Though many know Dallas for its crowded highways and busy streets, the city was recently recognized as the third most walkable city in the nation.
Preply ranked cities across the country to determine the most walkable city. Using TripAdvisor and Google Maps, Preply looked at the top 30 most-visited cities in the country and each city’s top five attractions. They then calculated the distance, walking time, and number of steps between the five attractions.
Dallas had an estimated 3,570 steps between the five attractions, totaling 1.7 miles and taking 41 minutes. Preply listed the Dallas Arboretum and the Reunion Tower as attractions along the route. The walk from Dealey Plaza to the Dallas Museum of Art is 41 minutes, passing the Dallas Arboretum, Reunion Tower, and Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
“Believing exploring on foot is the best way to immerse yourself in a place’s true culture, we set out to conduct a study to see if the United States is truly as un-walkable as people assume,” Sylvia Johnson, Preply’s Head of Methodology said in a press release. “Dallas debunks the ‘un-walkable’ myth, proving one of the easiest U.S. cities to explore on foot. In just over half an hour, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to experience all the sights and its wonderful culture.”
Preply noted that Dallas had a 46/100 walk score and is considered a “car-dependent city,” according to Walk Score, a subsidiary of Redfin. Walk Score lists Dallas as the 26th most walkable large city in the United States. Walk scores are determined by measuring “the walkability of any address based on the distance to nearby places and pedestrian friendliness.”
Dallas neighborhoods receiving the highest walk scores include Downtown (92), Henderson (87), Oak Lawn (85), North Oakland (85), and Roseland (83).
Nashville ranked just above Dallas on the list, with Chicago taking the number one spot.
Orlando was found to be the least walkable city, with 65,100 steps, totaling just over 11 hours of walking between the top five attractions.
Texas also ranked the most walkable state, with Austin (9,030) ranking No.8 and San Antonio (12,180) ranking No.11. The study found that Austin’s famous landmarks can be covered in an hour and a half, whereas San Antonio’s famous spots take just over two hours.
California was the least walkable state, with 67,410 steps shared between Los Angeles, San Fransico, and San Diego. Preply recommends “finding a vehicle when visiting the Golden State.”
The top 10 walkable cities were — estimated steps are listed after each city:
1. Chicago (2,520)
2. Nashville (3,150)
3. Dallas (3,570)
4. Santa Fe (6,090)
5. New Orleans (6,720)
6. Portland (7,770)
7. Boston and Boise (8,820)
8. Austin (9,030)
9. Washingon, D.C. (9,240
10. Savannah (11,760)
