Want The Best Independence Day Ever? These Are The Top Ranked Cities In America For The 4th Of July

Statue of Liberty on the background of flag usa, sunrise and fireworks

iStockphoto / rozbyshaka


A week from Thursday we’ll get to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day. The 4th of July is one of the biggest holidays in America, and it’s the focal point of the Summer. Everyone celebrates the 4th of July differently but coast to coast the day is packed full of backyard barbecues, beach days, hot dog eating contests, and fireworks.

A few years back I had the perfect 4th of July weekend which consisted of seeing fireworks on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with two parades tossed into the mix with multiple cookouts and days spent paddling on the lake and cruising around on the pontoon boat.

The fireworks on Friday and Saturday were in upstate New York in The Adirondacks and then Sunday it was back to the City where we got to see the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks show which is the best in the world. New York City generally empties out on 4th of July weekend with so many of the people living there leaving the city for the holiday to hit up the beach, shore, or mountains but the fireworks on Manhattan’s rivers are second to none. There’s nothing like getting to see fireworks with Lady Liberty in the background.

That’s why I wasn’t surprised to see that NYC ranks the highest in America of places to spend the 4th of July. The website WalletHub used 20 key metrics to determine the 100 best cities in America for 4th of July celebrations. Those metrics ranged from average beer and wine prices to fireworks displays to average weather forecasts for early July. Here’s what the top 20 looks like with each city and the corresponding overall score to the right:

1. New York, NY (74.01 — #2 for 4th of July Celebrations, #1 for Activities/Attractions)
2. Los Angeles, CA (73.08 — #1 overall for 4th of July Celebrations)
3. San Diego, CA (68.63 — #5 for Activities/Attractions)
4. Washington DC (68.53 — #4 for Weather, #5 for Activities/Attractions)
5. Las Vegas, NV (68.52 — #2 overall for Affordability)
6. Dallas, TX (66.10 — #5 overall for Celebrations)
7. Atlanta, GA (65.02 — #3 overall for Celebrations)
8. Chicago, IL (64.07 — #2 overall for Attractions/Activities)
9. San Francisco, CA (62.47 — #3 for Activities/Attractions)
10. St. Louis, MO (62.26 — #14 for Celebrations)
11. New Orleans, LA (62.15 — #7 for Celebrations)
12. Scottsdale, AZ (61.43 — #3 for Affordability)
13. Milwaukee, WI (60.90 — #6 for Celebrations)
14. Baltimore, MD (60.76 — #14 for Weather)
15. Philadelphia, PA (60.67 — #12 for Safety/Accessibility)
16. Seattle, WA (60.57 — #4for Activities/Attractions)
17. Denver, CO (60.47 — #8 for Celebrations)
18. Miami, FL (60.01 — #4 for Celebrations)
19. Orlando, FL (59.80 — #7 for Affordability)
20. Pittsburgh, PA (59.77 — #1 overall for Weather)

As I mentioned above, the Wallethub methodology for this included 20 key metrics of what makes up the best place to spend a 4th of July. That includes things like the cost of beer and wine, DUI-related fatalities, the price of hotels, etc.

Here’s where our nation’s cities rank on those key metrics:

Wallethub


 

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If you want to see where your city ranks on the list they’ve ranked the top 100 in America and you can click here to see all 100 on Wallethub’s website. My hometown of Siesta Key/Sarasota didn’t even crack the top 100 this year and I can’t help but think it’s that scripted reality TV show on MTV that’s ruining our ranking…

If you’re looking for some sick 4th of July party gear this year look no further than this shirt inspired by the movie Independence Day that honors the greatest speech in film history.