Why Boulder, CO Is America’s Best Dog Town

That’s right. Boulder, Colorado is America’s best dog town.

Now, I’m sure all you dog lovers out there believe that your city is the best and most friendly for dogs in America.

But I have news for you: You’re wrong.

Don’t believe me? That’s OK.

I’m here to prove it. With data. With proof.

Why Boulder, CO Is America’s Best Dog Town

This isn’t taken from an entirely unbiased point of view–after all, I do live in Colorado. But I live in Louisville, next door to Boulder. And to be honest, I miss how dog friendly Boulder is.

But that’s besides the point–I’ve taken a step back and looked at all the data out there and yes, Boulder is the best town for dogs in all of America.

And here’s why:

Boulder Dogs per Person

Boulder has a population of 99,466 (according to the 2009 U.S. Census Bureau). With an average household size of 2.20, that means there are approximately 45,211 households. Considering 1 out of every 3 households has a dog, that puts Boulder’s dog population at around 15,000–or about 6.5 people per dog.

That ratio is crazy! Needless to say, Boulder has a lot of dogs for how tiny of a town it is.

Boulder Dog Parks per Square Mile

To make this even crazier, Boulder is only 25.4 square miles. But within city limits, there are 4 off-leash dog parks. That gives you one dog park per 6.35 miles.

And these are BIG dog parks.

Not like Manhattan’s dog parks that if your dog will circle in 20 seconds.

Anyway, let’s compare cities –

• Manhattan – 44 dog parks – 22.7 square miles – One dog park per  .515 miles… But they aren’t all off-leash and have designated off-leash hours. That’s not very dog friendly, is it?
• Portland, OR –  7 Fenced, Off-leash dog parks – 98,381 square miles – One OFF-LEASH, FENCED dog park per 14,054 (How does Portland consider non-fenced ‘dog parks’ a dog park? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t bring my pooch there)
• Asheville, NC – 2 dog parks – 41.3 square miles – One dog park per 20.65 miles

Go ahead. Try out any city you want. You won’t find a better ratio.

OH – I forgot to mention open space. See, the Government of Boulder County has bought land and designated it as Open Space for free use. There are over 99,000 acres of open space in Boulder County. 60% (38,010 acres) is open to the public.

On that 38,010 acres are 144 miles of trails, 90 percent of which are open to dogs. If your dog is part of the Voice and Sight Dog Tag Program, your dog can be off-leash on around 130 miles of hiking trails!

Boulder Dining & Dogs

Boulder, CO receives over 300 days of sunshine a year (a great reason to relocate to Boulder even if you aren’t a dog lover! That means we have lots and lots of patios for outdoor dining.

It’s very common to see dogs hanging out outside of a restaurant, their leash tied to the patio gate while their owner is sitting on the patio and enjoying a happy hour, dinner or lunch.

Boulder Humane Society

The Boulder Humane Society is nicer than most hotels in the area. Seriously–the ‘accommodations’ for dogs are amazing.

And they are a no-kill shelter that manages to adopt dozens of dogs a week to a city that is less than 25 square miles.

Is Your City More Dog Friendly Than Boulder?

So, is it? Let me here why your city or town deserves to be America’s best dog town. I have a hard time believing it will beat out Boulder, but I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

Resources for this Article:

BringFido.com
Boulder Government & info on Open Space and Mountain Parks
Boulder County Open Space

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