The 25 Most Walkable Cities in the United States

The city that never sleeps also never stops moving its feet if its unbeatable walk score of 89.2 is any indication. Of course, walkability is no surprise in a city where a short trip on any subway puts visitors within easy walking distance of world-class restaurants, shops, and theaters. According to U.S. Census data, 77 percent of all Manhattanites go car-free, but some neighborhoods, such as Union Square, the West Village, and Nolita, are especially friendly to those on foot.

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While the iconic Golden Gate Bridge may lead you to believe that Fog City has a big car culture, ample park trails, cable cars, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit system make the city friendly to those who prefer to hoof it. If you’re looking to give your legs a workout in the most walkable city on the West Coast, with a walk score of 86.2, head to pedestrian-friendly and scenic (though at times steep) neighborhoods like Chinatown, Union Square, and Lower Nob Hill.

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Wherever the MBTA system, known locally as "the T," doesn't go, Beantown residents can reach by foot. Boston earned a walk score of 80.9, making it the fourth-most pedestrian-friendly city in the country. Whether you’re frequenting the Leather District, the North End (a.k.a Little Italy), or the Bay Village neighborhood with its stately Federal-style houses, you’ll find food and fun aplenty on foot.

Stroll Schuylkill River Trail, catch a matinee, or marvel at the architectural grandeur of City Hall—you can do it all on foot in Philadelphia, which has a high walk score of 79. Among the most walkable neighborhoods in the oldest city in Pennsylvania are Center City West, Avenue of the Arts, and Rittenhouse Square.

Chicago’s "Magnificent Mile" of shops and restaurants along North Michigan Avenue may be a focal point for those on foot, but it’s not the only district that caters to walkers. With a walk score of 77.8, the city as a whole welcomes pedestrians, who will find the Near North Side, West Loop, Wrigleyville, and Ukrainian Village among the most walkable neighborhoods.

Transit- and bike-friendly Oakland clocks in at number 11 on our list of the most walkable American cities, with a walk score of 72. For memorable meandering, hie on over to the never-dull downtown, the craft beer gardens and pubs of Koreatown Northgate, or the indie shops of Temescal.

Bike lanes and buses galore make car-free living a possibility in Long Beach, and residents are encouraged to stroll the seaside city, which has a walk score of 69.9. Young adults prefer to saunter along the sands of Alamitos Bay Beach, while families flock to Mother’s Beach. And if you’d rather not get your feet dirty, head to the walkable downtown or Saint Mary's neighborhoods.

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Famed for its Chain of Lakes, numbering five in total, Minneapolis is also touted for its walkability. The city has a walk score of 69.2 due to pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods like Lyn-Lake, Uptown, and Lowry Hill East. If you’re partial to a scenic promenade, try the 52-mile walkway alongside the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway.

Over 60 neighborhoods make up this city located across across the Potomac River from our nation’s capital. The fact that so many of those neighborhoods are densely clustered is a major contributor to the city's walk score of 68.9. Some of the most walkable of these urban villages are Clarendon-Courthouse, known for its mom-and-pop shops, Ballston-Virginia Square, home of the Taste of Arlington Food Festival, and Colonial Village, a lush landscape with appealing winding paths.

Santa Ana’s star power lies as much in its walk score of 66.1 as in its sandy beaches and close proximity to Los Angeles. The city largely has its status as the fourth-most densely populated city in the country (after New York, San Francisco, and Boston) to thank for its high rating. If you’re relying on your own two feet to get around, make a beeline for the pedestrian-friendly downtown, Willard, and Heninger Park.

The smaller-than-average blocks that compose most of Portland make traveling by foot particularly convenient by providing more opportunities to cross streets. The second-most walkable city in the Pacific Northwest boasts an overall walk score of 64.7, with Old Town Chinatown and downtown being among the best areas for pedestrians.

From the Foster Botanical Gardens to Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in the country, Honolulu’s attractions are best seen up close, and the best way to do that is on foot. A few neighborhoods worth a stroll are downtown, Ala Moana-Kakaako, and Waikiki, which is home to a series of overlapping, glistening beaches.

While you’ll encounter your fair share of motorcycles in the home of Harley-Davidson, Milwaukee’s walk score of 62.1 suggests that two feet will do almost as well as two wheels. The Juneau Town, Lower East Side, and Yankee Hill neighborhoods are particularly good for traversing by foot.