks and recreation.
Zoom out: Mayor Mattie Parker launched the Good Natured Greenspace Initiative two years ago to ensure Fort Worth preserves park space as the city rapidly grows.
Fort Worth loses about 50 acres of open land every week to new development, the Trust report says. To offset that, the city has increased its parks funding from $73 million to $111 million in the past four years.
By the numbers: In Fort Worth, 69% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. And just 6% of the land is used for parks and recreation.
81% of Plano residents live within 10 minutes of a park. The city scores well for its park amenities, including having 19.2 playgrounds per 10,000 children and two bathrooms per 10,000 people.
63% of Irving residents live walking distance to a park, and 5% of the city's land is dedicated to parks.
Yes, but: Parks are not evenly distributed among low-income and high-income neighborhoods.
