San Diego Parks Ranked Among Best in Nation

San Diego landed in 8th place among 40 cities in annual Trust from Public Land report

By Monica Garske

| Wednesday, May 23, 2012 | Updated 10:52 PM PDT

San Diego Parks Ranked Among Best in Nation

NBCSanDiego

According to an annual ParkScore report from the Trust for Public Land, San Diego's parks rank among the best in the nation.

An annual report from the Trust for Public Land has ranked the parks in the City of San Diego among the best in nation.

The ParkScore report – which ranks cities on a scale of zero to five “benches” instead of stars – gave San Diego four benches.

This puts America’s Finest City in 8th place out of 40 cities across the country recognized for their top-notch parks.

The ratings are based on three factors: Park accessibility, including walking distance for nearby residents, park size and services and investment, which factors in per capita park spending.

“In San Diego, our parks system is a source of immense civic pride. From our community parks, to our hiking trails, to crown jewels like Balboa Park, San Diegans love to enjoy our famous sunshine in our public green spaces,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders.

“We’re proud that the Trust for Public Land has recognized our parks on a national level. Like all cities, San Diego has experienced tight budgets in recent years, but as we embark on a recovery, I’ve already tapped our parks as one of the first places to reap the benefits of increasing revenues. We hope to keep our parks among America’s best for years to come,” Sander continued.