Scottsdale rated among best US cities for recreation, recent study shows

PHOENIX — Scottsdale was rated the sixth-best in WalletHub’s “Best & Worst Cities for Recreation (2024)” study released Monday.

WalletHub compared the top-100 largest cities in the United States based on 47 measurements.

Phoenix (19th), Tucson (22nd), Glendale (28th) and Mesa (43rd) rounded out Arizona-based cities that made the top-50 cutoff.

Cities were awarded up to 100 points based on the criteria of entertainment and recreational facilities (40 possible points), costs (30 possible points), quality of parks (20 possible points) and weather (10 possible points).

Notable subcategories were number of attractions, sports venues per capita, restaurant meal costs and share of designed parkland areas.

Las Vegas (67.08 points) was deemed the best city for recreation, with Orlando (61.68) and Tampa, Florida (60.20) coming in second and third, respectively.

How Scottsdale compared to the competition

Scottsdale earned 56.93 points after all four categories were tallied, excelling most in weather at third overall.

It made top-50 showings in the remaining three areas of judgment, being pinned 30th in both entertainment and recreational facilities and quality of parks and was ranked 46th in costs.

Scottsdale finished fourth in total percentage of parkland, while Phoenix and Mesa shared fourth in lowest movie ticket price.

Chula Vista, California came in last place with 35.48 points, taking the biggest hit at 99th in entertainment and recreational facilities.

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