​For 3 consecutive years, Arlington has been recognized as having the 4th “best park system in the country” according to The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit group whose website states their mission is “to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.” Washington, D.C. is also in the top five.

The nonprofit’s methodology for ranking parks consists of 4 factors according to their website:

• Acreage:
  • Median park size and park acres as percentage of city area
  • Arlington ranked 38 out of 100
•  Investment
  • Spending per resident includes public, private, and monetized volunteer hours
  • Arlington ranked 100 out of 100
•  Amenities
  • An average of six key park facilities on a per capita basis
  • Arlington ranked 89 out of 100
•  Access
  • Percentage of the population living within a ten-minute walk of a public park
  • Arlington ranked 99 out of 100

The top 12 parks listed for 2020 are:

1. Minneapolis, MN
2. Washington, D.C.
3. St. Paul, MN
4. Arlington, VA
5. Cincinnati, OH
6. Portland, OR
7. Irvine, CA
8. San Francisco, CA
9. Boston, MA
10. Chicago, IL
11. New York, NY
12. Madison, WI

You can view more stats on the website here or download the PDF Park Summary for Arlington here: TPL Arlington, VA Information.

References:

Arlington, VA. (2020). The Trust for Public Land. Source: https://www.tpl.org/city/arlington-virginia