The Best Cities For Enjoying The Outdoors

"Using research from the nonprofit organization Trust for Public Land, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, we gathered data on parks spending per resident, park land as a percentage of city land, recreation facilities, air quality, precipitation, sunshine and temperature extremes for 40 major cities.

Both Seattle and Jacksonville entered into the top 15, and even cities known for inclement weather, like Minneapolis and Boston, ranked high. Still, it was San Francisco, home to both Frisbee-tossing hippies and endurance-athlete venture capitalists, which ranked first.

Ideal weather conditions--sunshine two-thirds of the year, temperatures that rarely rise above 90 degrees or dip below freezing, and an annual average of just 63 days with precipitation--were major factors. San Francisco also outspent every city on our list, save Seattle, by allocating $252 for parks and recreation expenditures per resident. In return, residents enjoy 5,770 acres of park land, which includes community gardens, public golf courses and miles of shoreline trails."