Forbes magazine recently released their list of the most pet friendly cities in the United States. I’m proud to see my area made the top five!
Here’s how they determined the best in show:
- Public park acreage, including dog-friendly park spaces.
- Number of pet supply and pet service businesses.
- Number of veterinarians and other care facilities.
- Cost for veterinary care.
The Forbes folks also looked at air quality, but didn’t end up using it in determining their rankings — pets are pretty adaptable. With such short life spans, air quality generally doesn’t have as big an impact on a pet’s life as it does on a human’s life.
These numbers were measured in two ways: against the city’s human population numbers and against the city’s (estimated) pet population numbers. Cities with the most parks, vets, and pet-related businesses per person and per pet rose to the top of the list.
And the winner is? Colorado Springs, Colorado. The city has just under four hundred thousand human residents, approximately sixty-one thousand canine residents, and around fifty-four thousand feline residents. Colorado Springs landed in the top 20 in all categories with:
- More than ten thousand acres of public park space, which works out to about a tenth of an acre per pet.
- Seven dedicated dog parks.
- One hundred and thirteen veterinarians.
Most of the top ten cities were small or medium sized — the average population was just over five hundred thousand people. Larger cities scored well in total park space, but not as well when it came to things like pet care expenses. Number two on the list was my own Portland, Oregon, followed by Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina. The highest-ranking big city (over a million people) was San Diego, California, which came in thirteenth overall.
What do you think about your own city’s pet friendliness? In lots of ways, I see Portland as a very dog-friendly town. However, I’ve also seen people struggling to find housing with “large” dogs — over fifty pounds — or certain breeds. I know I had trouble finding an apartment that would take my Moose and Lally.