Minnesota cities named among top accessible in the country: Forbes ranking
A drone view of the City of Minneapolis. (FOX 9 / FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - St. Paul and Minneapolis are among the top accessible cities in the country, according to Forbes magazine.
The most and least accessible cities in the United States, published by Forbes Health in July, names the 10 best and worst cities for those with accessibility needs.
Forbes's list is determined by using 10 metrics and analyzing factors such as the percentage of housing rentals that are wheelchair-friendly, the number of accessible restaurants and attractions, the city’s Walk Score, and the percentage of buildings that meet newer accessibility regulations.
The top 10 most accessible cities in the U.S. are:
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Irving, Texas
- St. Paul, Minnesota
- Portland, Oregon
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Orlando, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Seattle, Washington
- Arlington, Virginia
- Aurora, Colorado
Forbes describes St. Paul as "One of Minnesota’s ‘Twin Cities,’ St. Paul swipes third place with the seventh-best Walk Score of all cities analyzed. Its green spaces are nothing to scoff at, either —especially for an urban area. It ranks 18th for its number of accessible nature trails listed on AllTrails."
In addition, Forbes had this to say about Minneapolis: "It has the fourth-highest number of new buildings constructed since 2010, and it has the 16th highest number of wheelchair-accessible grocery stores per 100,000 residents."
The 10 least accessible cities in the U.S., according to Forbes, are:
- Fresno, California
- Lubbock, Texas
- Wichita, Kansas
- Jacksonville, Florida
- New York, New York
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Bakersfield, California
- El Paso, Texas
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Forbes Health compared data from the 93 largest cities in the U.S. to determine its list.