When Evan lived in Charlotte, NC, perhaps my greatest pet peeve was that, when I went running, I had to search for a sidewalk, or else risk being hit by cars driving too erratically to notice me running on the poor-excuse-for-a-shoulder-part-of-the road. Riding a bicycle was even worse. Perhaps if I had been downtown rather than in the suburbs, it would have been a different story, and I recognize that, but I always thought Charlotte was lacking for bike lanes, public parks, walking trails, and other amenities that welcomed pedestrians, runners, and cyclists to abandon their motorized vehicles.
When I moved to Seattle, I was so grateful for the many sidewalks, parks, and pedestrian paths the city offered me. In my mind, there was no comparison between the two cities.
Imagine my surprise when I saw the Prevention Magazine 2007 ranking for the most walkable cities in the United States:
MOST WALKABLE CITIES
1. Madison, Wisconsin
2. Austin, Texas
3. San Francisco, California
4. Charlotte, North Carolina
5. Seattle, Washington
6. Henderson, Nevada
7. San Diego, California
8. San Jose, California
9. Chandler, Arizona
10. Virginia Beach, Virginia
While I was proud to see Seattle ranked fifth, I was unsure how much stock to put in this ranking after seeing who they chose as #4.
But did you notice where is the #1 most walkable city of all in the U S of A ?
Right here in lovely and walker-friendly Wisconsin — our beautiful capitol (or is it capital?) city of Madison, to which Cheryl & I are headed later today for the weekend.
A justifiably proud Wisconsonian (or is it Wisconsinite?)