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No car? San Francisco, Portland, Washington D.C., Boston, New York among best cities to live in without a vehicle
Nathan Bomey
| USA TODAY
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some Americans have bought cars for the first time to avoid using mass transit or ride-hailing vehicles, but not everyone is ready to embrace car culture.And for those who don’t want to get behind the wheel, walkability and public transportation options can make the difference for where they choose to live.A new ranking of the nation’s best cities for living without a vehicle includes some of the usual suspects, such as San Francisco and New York, as well as a few surprises, such as Providence, Rhode Island.The assessment of 150 cities conducted by lawn car services company LawnStarter examined 20 metrics, including walkability, bicycling infrastructure, pedestrian safety, transit options and gun safety.Many of the worst places to live without a car were in the South, including the five worst spots: Shreveport, Louisiana (150); Montgomery, Alabama (149); Little Rock, Arkansas (148); Huntsville, Alabama (147); and Winston-Salem, North Carolina (146).More store closings in 2021?: These are the most vulnerable major retailers of 2021 as pandemic continues2021’s most anticipated new vehicles: Tesla Cybertruck, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wagoneer make the listThe most walkable city is Washington, followed by Nashville, Tennessee, and Omaha, Nebraska, in a tie for second. The least walkable was Port St. Lucie, Florida.New York has the highest share of residents who use public transportation to get to work, but it also has the highest average commute time.Here are the top 20 best cities to live without a vehicle:1. San Francisco2. Portland, Oregon3. Washington4. Boston5. New York6. Honolulu7. Oakland, California8. Providence, Rhode Island9. Minneapolis10. Seattle11. Jersey City, New Jersey12. Salt Lake City13. Mesa, Arizona14. Tuscon, Arizona15. Madison, Wisconsin16. Los Angeles17. Irvine, California18. Santa Rosa, California19. Tempe, Arizona20. Boise City, IdahoFollow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
