Chula Vista Park System Among 100 Best in U.S., Per Land Trust

SAN DIEGO COUNTY -- Chula Vista and San Diego have two of the top 100 best park systems in the country, according to rankings released today by the Trust for Public Land.

San Diego's park system ranked 16th, unchanged from last year's rankings, while Chula Vista's park system rose two spots to 76th. San Diego's ranking was based on above-average park acreage, access and investment, according to the Trust for Public Land.

The nonprofit organization's eighth annual ParkScore index ranks the country's 100 most populous cities on the percentage of residents who are within a 10-minute walk of a park, a city's median park size, park spending per resident and the availability of amenities such as basketball hoops, dog parks, playgrounds and restrooms.

``Mayors and city park directors across the United States recognize that quality, close-to-home parks are essential to communities,'' said Trust for Public Land President and CEO Diane Regas. ``Parks are proven to improve physical and mental health and get children and adults to put down their phones and enjoy the outdoors.''

San Diego was the second-highest-ranked city in California, trailing seventh-place San Francisco, one of only two cities with every resident living within 10 minutes of a park. The Trust for Public Land ranked Washington, D.C., at the top this year, unseating Minneapolis, Minnesota, the top-ranked city for the previous three years.

Oklahoma City ranked last among the most populous cities, due in part to only 38 percent of residents living within 10 minutes of a park. The national average of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park is 54 percent, according to the Trust for Public Land.

City News Service contributed to this report.