Tampa, Corpus, & Phoenix Rank 28th in the Nation for Parks—How Does Your City Measure Up?

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Every kid deserves easy access to parks and safe places to play! That’s why the Trust for Public Land (TPL) collected city park and demographic information, to learn more about how US cities rank in terms of public parks.

Of the 60 largest cities that were included in the analysis, Minneapolis (10.5% Latino) ranked first, followed by New York (28.6% Latino), San Francisco (15.1% Latino), and Portland (9.4% Latino).

Other cities like Tampa (23.1% Latino), Corpus Christi (59.7% Latino), Detroit (6.8% Latino), Honolulu (5.4% Latino), and Phoenix (40.8%) also made the list, and tied for 28th place in the rankings.

According to a Tampa Bay Times article, this was the first time that Tampa appeared on TPL’s Park Score index.

In the article, Tampa’s mayor Bob Buckhorn said that the city reduced park fees and created new programs which brought more people out to the city’s parks.

“We have the green spaces,” he said. “Part of our job is to activate them.”

Like Tampa, earning a ranking on the TPL’s list is also a first for Corpus Christi. According to an article from the Alice Echo News Journal, Corpus Christi, the nation’s 60th largest city, was included in this year’s study due to the TPL expanding it’s analysis from the nation’s 50 largest cities to 60.

According to the Alice Echo News Journal, 70% or Corpus Christi residents lived within 10 minutes of a park and the city had 4.5 playgrounds per 10,000 residents, compared to the national average of 64% who lived within ten minutes of a park and a median of 2.1 parks per 10,000 residents. Still, the article states that the city could benefit from more parks.

Tampa had 2.8 playgrounds per 10,000 residents and spent $121 per resident on parks, compared to the national average of $98 spent per resident.

TPL’s Park Score index for a city is calculated based on three main factors including:

• Park acreage-The median park size & total park acres as a percentage of city size
• Services & investment in parks- Playgrounds per 10,000 residents & the amount agencies spend per resident
• Access- Percentage of the public who live within ten minutes of a park

See the TPL’ parks score index here and learn more about each city’s individual rankings here.

Read more about Corpus Christi and Tampa’s rankings in the articles below:

Corpus Christi’s parks rank No. 1 in Texas cities!

Tampa’s parks system ranked 28th best in U.S.