Walk Score ranks the 40 largest cities in America and the neighborhoods within those cities based on their "walkability." The purpose is to help people find walkable places where it is easy to live a car-free (or car-lite) lifestyle. However, the cities near the bottom of the list are considered not walking-friendly or "car-dependent" meaning there are few destinations that are within walking distance so most trips will require a car or public transportation.

Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. and awarding points based on the distance to the closest amenity in each category. It’s not a perfect rating scale, as it does not include weather, public transit, pedestrian-friendly design, topography, beauty of the surroundings, or man-made and natural impediments to walking; it is purely based on the proximity of amenities. Cities are defined as in the 2000 U.S. Census and neighborhood boundaries come from Zillow.com.

The list below includes the cities with the lowest overall walkability scores out of the 40 largest cities in the nation. The walkability score appears in parentheses after each city.

The top 10 least walking-friendly cities in America are:

1. Jacksonville (36)
2. Nashville (39)
3. Charlotte (39)
4. Indianapolis (42)
5. Oklahoma City (43)
6. Memphis (43)
7. Kansas City (44)
8. Fort Worth (45)
9. San Antonio (45)
10. El Paso (45)

For more information on how regular walking can improve your health, join the Healia Health Community for Exercise and Fitness. 

Related blog post: The Top 10 Most Walking-Friendly Cities in America

_{Source: Walk Score. http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/}

Photo: jmd41280, Flickr, Creative Commons

Walking is an enjoyable, cost saving, and environmentally friendly activity that almost anyone can participate in. Walk Score ranks the 40 largest cities in America and the neighborhoods within those cities based on their "walkability." The purpose is to help people find walkable places where it is easy to live a car-free (or car-lite) lifestyle.

Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. and awarding points based on the distance to the closest amenity in each category. According to studies, the number of nearby amenities is the leading predictor of whether people walk. If the closest amenity in a given category is within ¼ mile, it gets the maximum points. The number of points awarded declines as the distance to the nearest amenity grows and if it is beyond 1 mile, no points are awarded. Each category is weighted equally and the points are summed and normalized to yield a score from 0–100. Scores above 90 are considered "Walker’s Paradise" meaning you can likely get by without needing to own a car. It’s not a perfect rating scale, as it does not include public transit, pedestrian-friendly design, topography, beauty of the surroundings, or man-made and natural impediments to walking; it is purely based on the proximity of amenities. Cities are defined as in the 2000 U.S. Census and neighborhood boundaries come from Zillow.com.

The list below includes the cities with the highest overall walkability scores followed by the three most walking friendly neighborhoods within each city. The walkalitily score appears in parentheses after each city and each individual neighborhood.

The top 10 most walking-friendly cities in America are:

1. San Francisco (score = 86)
   Neighborhoods: Chinatown (99), Financial District (99), Downtown (98)
   
   
2. New York (83)
   Neighborhoods: Tribeca (100) Little Italy (100), Soho (100)
   
   
3. Boston (79)
   Neighborhoods: Back Bay-Beacon Hill (97), South End (97), Fenway-Kenmore (96)
   
   
4. Chicago (76)
   Neighborhoods: Loop (98), Near North Side (97), Lincoln Park (94)
   
   
5. Philadelphia (74)
   Neighborhoods: City Center East (98), City Center West (98), Riverfront (92)
   
   
6. Seattle (72)
   Neighborhoods: Pioneer Square (99), Downtown (97), First Hill (96)
   
   
7. Washington D.C. (70)
   Neighborhoods: Dupont Circle (99), Logan Circle (98), Downtown (97)
   
   
8. Long Beach (69)
   Neighborhoods: Downtown (87), Belmont Shore (83), Belmont Heights (82)
   
   
9. Los Angeles (67)
   Neighborhoods: Mid City West (92), Downtown (90), Hollywood (89)
   
   
10. Portland (66)
    Neighborhoods: Pearl District (99), Old Town-Chinatown (98), Downtown (96)

For more information on how regular walking can improve your health, join the Healia Health Community for Exercise and Fitness.

_{Source: Walk Score. http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/} 

_{Photo: Benjamin Rossen, Flickr, Creative Commons}

With spring just around the corner, some people may already be experiencing symptoms of outdoor allergies or "hay fever." While such allergies can occur anywhere in the nation, some cities are more challenging than others to live in for people with with seasonal allergies. Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) ranks the 100 cities that are the most difficult to live in if you have spring allergies based on analysis from 4 factors: allergy prevalence, seasonal pollen, allergy medicine utilization per patient, and the number of board certified allergists per patient. The results for 2008 are listed below, while 2009 results will not be available until after spring is well underway. Each year’s "Spring Allergy Capitals" are listed by the AAFA to help consumers recognize, prevent, and safely treat allergy symptoms.

The top 10 worst cities to live in with spring allergies are:

1. Lexington, KY
2. Greensboro, NC
3. Johnson City, TN
4. Augusta, GA
5. Jackson, MS
6. Knoxville, TN
7. Birmingham, AL
8. New Orleans, LA
9. Little Rock, AR
10. San Diego, CA

So what can you do about your own spring allergies? See "What treatments are available for outdoor allergies?" and "How can I prevent outdoor allergies?" in the Healia Health Guide to Outdoor Allergies. Share your experiences living with allergies in your part of the country by joining the Healia Health Community for Allergy.

_{Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 2008 Spring Allergy Capitals, 4/09. http://aafa.org/pdfs/FINAL%20public%20LIST%20Spr2008.pdf}