Chicago Not Among Best Places to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day: Study

CHICAGO, IL - The city that dyes its entire river green is not among the best places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in America.

A recent study by financial website WalletHub based on St. Patrick’s Day traditions, costs, safety and weather of 100 of the largest municipalities in the United States not only left Chicago out of the top ten, but finds 32 cities that celebrate the Irish celebration better.

Boston, Buffalo, Omaha, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the top five. Others WalletHub found better than Chicago included Gilbert, Ariz., Cincinnati and Fort Wayne, Ind.

Of nearby big cities in the Midwest, Chicago placed behind Milwaukee but ahead of Indianapolis.

Of the specific data, Chicago ranked worst for beer prices, with the average cost of a brew on St. Paddy’s Day higher than even New York City and Pittsburgh, which came in second and third worst in that category respectively.

But for parties and festivities per capita, Chicago was tied for No. 1 with Kansas City and St. Louis, two cities with significantly smaller populations than Chicago.

So in reality, we are number one.