Studies & Insights

The Best Cities in the U.S. to Visit with Your Dog

by Bryn Culbert
April 4, 2022

Tell Noodle to make it a bones day, because you and your dog are going on vacay!

Real pupper parents know that the best vacations are the ones where you can bring your dog along. And outdoorsy destinations like national parks or camping trips are obvious options for your little hound to embrace their wild side.

But what about more urban destinations? Maybe you want to explore a new city along with your good boy or good girl, while also avoiding any of those party pooper no-dogs-allowed establishments.

We at Wanderu love our furry family members (shout-out to Wanderu pups Denali, Ellie, Helen, Ruby, and more!), so we set out to find which U.S. cities are the best destinations for traveling with pets.

Wanderu is your source for cheap bus and train travel across the U.S. (and Europe!), where you can compare and book cheap tickets for your next getaway. The good news? You don’t need your own car to set out on an urban adventure with your dog.

Using a specific methodology, we ranked each of the 45 most populous cities in the U.S. in an assortment of categories and averaged all the data to come up with the winners. The cumulative data we fetched for the cities includes:

the city’s walkability score
the percentage of hotels that are dog-friendly
the number of dog-friendly restaurants per capita
the number of pet stores per capita
the number of pet hospitals per capita
the number of dog trails per capita
the number of dog parks per capita
the popularity of a dog-related hashtag for that city
and the availability of pet-friendly travel options to the city.

Cuddle up with your pup and prepare for some dog-friendly destination inspo. Here are the best cities to visit with your dog in the U.S.:

Ranking the Most Dog-Friendly Cities to Visit in the U.S.


1. Oakland, CA	75.3	13.6%	923	364	367	322	128	34,600	Yes
2. Sacramento, CA	49.0	22.0%	413	284	279	163	108	84,200	Yes
3. Seattle, WA	74.4	20.5%	553	384	370	320	123	44,200	Yes
4. Portland, OR	67.3	20.7%	643	311	293	215	91	149,000	Yes
5. Washington, DC	76.7	22.4%	421	190	241	134	85	340,400	Yes
6. Denver, CO	61.2	19.3%	443	329	436	188	79	232,000	Yes
7. Atlanta, GA	47.7	10.3%	436	327	400	208	81	173,000	Yes
8. Miami, FL	76.6	10.8%	972	298	364	123	74	12,700	Yes
9. San Francisco, CA	88.7	15.0%	933	343	348	370	153	246,600	No
10. New York, NY	88.0	14.8%	4,415	3,308	3,545	913	943	1,745,700	Yes

Walkability score, out of 100

Percentage of hotels that allow dogs

Total number of restaurants that allow dogs

Total number of pet stores

Total number of pet hospitals

Total number of dog trails

Total number of dog parks

Total number of local dog hashtag uses on Instagram

If at least 1 Amtrak train route serves the city

See Rankings #11-45


11. San Jose, CA	50.5	20.0%	753	392	394	352	153	18,945	Yes
12. Austin, TX	41.7	19.2%	773	253	279	198	69	328,000	Yes
13. Long Beach, CA	73.3	8.2%	135	169	193	99	55	364,000	No
14. Boston, MA	82.8	18.7%	637	620	529	164	102	24,258	Yes
15. San Diego, CA	53.3	20.0%	998	510	513	310	153	244,037	No
16. Las Vegas, NV	42.0	18.8%	310	276	256	237	84	135,251	No
17. Raleigh, NC	31.3	14.2%	221	146	243	100	37	59,800	Yes
18. Mesa, AZ	37.9	20.4	688	354	395	123	60	697	No
19. Los Angeles, CA	68.6	19.8%	1,000	934	1,000	636	308	331,400	Yes
20. Dallas, TX	46.0	12.5%	577	363	458	177	71	180,000	Yes
21. Philadelphia, PA	74.8	13.2%	300	254	410	147	82	209,600	Yes
22. Kansas City, MO	35.3	9.7%	122	113	175	85	28	44,209	Yes
23. Phoenix, AZ	41.4	19.0%	828	441	512	166	86	34,600	No
24. Chicago, IL	77.2	13.7%	235	140	201	92	41	233,000	Yes
25. Charlotte, NC	26.4	10.8%	469	498	541	158	83	519,000	Yes
26. Detroit, MI	51.1	7.0%	124	199	247	58	42	35,200	Yes
27. Fort Worth, TX	34.9	9.8%	240	197	223	81	44	21,667	Yes
28. Tucson, AZ	43.2	16.7%	126	87	93	52	29	13,700	Yes
29. Baltimore, MD	64.3	12.3%	109	87	123	32	17	65,200	Yes
30. Houston, TX	47.5	7.5%	114	54	64	41	31	6,327	Yes
31. Albuquerque, NM	42.6	21.0%	612	366	406	154	85	190,000	Yes
32. Nashville, TN	28.8	14.5%	218	86	136	65	29	175,000	No
33. Milwaukee, WI	61.5	11.4%	89	94	90	74	30	39,300	Yes
34. Virginia Beach, VA	33.1	10.6%	121	89	136	53	26	13,346	No
35. Columbus, OH	41.2	12.3%	123	126	163	91	41	202,000	No
36. Omaha, NE	48.2	14.2%	28	43	63	18	11	25,500	Yes
37. San Antonio, TX	36.9	12.0%	321	161	213	91	45	54,200	Yes
38. Jacksonville, FL	25.6	13.9%	165	95	156	54	33	10,512	Yes
39. Indianapolis, IN	31.0	9.7%	157	112	148	97	34	20,400	Yes
40. Oklahoma City, OK	34.1	12.0%	89	73	114	29	15	26,485	Yes
41. Colorado Springs, CO	36.1	13.9%	71	69	84	52	15	6,813	No
42. El Paso, TX	40.4	14.8%	47	36	28	19	9	12,458	Yes
43. Memphis, TN	35.0	10.5%	71	36	89	16	14	17,200	Yes
44. Fresno, CA	46.6	8.1%	81	68	77	18	13	1,829	No
45. Tulsa, OK	39	9.1%	42	40	78	21	6	12,400	No

It’s very possible that the West Coast is the Best Coast, at least if you’re a dog parent. The top four dog-friendly cities to visit are all West Coast hot spots: Oakland, Sacramento, Seattle, and Portland.

It’s no wonder Oakland nabbed the top spot; we’ve already established that Oakland ranks as the best city for outdoor activities, too. It’s the city’s high walkability score and wide availability of pet services per capita that makes Oakland stand out. For a city of under 400,000 people, Oakland boasts nearly 1,000 restaurants that welcome dogs, including top-rated picks Kitchen Story and The Wolf. 🐺

California’s capital takes runner-up, thanks to trails and parks like the American River Parkway, running from Old Sacramento to the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. Plus, with a relatively mild climate most of the year, paved trails won’t get so hot to burn your pet’s sensitive paws. Mild weather also means plenty of outdoor dining opportunities!

San Francisco and NYC barely slide into the top 10, but are outranked by Southern underdogs Miami and Atlanta. Don’t believe it? Just check out #DogsofAtlanta on Instagram to see how much the City in a Forest loves its four-legged friends.

Ranking the Most Dog-Friendly Cities to Visit by Category

The rankings to find the best in show are based on several factors that make a city ideal for dog-friendly travel. These factors include things like access to outdoor activities, pet services, pet-friendly transportation into the city, and how much locals love dogs.

Check out each of the categories below to learn how we calculated rankings for each of these factors, and see which city is the pick of the litter in each category.

Cities with the Highest Walkability Score


1. San Francisco, CA	88.7
2. New York, NY	88.0
3. Boston, MA	82.8
4. Chicago, IL	77.2
5. Washington, DC	76.7
6. Miami, FL	76.6
7. Oakland, CA	75.3
8. Philadelphia, PA	74.8
9. Seattle, WA	74.4
10. Long Beach, CA	73.3

Sure, you and your dog have your at-home walking routes perfected from their favorite fire hydrant to your favorite coffee shop. While you’re on vacation, you want your walks to be just as pleasant. And unless you’re planning to travel with your own car or rent a car, walking might be your primary mode of transportation within a city (most public transit systems only allow service animals) so exploring on foot and paw is key. 🐾

Walk Score developed and published a walkability metric that denotes how walkable a city is. This is a number from 0 to 100, calculated by the distance to walk to nearby amenities, intersection density, population density, and more. A higher walkability score indicates that a city is easy to get around on foot, while a lower score indicates a car-dependent city.

Unsurprisingly, the geographically-small San Francisco tops the list as the most walkable of the 45 cities we researched. Only 7 miles by 7 miles, intrepid explorers can circle the whole city in a day! Besides its accessible size, San Francisco offers well-maintained sidewalks and crosswalks for the safest journey to Golden Gate Park or the Painted Ladies.

Other major cities round out the top 5, but check out Oakland and Long Beach’s walkability scores running with the big dogs. Who says California is all about car culture?

Cities with the Highest Percentage of Dog-Friendly Hotels


1. Washington, DC	22.44%
2. Sacramento, CA	21.98%
3. Albuquerque, NM	20.98%
4. Portland, OR	20.73%
5. Seattle, WA	20.48%
6. Mesa, AZ	20.43%
7. San Diego, CA	20.00%
8. San Jose, CA	20.00%
9. Los Angeles, CA	19.80%
10. Denver, CO	19.32%

We get it: you don’t want to leave your dog in a boarding facility, and a bed is just not comfortable unless there’s a cuddly pup to share it with. Unfortunately, most hotels are not on board. Finding a hotel that treats your dog as the VIP they are can be tricky, but these cities understand your priorities. 🐩

Washington, D.C. offers the highest percentage of dog-friendly hotels, so you and your pooch can sniff out the best sights together. Some of these hotels give the ultimate paw-sh experience; the Capitol Hill Hotel has an on-staff personal canine concierge and offers a Pawlitical Landscape Package, complete with personalized bowls and beds.

NorCal and SoCal represent with high percentages of dog-friendly hotels in Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, and Los Angeles all in the top 10.

The dark ~~dog~~ horse is Albuquerque, with nearly 21% of its hotels welcoming pups landing it in the #3 spot. With so many lodging options, you can choose to stay closer to outdoor explorations like hiking at the Petroglyph National Monument, or near Old Town where many stores welcome dogs to shop, too.

Cities with the Most Dog-Friendly Restaurants Per Capita

			Per Capita
1. Miami, FL	399,457	972	1 for every 411 people
2. Oakland, CA	390,724	923	1 for every 423 people
3. Mesa, AZ	439,041	688	1 for every 638 people
4. Long Beach, CA	462,257	637	1 for every 726 people
5. San Francisco, CA	803,235	933	1 for every 863 people
6. Portland, OR	583,776	643	1 for every 908 people
7. Atlanta, GA	420,003	443	1 for every 948 people
8. Austin, TX	790,390	773	1 for every 1,022 people
9. Seattle, WA	608,660	553	1 for every 1,101 people
10. Sacramento, CA	466,488	413	1 for every 1,130 people

Dying to recreate that iconic Lady and the Tramp dinner?🍝 Well, most restaurants won’t serve your dog spaghetti, but these cities have the next best thing: plenty of dog-friendly dining.

Smaller cities win big — 7 of the top 10 have fewer than 500,000 residents — when it comes to dog-friendly restaurants per capita.

Miami brings the heat, and several of its dog-friendly restaurants even offer doggy menus! Fluffy can enjoy chicken and rice at KUSH, sweet potato hash at Cracked, or homemade dog treats at ALL DAY.

While we’re seeing a trend with generous California representation, Arizona and Texas also bow-wow diners with their restaurant options in Mesa and Austin.

Cities with the Most Pet Stores Per Capita

			Per Capita
1. Long Beach, CA	462,257	620	1 for every 746 people
2. Oakland, CA	390,724	364	1 for every 1,073 people
3. Mesa, AZ	439,041	354	1 for every 1,240 people
4. Atlanta, GA	420,003	329	1 for every 1,277 people
5. Miami, FL	399,457	298	1 for every 1,340 people
6. Seattle, WA	608,660	384	1 for every 1,585 people
7. Sacramento, CA	466,488	284	1 for every 1,643 people
8. Denver, CO	600,158	327	1 for every 1,835 people
9. Portland, OR	583,776	311	1 for every 1,877 people
10. Las Vegas, NV	583,756	276	1 for every 2,115 people

Sure, you could bring several days’ worth of pet food on the train with you, but that kibble might push your bag over the luggage weight restrictions. It’d be much more convenient to swing by a local pet store in your destination to pick up a bag of dog food — and a commemorative dog bowl, and a souvenir dog toy, and a trendy new collar… 🛍️

Whether your shopping intentions are practical or extravagant, the availability of pet stores ensures you can spoil your doggo with only the best. Long Beach is the clear top dog, with the most pet stores per capita. These range from nationwide pet supply chains to local, boutique shops with precious pet accessories.

Though some of the other cities in the top 10 aren’t necessarily known for their fashion culture (sorry, Mesa), don’t bite the hand that feeds your dog!

Cities with the Most Pet Hospitals Per Capita

			Per Capita
1. Long Beach, CA	462,257	529	1 for every 874 people
2. Atlanta, GA	420,003	436	1 for every 963 people
3. Oakland, CA	390,724	367	1 for every 1,065 people
4. Miami, FL	399,457	364	1 for every 1,097 people
5. Mesa, AZ	439,041	395	1 for every 1,111 people
6. Denver, CO	600,158	400	1 for every 1,500 people
7. Seattle, WA	608,660	370	1 for every 1,645 people
8. Raleigh, NC	403,892	243	1 for every 1,662 people
9. Sacramento, CA	466,488	279	1 for every 1,672 people
10. Portland, OR	583,776	293	1 for every 1,992 people

In this category, we’re preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. We really hope you don’t need a pet hospital during your vacation, but just in case your poor pup gets sick, don’t rely on the Paw Patrol for emergency services. You’ll feel much more relaxed visiting a city where you’re never far from emergency care for the most important member of your family.

Long Beach again noses out a win, with the most pet hospitals (529) of any city in the top 10. Most of the other cities rank well in other categories, too, with the exception of Raleigh. Though this North Carolina destination only places in the top 10 for most pet hospitals per capita, it’s overall ranking at #17 is nothing to sniff at.

Cities with the Most Dog Trails Per Capita

			Per Capita
1. Oakland, CA	390,724	322	1 for every 1,213 people
2. Seattle, WA	608,660	320	1 for every 1,902 people
3. San Francisco, CA	805,235	370	1 for every 2,176 people
4. Atlanta, GA	420,003	188	1 for every 2,234 people
5. Las Vegas, NV	583,756	237	1 for every 2,463 people
6. San Jose, CA	945,942	352	1 for every 2,687 people
7. Portland, OR	583,776	215	1 for every 2,715 people
8. Long Beach, CA	462,257	164	1 for every 2,819 people
9. Sacramento, CA	466,488	163	1 for every 2,862 people
10. Denver, CO	600,158	208	1 for every 2,885 people

Just because you’re in a big city doesn’t mean you can’t escape the urban sprawl a bit! Along with the walkability score, the number of dog trails per capita shows what you can expect on your vacay walks. Think about it: fewer dog trails means crowded dog trails, and then you’re stopping every 30 seconds for Boba Fetch to smell another dog’s butt.

Minimize the butt-sniffing in the cities that offer a wealth of scenic dog trails. And these aren’t just any dog trails. Oakland boasts Redwood Regional Park, more convenient to reach than Redwood National Park but with the same soaring trees. In Seattle, explore Discovery Park along the Puget Sound, nestled between a lighthouse and Mount Rainier. Or high-tail it to San Francisco to walk the Lands End trail with views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

And let’s throw a 🦴 to Atlanta, the only eastern city to place in the top 10. Though outdoor trails might not be top-of-mind when you think of the Peach State, chew on this: Panola Mountain Spur Path Trail, Morningside Nature Trail, and the East Palisades Trail each score over 4 stars according to AllTrails.com.

Cities with the Most Dog Parks Per Capita

			Per Capita
1. Oakland, CA	390,724	128	1 for every 3,053 people
2. Sacramento, CA	466,488	108	1 for every 4,319 people
3. Long Beach, CA	462,257	102	1 for every 4,532 people
4. Seattle, WA	608,660	123	1 for every 4,948 people
5. San Francisco, CA	805,235	153	1 for every 5,263 people
6. Atlanta, GA	420,003	79	1 for every 5,316 people
7. Miami, FL	399,457	74	1 for every 5,398 people
8. San Jose, CA	945,942	153	1 for every 6,183 people
9. Portland, OR	583,776	91	1 for every 6,415 people
10. Las Vegas, NV	583,756	84	1 for every 6,949 people

A vacation for your dog should focus on the most fascinating sights (and smells) in a new city. And what is a better attraction for your dog than a new dog park? They will love meeting new pups in a new environment, and you will enjoy meeting locals who will definitely compliment how cute your dog is. 🐶💕

And apparently, you’ll be doing that in a sunny locale, since California is all about dog parks. Oakland, Sacramento, and Long Beach nab the top 3 spots for most dog parks per capita. With San Francisco and San Jose also in the top 10, the Bay Area is a no-brainer for a social, playful vacation for your furry adventure buddy.

These cities, each with over 100 dog parks, spoil you with options, so you could head to a different park every day of your trip — and maybe fall into a tangled-leash meet-cute with the hottest dog parent you see.

Most Dog-Loving Cities (by Instagram Hashtag Uses Per Capita)

			Per Capita
1. Boston, MA	617,594	364,000	0.589 hashtags per person
2. Washington, DC	601,723	340,300	0.566 hashtags per person
3.Atlanta, GA	420,003	232,000	0.552 hashtags per person
4. Austin, TX	790,390	328,000	0.415 hashtags per person
5. Charlotte, NC	731,424	233,000	0.319 hashtags per person
6. San Francisco, CA	805,235	246,600	0.306 hashtags per person
7. Nashville, TN	601,222	175,000	0.291 hashtags per person
8. Denver, CO	600,158	173,000	0.288 hashtags per person
9. Columbus, OH	787,033	202,000	0.257 hashtags per person
10. Portland, OR	583,776	149,000	0.255 hashtags per person

Rankings are based on the cumulative number of local dog hashtag uses for each city, with format #DogsofBoston, relative to their population.
Hashtag searches for Washington, DC and San Francisco (among others) adjusted to abbreviations. E.g. #DogsofDC and #DogsofSF

Amenities catering to canine travelers are definitely important, but we also wanted to factor in whether each destination is actually a welcoming place for dogs. To discover which cities have the highest general appreciation for puppers, we turned to Instagram.

We counted the number of posts on Instagram tagged with “#Dogsof” in front of the city name (as in, #DogsofAustin, #DogsofDenver, etc.). These posts express adoration for the city’s four-legged residents, and give us a nice vibe check of each city’s dog culture. And, to make sure that cities with enormous populations did not drown out other contenders, we ranked the cities by their hashtag uses per capita.

Boston terriers and dogs of all kinds feel the love in Boston, where the number of posts tagged #DogsofBoston is more than half the number of Boston residents. Washington, D.C. and Atlanta’s local dogs are the #2 and #3 most-instagrammed.

Charlotte, Nashville, and Columbus also unleash the puppy love, and make their first appearances in the top 10 of any category. Who needs pet stores or dog parks when the good people of Columbus, Ohio will shower your dog with praise?

Cities Accessible via Pet-Friendly Amtrak Routes

Our final category takes into account the transportation options available when traveling with your dog. Wanderu is, after all, a travel booking site for buses and trains!

Sadly, bus carriers do not allow pets to travel on their buses — not even Greyhound. Bus carriers only allow service animals, so the majority of dogs will have to travel another way.

There are pros and cons to driving yourself, or renting a car if you don’t have your own. But for those without access to vehicles, a doggie getaway is still accessible by train.

Amtrak allows dogs to travel on most trains, with some restrictions on the weight and size of your pet carrier and the length of the route. Be sure to read up on the complete Amtrak pet policy before booking your ticket.

There is one other restriction, though: Amtrak only allows dogs to travel on some of their train routes. This makes it much harder to travel to some of the cities we’ve looked at. For example, the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner is the only train that goes to San Diego. And while we love how scenic the route is, this train doesn’t allow dogs. 😢 So San Diego is docked points for being inaccessible by any pet-friendly trains.

Pet-Friendly Route(s)	No Pet-Friendly Routes
Albuquerque, NM	Colorado Springs, CO
Atlanta, GA	Columbus, OH
Austin, TX	Fresno, CA
Baltimore, MD	Las Vegas, NV
Boston, MA	Long Beach, CA
Charlotte, NC	Mesa, AZ
Chicago, IL	Nashville, TN
Dallas, TX	Phoenix, AZ
Denver, CO	San Diego, CA
Detroit, MI	San Francisco, CA
El Paso, TX	Tulsa, OK
Fort Worth, TX	Virginia Beach, VA
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Jacksonville, FL
Kansas City, MO
Los Angeles, CA
Memphis, TN
Miami, FL
Milwaukee, WI
New York, NY
Oakland, CA
Oklahoma City, OK
Omaha, NE
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
Raleigh, NC
Sacramento, CA
San Antonio, TX
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
Tucson, AZ
Washington, DC

All Amtrak trains allow pets except: Amtrak Auto Train, Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian, San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner, Thruway Connecting Services, and Canadian portions of Adirondack, Maple Leaf, and Cascades lines.

You can see above which cities are accessible by at least one Amtrak train route that allows pets, and which are not. We at Wanderu believe that having multiple travel options is crucial, which is why the availability of ground travel contributed to each city’s ranking.

The cities that don’t have any pet-friendly train service each lost an equal number of points in the overall score used to determine the final rankings. This affected only 12 of the 45 cities we considered, so fear not: there are still plenty of incredible destinations just waiting for you and your pup to explore.

City-to-City with Wanderu

Toto is ready to get out of Kansas. So pack up his finest leash and collar, and consult our comprehensive ranking to pick out your dog’s dream destination.

In fact, why limit yourself? Travel to two (or several) of these top cities and let us know how they measure up: with cheap trains from Oakland to Sacramento, Portland to Seattle, or even DC to Atlanta, it’s easy to double up on the dog-friendly travels.

Whether you choose to give dog training a whole new meaning 🚂 , or prefer to drive yourself in a rental car, you can compare prices and schedules on Wanderu.com and the Wanderu app to find the best possible deals. And that means more money to spend on a puppy pedicure, right?

Methodology

We analyzed the following categories to determine the Most Dog-Friendly Cities to Visit in the U.S.:

Population
Walkability score
Percentage of hotels that are dog-friendly
Number of dog-friendly restaurants per capita
Number of pet stores per capita
Number of pet hospitals per capita
Number of dog trails per capita
Number of dog parks per capita
Number of #Dogsof hashtag uses per capita
Whether pet-friendly train travel is available

Data Sourcing:

For population, we pulled the 45 most populous cities in the U.S. from GeoNames
For the Walkability score, we used the metric calculated by Walk Score
For the percentage of dog-friendly hotels, we pulled the total number of “Hotels” on Yelp and compared it with the total number of “Hotels” on Yelp with the filter “dog-friendly” to calculate the percentage.
For the number of pet stores, we pulled the total number of “Pet Store” locations on Yelp within each city. With that number, we calculated the total per capita to determine which cities had the most pet stores in relation to their total population.
For the number of pet hospitals, we pulled the total number of “Pet Hospital” locations on Yelp within each city. With that number, we calculated the total per capita to determine which cities had the most pet hospitals in relation to their total population.
For the number of dog trails, we pulled the total number of “Dog Trail” locations on Yelp within each city. With that number, we calculated the total per capita to determine which cities had the most dog trails in relation to their total population.
For the number of dog parks, we pulled the total number of “Pet Hospital” locations on Yelp within each city. With that number, we calculated the total per capita to determine which cities had the most dog parks in relation to their total population.
For the most dog-loving cities, we calculated the total number of photos and videos posted to Instagram with the “#Dogsof” tag for each city (e.g. #DogsofBoston, #DogsofMiami). With that number, we calculated the total per capita to determine which cities used the hashtag the most in relation to their total population.
- - Note that for cities with popular abbreviations, we used the hashtag with the city abbreviation (this includes #DogsofSF, #DogsofLA, #DogsofNYC, #DogsofOKC, #DogsofPhilly, and #DogsofDC)
For the availability of pet-friendly Amtrak service, we referenced Amtrak’s pet policy to see which trains do not allow pets. We then searched our own Wanderu data for available train trips to each city to confirm which cities do have at least 1 Amtrak route serviced by a pet-friendly line.
- - Each of the 33 cities with pet-friendly Amtrak service received the number of points as if they tied for #1 in that category, and each city without pet-friendly Amtrak service received the number of points as if they tied for #34 in that category.
Finally, we normalized each category, combining the numbers into an overall score for each of the 45 cities, and ranked them by their scores.

You are welcome to use the information on this page, crediting Wanderu. If you do so, please link back to this page, so that wanderers around the world can see all the data and find out how we came up with the rankings.

Like what you read?
Spread the word:

About the author

Bryn Culbert

A planner at heart, Bryn loves nothing more than researching and creating a detailed travel itinerary. She is partial to quirky museums, hole-in-the-wall coffeeshops, and overstuffed bookstores in the cities she visits.

keep wanderin'

Can’t get enough Wanderu? Then you might enjoy these stories too:

Photo of New York's Central Park in fall, with bright autumn colors.

Studies & Insights