Which Arizona cities are ranked as the best for Thanksgiving?
Nov 28, 2024, 5:00 AM | Updated: 11:51 am
(Pexels photo)
PHOENIX — Six Valley cities ranked in the top 100 of WalletHub’s best places to go for Thanksgiving 2024.
Scottsdale ranked No. 11, Phoenix was slotted at No. 21, Gilbert was placed at No. 36 and Chandler (No. 53), Mesa (No. 60) and Glendale (No. 69) all followed behind.
Tucson came in at No. 35.
What criteria was used to rank the best cities to go to for Thanksgiving 2024?
WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. cities across five different dimensions:
- Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions
- affordability
- safety and accessibility
- giving thanks
- Thanksgiving weather forecast
The personal finance company then evaluated those variables by using weighted averages for 18 additional related metrics, such as pumpkin patches per capita and Thanksgiving temperature vs. average temperature.
How did Phoenix make it onto the list?
On a scale of one to 100, with one being the best and 100 being the worst, Phoenix ranked No. 6 in celebrations and holiday traditions. Phoenix’s rankings for some of the other key categories are listed below:
- No. 49 – affordability
- No. 87 – safety and accessibility
- No. 29 – giving thanks
- No. 99 – weather forecast
The best city in the nation to visit for Thanksgiving this year is San Diego, California, according to WalletHub, while the worst is Stockton, California.
“The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said in a press release.
“Other features make individual cities stand out; for example, San Diego has great weather, Atlanta has a fantastic track record for on-time flights and San Francisco has surprisingly affordable accommodations.”
The average person spent $321 over the five-day Thanksgiving period last year, according to WalletHub. In total, Americans spend $1.2 billion on turkeys with 46 million turkeys killed.