Community Corner

North Druid Hills: One of the Most Walkable Communities in Ga.?

Walk Score, a national organization that ranks the "walkability" of cities and communities nationwide, said North Druid Hills is the second-most walkable community in Georgia.

I still struggle with the idea of North Druid Hills as a defined community, so to see this was pretty surprising a few days ago: North Druid Hills is, at least according to one source, the second-most walkable community in Georgia.

No joke. Walk Score, a website that rates the "walkability" of cities and communities nationwide, gave North Druid Hills a "Walk Score" of 59, ranking it No. 2 in Georgia behind Decatur, which earned a score of 63. The least walkable–Evans, Union City and Sugar Hill–earned scores of 17, 17 and 19, respectively. 

Now, before you start to get excited about all the walking you can do in North Druid Hills, know that a ranking between 50-69 is only considered "somewhat walkable," according to Walk Score's ranking system. In brief, the score is based on a number of data sources, but, essentially, Walk Score's algorithm favors cities where amenities are within a quarter of a mile. Amenities farther than a mile receive no points in scoring.

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With scores of 85.3 and 84.9, New York City and San Francisco were considered the most walkable major cities in the country. Cambridge, MA, had the highest in the country with a score of 88.8. The average American city or community has a Walk Score of 43.

So, what say you to North Druid Hills' score? Is North Druid Hills only a tiny fraction less walkable than Decatur? Or is Walk Score nuts?

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