Dog News

Zumper Ranks Top Pet-Friendly Cities. Is Yours On The List?

by Amy Drew

Life With Dogs is reader-supported. We may earn a small commission through products purchased using links on this page.

How pet-friendly is your hometown?

Zumper (which is in the business of finding people homes via apartment listings) was naturally interested to know, and so using data based on their own pet-friendly listings, along with the cost of pet insurance premiums, great weather for dog walking and the number of dog parks and pet-related businesses (veterinarians, pet stores, pet restaurants, etc.) on Yelp and came up with some ideal places for the pet set!

Below, the Top 10, but you can check out the top 95 here.

1. St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Pete and its gorgeous weather and beaches topped the list as it fell into the top 10 percent of cities with cat-friendly listings, along with high marks in the “Ease of Owning a Pet” category; there is a high density of vets, pet stores and pet restaurants in this Tampa Bay-area town.

Photo: Flikr/Tanya
Photo: Flikr/Tanya

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

2. Seattle, Washington

Seattle came in second nationally and first on the West Coast. Why? Jet City was rate 8th most walkable city in the U.S. by WalkScore and boasts more than eight acres of public parkland per thousand citizens. While it can be rainy, the climate is mild and rather ieal for outdoor pursuits with a dog in tow! Seattle also had over 60 percent of apartment listings that allowed for some type of pet and a high density of pet stores for its population.

3. Portland, Oregon

Quirky, cosmopolitan Portland had the highest number of dog parks per capita, with 5.4 parks per hundred thousand residents. While a slightly smaller proportion of Portland apartment listings allowed for pets, when compared to the rest of the top 10 cities, Portland made up for it with a high density of pet stores and veterinarians. Regionally, Portland was the second most pet friendly city in the Northwest.

4. Arlington, Virginia

With the overall highest score in the “Ease of Owning a Pet” category, Arlington pet owners have zero issues when looking for a business that caters to their furbabies. Nearby neighbors in the nation’s capital have a great weekend getaway in Arlington, as this town has more than three dog parks per hundred thousand residents.

5. Tampa, Florida

No. 2 in the Sunshine State, Tampa did well nationally, too. St. Pete out ranked its sister across the bay in a couple of categories, but Tampa ruled the roost where pet-friendly living space was concerned. It had one of the highest proportions of dog-friendly apartments in the nation.

Photo: Flickr/Liam Moloney
Photo: Flickr/Liam Moloney

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

6. New Orleans, Louisiana

NOLA didn’t have quite the apartment inventory of other cities, but in the “Ease” and “Play” categories, it scored high! With oodles of pet-centric businesses from which to choose and low pet insurance where pets are allowed, it made the Top 10. Regionally speaking, it was the third best in the South.

7. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Not a wrong turn, despite what the old Bugs Bunny cartoons might tell you. Strong scores across the board helped this arty, New Mexico haven fare well nationwide. It’s super outdoorsy, which helped. Lots of public parkland, lots of dog-specific parks, too — and some of the lowest pet insurance rates in the country.

8. Atlanta, Georgia

Lots of pet-friendly living space here in Georgia’s prime peach of a city. While lacking a bit on public parkland, there are loads of places to dine out with your dog and that helped it make up ground.

Photo: Zumper
Photo: Zumper

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

9. Sacramento, California

This California capital ruled the roost in its state: lots of pet-friendly rentals and lots of dog parks (which means renters don’t necessarily need a yard for outdoor, social fun with Fido!). Great options for businesses, too!

10. Austin, Texas

The city that wants to keep itself weird also wants to keep its pet owners happy apparently. Austin had the highest proportion of pet friendly listings of any major city and a high density of dog parks and public parkland as well.