Rating Cities on the Trick-or-Treater Index

What makes a city a great place to go trick-or-treating? Richard Florida takes the question seriously, ranking cities on walkability, the number of kids in the population, and a certain Halloween spirit.

1 minute read

October 29, 2010, 2:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Connecticut's Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area comes in as number one, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana area coming in for a cliché-defying 2nd place:

"Los Angeles residents take Halloween seriously: Some neighborhoods even dedicate themselves to having Hollywood-caliber decorations. For some family-friendly entertainment in Venice, the Ghouls, a local elementary school rock band, will play at the local Mar Vista Farmers Market alongside local DJs on October 31."

Baltimore, Maryland scrapes the bottom of the top 20, getting special points for housing the gravesite of Edgar Allan Poe.

Perhaps controversially, Florida uses median income as a measurement, proposing that "The haul is likely to be better where people have more money."

Friday, October 29, 2010 in The Daily Beast

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Two Rivian trucks charging at Rivian branded charging ports.

US Senate Reverses California EV Mandate

The state planned to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, a goal some carmakers deemed impossible to meet.

6 hours ago - CALmatters

Metal U.S. Geodetic Survey marker in stone in Arizona.

Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency

The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.

7 hours ago - Wired

Close-up of 10 mph speed limit sign.

Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law

Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.

May 22 - The Urbanist