WalletHub recently released a list of the 100 best and worst cities for recreation in the U.S. And, according to the results, Chicago isn't up to snuff, coming in at No. 62 overall. Cities were ranked based on factors like affordability, quality of parks, quality of recreational facilities and weather conditions. Unsurprisingly, Chicago didn't fare well in terms of affordability (ranked 80th) or weather (ranked 96th). We can chalk that up to our city's astronomical budget deficit and those wild polar vortexes. The study also revealed that Chicago boasts the highest movie ticket prices in the U.S., but most of us are just using Netflix these days anyway.
Thankfully, it's not all bad news: WalletHub acknowledged the quality of Chicago's recreational and entertainment facilities, which qualified as the 32nd best in the nation (we need something to do during those long winter months). The study also found that Chicago's park system isn't half bad, coming in at 51st nationally (they probably forgot to factor in all of the free concerts and movie screenings). We can also be proud of the fact that Chicago ranked higher than the nation's two largest cities: Los Angeles came in at 81st and New York City ranked 90th overall.
Instead of moving to Cincinnati (the best city for recreation, according to the study), we recommend checking out the 25 best sights and attractions in Chicago.