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A new list revealing the top 10 cities to visit this summer shows where Americans are headed this season – and it's all about oceanside fun and gorgeous desert views.
According to luggage storage company Bounce, the 50 biggest cities in the US were analyzed in terms of affordability, the number of things to do, weather, and how long it takes to get from the airport into the city center. These were their results.
It may surprise no one to see Miami at the top of the list, a city that’s synonymous with sun and surf. It has 41.1 attractions and 1.69 ‘relaxation spaces’ (parks and natural spaces) per square mile — and the highest number of places to dine than any other city in the top ten, with 118.6 restaurants per square mile. The distance from the airport to city center is about 8 miles and the average fare is $2.50 one way. The average hotel price is an affordable $164 and with a balmy but not blazing average temperature of 76.3, Miami comes out the winner.
In second place is San Francisco, with a whopping 49 attractions per square mile, the most of any top 10 city. It also won for most relaxation spaces per square mile with its many parks and beaches (2.52 per square mile). Its hotel price is the second highest, but we don’t cheer for that, at $231. It’s quite a ways from the airport into town, 13.8 miles, but the public transportation fare of $3 is not terrible. There are 105 restaurants to choose from (again, per square mile), and if you’re someone who doesn’t like to bake in the sun, you’ll love hearing its average temperature: 56.3.
Boston comes in third with decent scores on all criteria. It has 22.5 attractions, 1.37 relaxation spaces, and 51.1 restaurants. It wins for the highest hotel price, $273, but balances that out with a very short drive from the airport, 4.8 miles, and $2.52 public transit fare. It’s also on the cooler side, at 50.2 (the coldest city in the top 10).
Here's the full top ten:
1. Miami, FL
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Boston, MA
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. A tie between Albuquerque, NM; Fresno, CA; and San Antonio, TX
8. Bakersfield, CA
9. El Paso, TX
10. Phoenix, AZ
Now, should we talk about the bottom 10? We kinda hate to do it. To our astonishment, Denver is the last city, ranked worst: but we all know this is a fantastic place to visit, so we’re taking things with a tumblerful of salt. We call ‘bogus’ on this list, but here are the deets: Denver’s average hotel price is $168, and it boasts 5.7 attractions, 0.24 relaxation spaces, and 17.6 restaurants, all within a square mile. Its temperature is 48.2 (hey, remember we’re averaging in in those fabulous snowy winters) and it’s 25.8 miles from the airport with fare of $3.
Counting backwards for the rest of the bottom 10:
50. Denver, CO
49. Milwaukee, WI
48. Fort Worth, TX
45. A tie between Kansas City, MO; Detroit, MI; and Indianapolis, IN
44. Oakland, CA
43. Sacramento, CA
42. Wichita, KS
41. Colorado Springs, CO
40. Virginia Beach, VA
Read the full study here and lodge your complaints or bask in your city’s success!