With 35.5 million Americans claiming at least some Irish ancestry (five times more than the population of Ireland), you've got a pretty good chance of finding an Irishman or woman to kiss if you know where to look in the United States.
Jed Kolko breaks down the latest data from the Census's American Community Survey to rank America's most Irish cities and neighborhoods. Not surprisingly, "Irish-Americans are strongly concentrated in the Northeast. The percentage of people with primary Irish ancestry tops out at 20% in the Boston metro area, followed by Middlesex County, MA (west of Boston) and Peabody, MA (north of Boston). The top six metros are all in Massachusetts or upstate New York."
The neighborhood with the highest concentration of people of Irish descent isn't in Boston, however, it's in New York. Breezy Point/Rockaway Point in Queens tops the list, with 54.3% reporting Irish ancestry.
Kolko points out that the most Irish neighborhoods tend to be in the suburbs, with 8 of the top 10 most Irish zip codes located outside of cities. "The most Irish neighborhoods have something else in common," he notes, "five out of 10 are right on the water. Breezy Point/Rockaway Point and Point Lookout are both on the Atlantic Ocean, as are North Weymouth and Marshfield on Boston's South Shore. And Crum Lynne, west of Philadelphia, is right on the Delaware River."
Read the full story: America's Most Irish Towns
Irish Study Shows Bike Lanes Don’t Slow Emergency Response
Well-designed bike lanes can actually improve the flow of traffic for all vehicles, including emergency responders.
Dublin Will Ban Through Traffic Downtown
A vast majority of residents support a plan to limit vehicular traffic through the city’s center.
Dublin's Grand Biking Vision That Never Came to Fruition
Dublin’s future as a leading cycling city was once bright, but many plans have stalled or fallen by the wayside.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Study reveals best places in the U.S. for cycling, walking
New research from Streetlight Data examines bicycle and pedestrian miles per capita in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population.
San Antonio is using environmental review to stall ICE detention center
San Antonio sued last month to pause work on the new detention center until the federal government studied its effect on the surrounding area.
Austin plans light rail extension — before breaking ground on light rail
The planned extension is three miles long and will take riders straight to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Chicago cuts ribbon on $300,000, self-cleaning public toilet
The public toilet is the city’s first, and may pave the way for a rollout of similar facilities.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Charlotte
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello