Tampa Drops In St. Patrick’s Day Rankings

TAMPA, FL — Folks who are ready to get their Irish on in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day’s impending arrival may take comfort in knowing Tampa is one of the best places in the country to do so. That’s according to WalletHub whose number crunchers recently conducted a study of 200 of the country’s biggest cities to find the best places to go green on March 17.

Tampa earned eighth-place honors this year. WalletHub named it the sixth-best place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day back in 2016.

This year’s survey involved a review of 16 different metrics, including the number of Irish pubs and restaurants per capita and the lowest prices for three-star hotels on the March holiday.

While Tampa dropped into eighth place, it did come in first for the number of Irish pubs and restaurants per capita. It also scored 25th for access to bars. The Cigar City, however, lost points by coming in 93rd in the percentage of Irish population and 65th in walkability.

Not surprisingly, Boston, Massachusetts, made the Top 10, as well. The city that’s practically synonymous with its Irish population, however, was edged into third place by Buffalo, New York’s first and Madison, Wisconsin’s second.

While last year’s ranking had Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn aiming to do better, the St. Patrick’s Day-loving city leader might take comfort in knowing no other Florida cities made it in the Top 10.

“It’s no secret that St. Patrick’s Day is my favorite of the year and Tampa knows how to do it right,” Buckhorn said after last year's report came out. “Whether it is the Rough Riders St. Patrick’s Day Parade or my River O’ Green, there is a good time to be had by all.”

To find out more about what Tampa has in store for this March 17, visit the City of Tampa online.

To check out WalletHub’s full rankings, visit the website dedicated to all things personal finance.

Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa’s Facebook page