Patriotic Places
Houston skyrockets up ranking of the best cities to celebrate 4th of July
Houston is a star-spangled place to celebrate the Fourth of July this year. A recent report by personal finance website WalletHub ranks the best and worst places to celebrate Independence Day, and Houston comes in at No. 29, up from No. 51 in 2017.
Using 19 key metrics such as length of fireworks show, beer and wine prices, weather forecast, and safety, the website bases rankings on how well the 100 largest cities balance cost and fun.
Houston now ranks No. 16 for celebrations (up from No. 20 last year) and No. 28 for attractions and activities (a huge leap from the No. 72 spot last year). While affordability has fallen a tad (No. 12, down from No. 6), Houston's weather ranking jumped from No. 83 last year to No. 62 in 2018. Clearly, these surveyors like heat and humidity. Where H-Town doesn't shine, however, is safety and accessibility, coming in at No. 81.
Typically on the Fourth of July, Americans spend about $6.9 billion on food and more than $825 million on fireworks. A staggering 150 million hot dogs are devoured on the holiday, and 46.9 million people travel more than 50 miles from home to celebrate, WalletHub says.
If you want to celebrate in the best city in the U.S. of A., New York is the place to be, the survey says, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, and Seattle. But steer clear of San Bernardino, California, which comes in last at No. 100.
The top city in Texas for Independence Day is Dallas at No. 11, followed by Austin at No. 25. Big D takes the No. 3 spot for celebrations, while ATX ranks among the top 10 for affordability.
And if you're staying close to home but still need plans, check out our ultimate list of Fourth of July fireworks shows in Houston and beyond.
