Many walkabouts will see Atlanta’s #22 “walkscore” ranking among the nation’s largest cities as evidence that much more needs to be done for our two-footed friends.  And as a BIG fan of walking, I obviously support these efforts.  However, at the same time I’m kind of surprised that Atlanta ranks even 22 among 40 (and that doesn’t include Decatur in case you’re wondering).

Among the cities that Atlanta walks all over: Houston, Detroit, Austin, Kansas City, Memphis and Nashville.  And for all the recent talk about Charlotte, they still have a way to go according to Walkscore.com, ranked down at #38.

Yes, San Fran, NYC, Chi-town and Boston top the list, but what really smarts for Atlanta is how much higher the cities that we so often find ourselves competing with for “worst traffic” are ranked above us in  “walkability”, notably D.C. and L.A.

P.S.  Downtown Decatur scores a “83″ on Walkscore, which ranks right up there with #2 NYC.

h/t: Atlanta Unsheltered