Happy feet: The District scored a 73 this time around, a three-point jump from its 2008 result.
With the economy sinking and gas prices rising, you might be angling for ways to avoid getting pinched at the pump.
Sure, there’s public transportation, and you may even be considering an electric car, but simply moving to a more walkable neighborhood might make the most financial sense.
That’s where Walk Score comes in.
The service, which “uses a patent-pending system to measure the walkability of an address” on a scale of 1 to 100, recently released its list of the most walkable neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., part of a larger survey of America’s 50 most walkable cities.
Northwest Rules
Not surprisingly, the capital’s largest quadrant dominated the list with Dupont Circle (98) edging West End (97) for the title of D.C.’s most walkable ‘hood. Penn Quarter and Logan Circle were next, each scoring 96, while Chinatown managed an impressive 95.
In fact, the top 14 foot-friendly areas are located squarely in Northwest.
The highest-ranked non-N.W. neighborhood? That would be Northeast’s NoMa (90), the recently christened community north of Union Station.
Poor Kenilworth wound up last with a score of just 31.
Big Apple Envy
Overall, D.C. scored a 73 to rank seventh among the nation’s cities — the same spot it held in 2008, when the rankings were last compiled.
Naturally, New York — you know, the city that D.C. wishes it could be — took the top spot. Again. This time with a score of 85.
But it was no thanks to Rikers Island, which tallied a dismal Walk Score of just 5. But really, aside from pacing back and forth in your cell, where is there to walk on Rikers Island?
Check out Walk Score’s full list of the nation’s most walkable cities, and read the press release here.
