Sarasota is Great for Walking Depending on the Neighborhood

Downtown Sarasota, you must wear out your shoes with all that walking.

Downtown has a high walkability score, checking in at 87, as you might expect, with area neighborhoods Gillespie Park, Laurel Park and Alta Vista scoring in the 80s, too, according to the website Walk Score, which also happens to let you find apartments and homes, too.

However, Sarasota as a whole drops way down to 56. The map only measures the municipality.

Walk Score rates cities, downtowns, neighborhoods or even your home address on a score out of 100 on their 'walkability. You can enter your home address here to find your score. 

How does Walk Score work? According to an April 2012 Slate.com report:

"Walk Score is a website that takes a physical address—enter yours here—and computes, using proprietary algorithms and various data streams, a measure of its walkability ... What drives the score is choice and proximity—the more amenities (restaurants, movie theaters, schools) you have around you, and the closer they are, the higher your Walk Score."

The highest ranked city in Florida is Miami Beach, while the least walkable area is Poinciana. 

Walk Score says people, businesses and the environment all benefit from having a walkable community.

Fun Walkability Facts from Walk Score

• People who live walkable communities weigh 6-10 pounds less than someone who lives in other neighborhoods. 
• For every 10 minutes spent commuting in car, is 10 minutes less minutes people generally spend on community activities. 
• Walk Score says property values increase by $3,000 for each point of the score

Speak up! How would you rate the walkability of Sarasota?

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