How Walkable is Your Neighborhood

[sakyle04]

MySa.com's great “NestFest” Real Estate blog has a post (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/realestate/2008/07/more_walkability_how_urban_is.html)about the walkability of certain SA condo projects. They earlier had a post (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/realestate/2008/07/how_walkable_is_your_neighborh_1.html)that featured the most walkable cities among the 40 largest, where our cities ranked pretty low:

24. Dallas
26. Houston
29. Austin
31. El Paso
32. San Antonio
33. Fort Worth
36. Oklahoma City

It is all from this really cool little website called http://www.walkscore.com/... You basically put in your address and it computes how “walkable” your life is based on the location of the nearest schools, cinemas, coffee shops, restaurants, etc…

I thought it would be cool if all of the forumers posted their walkability scores… :yes:

(And some of y’all, like I did, might get to checking on which new urban developments in your city are actually the best for the urban lifestyle…)

[sakyle04]

OK, me first...

My house checked in at a 57, which it classified as "Somewhat Walkable"...

The link to my score: http://www.walkscore.com/get-score.php?street=1904+w+huisache+ave+san+antonio+tx+78201%5C

My brother's house in Stone Oak checked in at a 2, or "Car Dependent"... D'Oh!!

[99jeep]

My place in Mahncke Park got a 58! "Somewhat walkable"

[Dom"n"Converse]

Yay, 94 in DT San Antonio!

[oldmanshirt]

Our apartment in KC got a 15, and my grandpa's house in NE SA got a 22 (suprisingly, since its buried in a cul-de-sac in the back of a subdivision).

[alexjon]

Home: 75
Work: 95

Oh wait... this is Seattle.

My home in SA: 37
Work in SA: 97

Of course, I work in the far northern part of Downtown Seattle (Belltown) and live in a single-family home paradise... and in SA, I worked 30 feet from the Alamo...

At my first job in Seattle, my walkscore was 100. B)

[oldmanshirt]

A 100? Was that in the heart of DT Seattle or something?

My work in suburban Shawnee, KS got a 58. Not bad at all, considering its in the middle of a large office park.

[alexjon]

2nd and Seneca, which is a great intersection. Right by Post Alley, the Pike Place Market, Art Museum, a new supermarket, etc.

I am having a hard time adjusting to this location, although for six months I was in Uptown and while it had a high walkscore it required lots of hill climbing.

[DruidCity]

Wow, my brother's place just outside San Marcos got a zero :haha:

Oddly enough, the person he bought the house from was an avid walker/runner who participated in marathons.

[sakyle04]

NuStar HQ got a 35...

What I am seeing is that anything under 50 is pretty much car-dependent...Anything over that is workable...

[oldmanshirt]

NuStar HQ got a 35...

What I am seeing is that anything under 50 is pretty much car-dependent...Anything over that is workable...

Here's hoping NuStar's next HQ will be in an area of SA with a much higher walkscore :tup:

[Boquillas]

My parent's house in far NW San Antonio scored a 25. My old apt at Vance-Jackson and Huebner scored a surprising 66/100.

My new place here in Bozeman-- 75/100. :tup: But then again, this is a college town built around pedestrians and bicyclists. I'm not sure anything in town would fall below 70.

The place we used to live in San Antonio when I was a wee young thing, Sunset Ridge Apts, scored a 69/100. Then we moved to the 'burbs.:(

[KevinFromTexas]

My neighborhood got 42 - car dependent. That's funny though considering I don't own one. 2 wheels for me! :banana: We also have decent bus service around our area with direct routes into downtown.

The link to my score. We also have a very nice park (thick Elm and oak woods) about a half mile from us. You can see it on the map. There's also a freight rail line nearby (I can see the trains from our backyard). If Austin and San Antonio ever get a commuter line, and a south side station nearby, I'd be visiting San Antonio way more often.
http://www.walkscore.com/get-score.php?street=5806+Libyan+Drive%2C+Austin%2C+Texas&go=Go

It's odd that they list us like that. I can see my old high school from my backyard. I can almost see my old elementary school. South Austin's ACC Campus is across the street from my high school, just a 5 minute walk. There's a library across the street from there. Two strip centers there with restaurants, some fast food and other stores. We also have more places to eat in the other direction. There's a Walgreens too, which is convenient. We can see our bank from our backyard. Our nearest grocery store (HEB) is just over a mile from us. I've walked there before and it's not that bad. I usually ride my bike up there a few times a week. It saves us about 15 miles of driving every week. Our other more main grocery store, (HEB), it's bigger and has more selection, is almost three times as far. So by riding up to the closer HEB, I save us 15 miles a week. It's funny too, I can ride my bike up to the closer one, do our shopping and ride back in less time it takes to drive and shop at the other one.

Here's my bike. You can kind of see the rack on the back. I strap a basket to it and can carry a good bit of groceries and in my backpack, around 30 pounds, say 5 bags or so.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b234/KevinFromTexas/Friends%20and%20family/P1220120EDIT.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

I got a 92 out of 100 here in downtown Fort Worth.

[jaga185]

I got 49 for me. 2731 Lovelace, right near MacArthur HS.

[99jeep]

My office downtown got a 92!! But I've never heard of the 'grocery stores' closest to me ... Star Stop Food Mart, Picnic Food Mart, Starr Mart ...

[oldmanshirt]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/realestate/2008/07/more_walkability_how_urban_is.html

The E-N real estate blog ran the walkabilty numbers on each of SA's recent major condo developments:

Alteza — 95

Vistana — 94

The Broadway San Antonio — 88

Vidorra — 83

Judson's Candy Factory — 69

Pearl Brewery — 66


The Alteza is better than I expected - the Broadway less so - and it would seem like Judson's and the Pearl will both be improving soon.

[KevinFromTexas]

I would imagine the Rivercenter mall being across the street from Grand Hyatt would be very convenient. Besides that, the Riverwalk is fantastic for using as a means of transportation route. Safe and sound from cars and way more relaxing.

[oldmanshirt]

I would imagine the Rivercenter mall being across the street from Grand Hyatt would be very convenient. Besides that, the Riverwalk is fantastic for using as a means of transportation route. Safe and sound from cars and way more relaxing.

True. Although you do have to cross two major thoroughfares to get to Rivercenter mall (or one if you go down to the riverwalk, though that would be longer and with more stairs). I'm sure the walkablily calculator doesn't take into account fighting for space with tourists, either ;) All that to say, I figured the Alteza's score would be high, just not the highest of the bunch.

If the Piazza San Lorenzo ever gets off the ground, I'd imagine it would have a higher score than all of these.

[coddat]

House in SA in the '09...60
Apartment in Far North Dallas...66
Work in West Plano...66
School UTD...57

[TXAlex]

86 at my underconstruction home in Austin.
11 at my current home in cedar park

[JAM]

Ton's of fun in a single URL....

78701 = 100 Walkers' Paradise
77002 = 82 - Very Walkable

[Texas Tuff]

My neighborhood score was 52-somewhat walkable, over here in my part of my small city (Abilene). You can walk down to a mini strip mall and a convenience store a short distance from my house but it is somewhat hazardous. People drive like maniacs on my street and you have to cross a multi-lane street to get to all that stuff.

[Texan]

my house in Lubbock, Texas got a 65 - somewhat walkable
my parents house in Irving, Texas got a 42 - car dependent

[oldmanshirt]

My folks' house in Kerrville got a 37.

[urbanactivist]

Ahh, yes... my dearly beloved Walk Score...

my house got a whopping 48 out of 100-- car dependent. It must be b/c of that long walk that I take to the grocery store

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/wayne2k33/5-10-08016.jpg?t=1211044412
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/wayne2k33/5-10-08014.jpg?t=1211044566
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/wayne2k33/5-10-08015.jpg?t=1211044650

I know... just makes you short of breath by looking at it ;)

My work scored a 51... which again I have to question that one since I work at the University of Houston (http://www.walkscore.com/get-score.php?street=4800+calhoun+77004) It looks like any and all businesses that operate on campus (Starbucks, Woodforest Bank, Chili's, Subways-- 3 of them, Smoothie King, and 7 convenience stores to name a few) were not included in the evalution. I have a sneaking suspicion that these would bring the score up as well.

[TXLove]

My home 183/Burnet area got 74
My work near Aboretum 71

very walkable both places

[AusTex]

Wow I got a 72 In Allendale Park (Far north Allendale) in Austin.:tup: Very Walkable.

The information is very current. They listed the brand new Walgreen's on Anderson Lane; in front of the possible Walmart:cool: . I Hope the development at the Alamo Drafthouse adds some great stores. I will check my score after the new stuff is built.

[sakyle04]

i find that the older neighborhoods are much more conducive to walking but may not have all of the amenities nearby like a lot of newly developed areas.

my area lacks that one big strip center that has everything in one place. i like that it lacks that for the texture of the neighborhood, but it does hurt my walkscore. :)

nothing on the list is further than a mile from my house except for a library (1.64 miles) and a coffee shop (1.75 miles)... i guess further gentrification will bring those elements closer and will send my walk-score (and my property taxes) soaring.