NYC ranked as one of top 5 U.S. cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

It's no surprise that with such a rich history of the Irish in NYC that our city is one of the best places to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

The Irish have left an indelible imprint on our city. That may be most clear from all the amazing Irish pubs and restaurants around, but the Irish have been here since colonial times. A massive wave of immigration happened in the mid-1800s due to poor living conditions in Ireland and later, in the 1840s, the Irish Potato Famine. Since then, the Irish have made a marked impact on NYC, from politics to culture, which you can learn more about at the newly built Irish Arts Center in Hell's Kitchen. In fact, Hell's Kitchen itself was a particularly Irish neighborhood early on and even into the mid-20th century. You can still find pieces of Irish history hidden around NYC to this day.

RECOMMENDED: Our guide to St. Patrick’s Day in NYC

WeThrift, a coupons and savings site, says NYC is one of the best places to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and we believe it because there's a long history here. But WeThrift looked at the 20 most populated cities in America and their respective number of Irish pubs, the cost of imported beer, the cost of an Airbnb and the highest rated Irish pubs according to Yelp! reviews.

Based on this data, each city was given a score out of 80, with the highest-scoring cities being Charlotte and Philadelphia with 49 points, followed by Jacksonville at 48 points:

1. Charlotte, North Carolina (49)
2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (49)
3. Jacksonville, Florida (48)
4. New York City, New York (46)
5. Dallas, Texas (45)

Of all the cities, NYC has the most Irish pubs and bars with a rating of 4 stars or more, however, it's the most expensive city to buy imported beer with an average of $9 a pint, the report says. That being said, NYC has the best-rated Irish pub—McSorleys Old Ale House, which has the highest number of reviews and an average rating of 4.5.

These are the top-rated Irish pubs and bars in the U.S. according to Yelp! reviews and its ratings:

1. McSorleys Old Ale House, New York City (4.5 from 1831 reviews)
2. The Crafty Irishman, Dallas (4.5 from 393 reviews)
3. Culhane’s Irish Pub, Jacksonville (4.5 from 329 reviews)
4. Tim Finnegan’s Irish Restaurant & Pub, Phoenix (4.5 from 221 reviews)
5. Finley’s Pub, Denver (4.5 from 209 reviews)

"With nearly 23 million Irish-Americans living in the U.S, it’s no surprise that St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S are almost as grand as in Ireland itself," Nick Drewe, founder of WeThrift, said. "To help as many people celebrate as possible, we wanted to put together a list of the best cities to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, with the best bars, cheapest accommodation and the places you can get the most booze for your buck!"

And if you're curious about the worst locations to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, skip these cities on Thursday:

1. Austin, Texas (12)
2. Los Angeles, California (15)
3. San Diego, California (24)
4. San Antonio, Texas (24)
5. Houston, Texas (28)

Instead, make sure you hit up the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade and find a seat at one of these pubs nearby. Alternatively, you can attend one of these fun St. Paddy's Day events!

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