Arlington Ranks #3 as 'Most Walkable,' Data Shows

PHOTO: Arlington County’s “Car-Free Diet” posted this photo on their Facebook page: “We’re visiting from London and staying downtown, so we didn’t see a point in renting a car. As long as you have an underground network or a subway system you’re fine.” - Jonathan & Therese M.

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Arlington County came in third in the country among mid-sized city as “Most Walkable,” Redfin real estate company announced Monday. The information comes from data from Walk Score, also a Redfin company.

Two New Jersey cities, Jersey City and Newark, top the list, according to Redfin.

Arlington County actively gets the word out about getting around town without a car, with its “Arlington’s Car-Free Diet” promotion.

Redfin says that many of the cities and counties on the list are considered suburbs of the nation’s largest cities, proving that “one need not live in the center of a major city in order to enjoy a walkable lifestyle.”

According to Jim Sandidge, a Redfin agent in Arlington: “Many residents of Arlington are car-free, opting to get around on foot, bike and public transportation. While the D.C. area is notorious for traffic, communities like Arlington are wonderful for buyers who want the ‘live, work, play’ lifestyle. Living there, it’s easy to get to work, shopping, dining and entertainment options without getting into the car.”

In addition to Jersey City, Newark and Arlington County, other ”Most Walkable” mid-sized cities or counties in the top 10, according to Redfin/Walk Score were:

#4: Hialeah, FL

#5: Buffalo, NY

#6: Rochester, NY

#7: St. Paul, MN

#8: Cincinnati, OH

#9: Richmond, VA

#10: Madison, WI

To calculate the rankings, Walk Score analyzed more than 10 million locations and computed more than 2 billion walking routes for 2,500 U.S. cities. The Walk Score ranking uses the Street Smart Walk Score algorithm that incorporates walking routes, depth of choice, pedestrian-friendliness, population and neighborhood data. For this ranking of mid-sized cities, Walk Score looked at cities with populations between 200,000 and 300,000. Arlington’s population is about 226,908, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For the full ranking and insights from local Redfin real estate agents, visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2015/08/redfin-ranks-the-most-walkable-mid-sized-cities-of-2015.html