2018’s Most Fun Cities in America

4:01 AM

Posted by: Adam McCann

Everyone likes to have fun. But we all prefer our personal brand of a good time. Some people like trying new restaurants, traveling, going to bars and clubs or playing outdoor sports. Others enjoy riding roller coasters, going to the movies, or playing video games. But having fun can be expensive – the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average American spends nearly $3,000 on entertainment per year.

With such different preferences, what, then, makes a fun city? At WalletHub, we define such a place as one that packs a little bit of everything for everyone — except maybe people seeking the most extreme of thrills. In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, your family or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together.

To help Americans find the cities with the greatest number and variety of fun yet cost-effective options, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 65 key metrics. They range from fitness centers per capita to movie costs to average open hours of breweries. Read on for the winners, money-saving advice from experts and a full description of how we ranked the cities.

  1. Main Findings
  2. Ask the Experts
  3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/23455/geochart-fun.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="https://ift.tt/2MHWve9>  

Most Fun Cities in America

Overall Rank (1 = Most Fun)

City

Total Score

‘Entertainment & Recreation’ Rank

‘Nightlife & Parties’ Rank

‘Costs’ Rank
1 Las Vegas, NV 70.37 6 1 81
2 Orlando, FL 61.31 4 3 21
3 New York, NY 55.29 1 2 182
4 Atlanta, GA 54.11 13 4 91
5 Miami, FL 53.53 10 5 123
6 Chicago, IL 51.38 7 9 147
7 Portland, OR 50.53 14 7 128
8 San Francisco, CA 50.44 5 8 178
9 New Orleans, LA 49.43 23 6 120
10 San Diego, CA 48.89 3 19 144
11 Denver, CO 48.42 15 12 87
12 Honolulu, HI 48.07 2 21 163
13 Los Angeles, CA 47.88 8 16 151
14 Austin, TX 47.49 19 13 54
15 Washington, DC 47.39 11 10 165
16 Seattle, WA 47.13 9 11 172
17 Philadelphia, PA 45.79 18 15 100
18 Houston, TX 45.72 31 14 29
19 St. Louis, MO 45.63 30 17 11
20 Tampa, FL 45.56 12 23 55
21 Cincinnati, OH 44.15 17 28 12
22 San Antonio, TX 41.43 38 24 6
23 Salt Lake City, UT 40.99 24 34 77
24 Sacramento, CA 40.82 25 18 141
25 Pittsburgh, PA 40.82 20 33 102
26 Fort Lauderdale, FL 40.81 16 29 124
27 Dallas, TX 40.06 44 20 56
28 Tucson, AZ 39.78 28 61 3
29 Minneapolis, MN 39.62 21 48 76
30 Scottsdale, AZ 39.39 29 37 65
31 Nashville, TN 39.17 43 25 70
32 Milwaukee, WI 38.91 39 41 19
33 Jacksonville, FL 38.72 33 45 30
34 Reno, NV 38.72 41 35 41
35 Raleigh, NC 38.47 59 26 49
36 Indianapolis, IN 38.23 56 39 7
37 Omaha, NE 38.21 37 52 13
38 Charleston, SC 37.78 26 72 62
39 Cleveland, OH 37.30 35 54 36
40 Portland, ME 37.30 63 31 108
41 Henderson, NV 37.29 61 30 68
42 Richmond, VA 37.00 34 51 88
43 Phoenix, AZ 36.97 48 60 5
44 Columbus, OH 36.90 55 53 9
45 Birmingham, AL 36.90 78 42 22
46 Oklahoma City, OK 36.71 76 49 2
47 St. Petersburg, FL 36.19 32 67 58
48 Knoxville, TN 36.14 65 47 60
49 Tempe, AZ 36.05 52 57 67
50 Louisville, KY 35.81 62 63 18
51 Mobile, AL 35.81 125 36 46
52 Boston, MA 35.79 22 32 179
53 Kansas City, MO 35.41 73 43 37
54 Charlotte, NC 35.35 68 44 51
55 Rochester, NY 35.30 36 62 104
56 Fort Worth, TX 35.10 83 27 101
57 Buffalo, NY 34.88 46 58 90
58 Baton Rouge, LA 34.74 60 65 48
59 Boise, ID 34.69 66 102 4
60 Lincoln, NE 34.63 70 55 79
61 Albuquerque, NM 34.46 45 99 42
62 Virginia Beach, VA 34.40 42 74 105
63 Baltimore, MD 34.36 49 40 139
64 Detroit, MI 34.27 82 50 38
65 Springfield, MO 34.26 114 80 1
66 Colorado Springs, CO 34.04 53 85 32
67 Columbia, SC 33.54 64 82 78
68 Madison, WI 33.39 40 79 110
69 Oakland, CA 33.17 69 22 168
70 Memphis, TN 33.05 106 69 8
71 Tulsa, OK 32.92 75 66 75
72 Grand Rapids, MI 32.69 98 83 25
73 El Paso, TX 32.21 77 116 17
74 Irvine, CA 32.19 27 88 173
75 Chattanooga, TN 32.18 89 64 109
76 Huntsville, AL 32.02 142 59 66
77 Spokane, WA 32.01 87 98 40
78 Long Beach, CA 31.88 50 56 152
79 Garden Grove, CA 31.66 67 68 133
80 Providence, RI 31.65 84 46 142
81 Gulfport, MS 31.64 170 71 20
82 Wichita, KS 31.54 136 70 15
83 Greensboro, NC 31.43 85 100 16
84 Sioux Falls, SD 31.33 135 75 72
85 Overland Park, KS 31.19 127 122 31
86 Arlington, TX 31.15 115 38 127
87 Norfolk, VA 31.09 51 109 121
88 St. Paul, MN 31.02 54 114 95
89 Durham, NC 30.98 97 95 64
90 Mesa, AZ 30.89 92 132 23
91 Rapid City, SD 30.77 119 81 59
92 Chandler, AZ 30.68 101 104 24
93 Lexington-Fayette, KY 30.58 93 101 43
94 San Jose, CA 30.54 47 73 159
95 Tallahassee, FL 30.53 122 76 93
96 Akron, OH 30.46 120 107 35
97 Missoula, MT 30.43 100 78 113
98 Billings, MT 30.07 117 91 73
99 Corpus Christi, TX 29.71 80 127 71
100 Glendale, AZ 29.54 91 93 53
101 North Las Vegas, NV 29.30 86 84 114
102 Wilmington, DE 29.17 72 96 136
103 Des Moines, IA 29.14 158 130 33
104 Newark, NJ 29.04 88 124 118
105 Huntington Beach, CA 28.99 58 94 158
106 Shreveport, LA 28.94 164 112 34
107 Anaheim, CA 28.93 71 77 162
108 Chesapeake, VA 28.88 108 153 80
109 Las Cruces, NM 28.87 133 171 27
110 Tacoma, WA 28.80 129 89 99
111 Modesto, CA 28.68 145 90 116
112 Bakersfield, CA 28.65 113 115 83
113 Winston-Salem, NC 28.64 107 118 97
114 Jersey City, NJ 28.31 105 87 130
115 Fayetteville, NC 28.30 148 128 69
116 Little Rock, AR 28.27 153 126 47
117 Hialeah, FL 28.15 81 121 137
118 Toledo, OH 27.90 123 142 26
119 Cape Coral, FL 27.82 94 135 39
120 Newport News, VA 27.64 165 92 111
121 Plano, TX 27.64 90 86 146
122 Glendale, CA 27.58 79 111 154
123 Amarillo, TX 27.52 172 175 10
124 Fort Smith, AR 27.40 168 146 63
125 Augusta, GA 27.36 162 123 98
126 Peoria, AZ 27.30 141 129 89
127 Huntington, WV 27.30 154 167 50
128 Gilbert, AZ 27.22 143 119 44
129 Fort Wayne, IN 27.18 118 154 52
130 Aurora, CO 27.05 130 108 112
131 Fargo, ND 26.99 149 150 82
132 Pembroke Pines, FL 26.87 95 152 132
133 Riverside, CA 26.79 103 113 135
134 Montgomery, AL 26.75 176 145 61
135 Manchester, NH 26.68 161 103 126
136 Stockton, CA 26.37 102 148 122
137 Burlington, VT 26.36 112 110 150
138 Columbia, MD 26.31 128 125 138
139 Lubbock, TX 26.28 116 151 74
140 Santa Ana, CA 26.25 96 105 160
141 Fresno, CA 26.10 121 138 86
142 Cedar Rapids, IA 26.09 174 136 84
143 West Valley City, UT 25.89 150 147 107
144 Salem, OR 25.68 151 97 129
145 Port St. Lucie, FL 25.63 160 159 45
146 Casper, WY 25.58 159 179 57
147 Oceanside, CA 25.51 124 141 131
148 Irving, TX 25.42 138 156 119
149 Jackson, MS 25.37 179 165 96
150 Columbus, GA 25.35 169 170 92
151 Grand Prairie, TX 25.21 157 158 125
152 Garland, TX 25.16 146 143 117
153 Worcester, MA 24.96 143 117 155
154 Anchorage, AK 24.95 57 172 170
155 San Bernardino, CA 24.84 140 120 145
156 Charleston, WV 24.44 166 169 115
157 Nashua, NH 24.32 137 133 140
158 New Haven, CT 24.27 152 137 143
159 Ontario, CA 24.23 131 149 134
160 Chula Vista, CA 23.98 132 134 148
161 Warwick, RI 23.84 134 106 169
162 Bismarck, ND 23.73 177 173 103
163 Santa Clarita, CA 23.70 110 131 174
164 Vancouver, WA 23.46 126 140 156
165 Fremont, CA 23.12 104 157 171
166 Nampa, ID 23.06 180 166 94
167 Cheyenne, WY 22.97 181 174 85
168 Laredo, TX 22.79 156 181 14
169 Lewiston, ME 22.62 173 180 106
170 Brownsville, TX 22.31 182 182 28
171 Aurora, IL 21.88 171 163 153
172 Dover, DE 21.67 147 177 161
173 Moreno Valley, CA 21.46 163 139 164
174 Juneau, AK 21.42 74 168 180
175 South Burlington, VT 21.18 99 178 157
176 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 20.82 139 155 166
177 Yonkers, NY 20.67 111 160 177
178 Fontana, CA 20.60 175 162 149
179 Santa Rosa, CA 20.07 109 144 181
180 Bridgeport, CT 19.36 178 164 167
181 Oxnard, CA 19.34 155 161 175
182 Pearl City, HI 17.55 167 176 176

 Artwork-2018-Most-Fun-Cities-in-Final

Ask the Experts

Fun doesn’t have to mean expensive. For money-saving ideas and advice to city leaders on attracting fun lovers to their cities, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

  1. What tips do you have for having fun while on a budget?
  2. What should people be looking for when choosing a fun and affordable city?
  3. Should cities allow drinking in public — either during certain times or in specially designated “entertainment districts” — to make their cities more fun?
  4. What can local authorities do to make their city a more fun destination to visit?
< >

Methodology

In order to determine the most fun cities in the U.S., WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Entertainment & Recreation, 2) Nightlife & Parties and 3) Costs.

We evaluated those dimensions using 65 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the greatest number and variety of fun and cost-effective activities. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes the surrounding metro area.

Entertainment & Recreation - Total Points: 40
  • Number of Attractions: Double Weight (~1.95 Points)
  • “TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards Top 25 Destinations” Ranking: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Diversity of Restaurants: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Ice-Cream & Frozen-Yogurt Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Bowling Alleys per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Baseball & Softball Diamonds per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Basketball Hoops per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Tennis Courts per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Public Golf Courses per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Skiing Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Public Swimming Pools per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Public Beaches per Capita: Half Weight (~0.49 Points)
  • Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Beaches” List: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Fishing Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Marinas per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Boat Tours & Water Sports per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Water & Amusement Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Hiking Trails per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Scenic and Sightseeing Establishments per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Spas & Wellness Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Shopping Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Share of Population with Walkable Park Access: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Share of Designed Parkland Areas: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Parks” List: Half Weight (~0.49 Points)
  • Park Playgrounds per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Parkland as Share of City Area: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Acres of Parkland per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Bike-Rental Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Sports Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Fitness Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Recreational Sports Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Sports Fan-Friendliness: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best Sports Cities” ranking, which includes football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer.
  • Movie Theaters per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Arcades per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Amusement Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Amusement Parks” List: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)
  • Ideal Weather: Full Weight (~0.98 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking.
Nightlife & Parties - Total Points: 40
  • Bar Accessibility: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)Note: This grade is a combination of bars per capita* (measures availability) and bars per square mile (measures proximity).
  • Pool Halls per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Lounges per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Beer Gardens per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Legality of Public Drinking: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Time of Last Call: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Average Open Hours of Breweries: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Presence of Music Festivals: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)Note: The cities that have music festivals will receive 1, the others 0.
  • Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Dance Clubs per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Dance Party Index: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Arts & Crafts-Supplies Establishments per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  • Casinos per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
Costs - Total Points: 20
  • Average Price of Party Ticket: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Average Beer Price: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)Note: This metric measures the price of a six-pack of 12-ounce Heineken containers, excluding any deposit.
  • Average Wine Price: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Average Food Price (Pizza & Burger): Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Prevalence of Affordable Restaurants Rated 4.5+ Stars: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Restaurant-Meal Costs: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Movie Costs: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Bowling Costs: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Average Fitness-Club Fee: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Price for Three-Star Hotel Room: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
  • Cost of Living: Double Weight (~3.33 Points)

 Videos for News Use:

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, Council for Community and Economic Research, Numbeo, Kayak, Public Courses, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Thumbtack, Eventbrite, TheHuffingtonPost.com, Wikipedia, Music Festival Wizard and WalletHub research.

Image: Gutesa / Shutterstock.com



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