Some things about caring for children never change. People with their children in strollers have been a part of urban life for years. In suburbs and rural areas, they are less popular because parents have to walk longer distances with their children sitting in these chairs on wheels. Presumably, most children who ride in strollers cannot walk long distances themselves. Or, they may have simply told their parents they don’t want to.
The stroller has gone through an evolution. They now can be folded down to the equivalent of small suitcases. Strollers for joggers are for the parent who wants to get real exercise while they walk their children. Some have shock absorbers for a more comfortable ride.
The recently released The 20 Most Stroller-Friendly Cities in the United States report from pregnancy resource website Pregnancy Etc includes scores for 99 U.S. metropolitan cities. The maximum possible score was 100, and ratings were based on three main factors: access to open areas (parks), walkability and pedestrian safety. The data came from the Trust for Public Land Park Scores, Walk Score and The Smart Growth America “Dangerous by Design” report.
Three large east coast cities dominated the top of list. Washington came in first with a high walk score and low score for pedestrian danger. New York finished second with a low score for pedestrian danger. Boston finished in third place, and the next three cities were in the Midwest.
These are the top 20 stroller-friendly cities:
| City | ParkScore | WalkScore |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 84.4 | 77 |
| New York | 74.8 | 88 |
| Boston | 73.5 | 83 |
| Minneapolis | 79.7 | 71 |
| Chicago | 77.2 | 77 |
| St. Paul | 80.0 | 60 |
| Seattle | 75.4 | 74 |
| San Francisco | 76.3 | 89 |
| Arlington | 79.6 | 71 |
| Philadelphia | 64.9 | 75 |
| Portland | 75.0 | 67 |
| Madison | 73.4 | 50 |
| Pittsburgh | 63.3 | 62 |
| Denver | 65.7 | 61 |
| Cincinnati | 75.9 | 49 |
| Spokane | 66.9 | 49 |
| St. Louis | 68.4 | 66 |
| Buffalo | 56.3 | 67 |
| Milwaukee | 58.5 | 62 |
| Cleveland | 62.3 | 57 |
Click here to see America’s most popular baby girl names.
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