When it comes to listicles ranking cities and states on their various attributes, the internet hasn't been very nice to Tampa Bay or the state of Florida.
While a list or two has deemed us best looking, we've been called sweaty, sad, gridlocked and, simply, the worst.
But a new study suggests Tampa is tops when it comes to recreation, or at least near the top.
The website WalletHub analyzed the abundance of activities and venues typically available in American cities, from public park space to stuff like bowling alleys.
Within that 100-city list, Tampa occupies the #4 spot.
The city earned that spot by ranking ninth in entertainment and recreational facilities (music venues, coffee shops, public pools and beaches, major attractions like Busch Gardens), 28th in costs (movie theater admission, price of a beer, gym membership fees), 55th in quality of parks (number of people living within walking distance to parks, per-capita acreage) and 13th on climate (humidity, precipitation). The first two categories were given significantly more weight than the latter two.
Beating out Tampa for first place are Scottsdale, AZ (#3), Omaha NE (runner-up) and, somehow, Cincinnati, which tops the list (though if climate had weighed more heavily — and if we had made this list it would have — it probably wouldn't have placed anywhere near first).
The only other Florida city to land in the list's top ten is Orlando, which ranked #6.
St. Petersburg, despite all of the wonderful things happening in the city, ranks 33rd. We suspect that's because there's only so much one can jam into an already-crowded peninsula, and the methodology doesn't factor in things like art galleries or waterfront access.
If this had been a survey conducted at the county level, or the analysts who created this list had fudged city limits a tad, we would guess St. Pete/Pinellas County would have done pretty well, what with the miles and miles of gorgeous beaches that attract hordes of stand-up paddlers and sunbathers. (Need proof? Check out all the fun activities in our Summer Guide issue, which came out in May.)
But no.
Because apparently the 'Burg's number of entertainment venues is too low and its costs too high.
If only we had as many bowling allies as Kansas City.
Read the full report here.