There's nothing like hosting an al fresco dinner party or watching your kids run around outside, but these activities are only possible if you have a big enough backyard. And though you might assume that's only feasible in the country or suburbs, new research shows that plenty of U.S. cities also have sizable yards. The study from LawnStarter "compared the 2,000 biggest U.S. cities based on the average yard sizes of single-family homes from the Federal Housing Finance Agency." They then ranked the cities to determine the locations with the biggest and smallest yards. Keep reading to discover the best and worst cities to live in if you want a big backyard.
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The 10 cities with the smallest yards.
ben bryant/ShutterstockUnsurprisingly, according to the study, more congested cities are less likely to have big backyards. The team at LawnStarter also notes that the average yard size for the cities at the bottom is less than one-tenth of an acre.
10 | Bayonne, New Jersey
Roman Babakin/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 70,497
Average Yard Acreage: 0.029
Bayonne is ideal if you're looking to be close to New York City, but if you want a big yard, you may want to live elsewhere. It's also the first of six cities in New Jersey to be at the bottom.
9 | Atlantic City, New Jersey
iStockPopulation Size: 38,487
Average Yard Acreage: 0.028
While it's known for its nightlife, casinos, and beaches, Atlantic City, won't give you a lot of space in the backyard.
8 | New York City
ShutterstockPopulation Size: 8,622,467
Average Yard Acreage: 0.022
It's not surprising that New York City, with its enormous population and dense apartment buildings, is one of the worst places to live if you want a big backyard.
7 | Boston
Sean Pavone / ShutterstockPopulation Size: 665,945
Average Yard Acreage: 0.020
Boston is another big East Coast city with smaller-than-average backyards.
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6 | Philadelphia
iStockPopulation Size: 1,593,208
Average Yard Acreage: 0.019
You're not likely to find a big backyard in heavily populated Philadelphia.
5 | Camden, New Jersey
Kyle J Little/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 71,799
Average Yard Acreage: 0.018
Camden, New Jersey is the third out of six cities in New Jersey to be included.
4 | West New York, New Jersey
Bildgigant/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 52,438
Average Yard Acreage: 0.018
West New York, New Jersey might have beautiful big-city views, but it doesn't have much backyard space.
3 | San Francisco
iStockPopulation Size: 851,036
Average Yard Acreage: 0.018
According to the data, many cities in California do not have "spacious yards," and San Francisco is one of them.
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2 | Union City, New Jersey
Belikova Oksana/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 67,258
Average Yard Acreage: 0.015
Coming in second to last is Union City, New Jersey. It's another city that is close to New York, but you might not get lucky when it comes to having a lawn.
1 | Hoboken, New Jersey
cdrin/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 58,754
Average Yard Acreage: 0.011
If you're hoping for any space in your backyard, you're not likely to find it in Hoboken. It's the last city in New Jersey, and it's the worst place to live if you want a big backyard.
The 10 cities with the biggest backyards.
Sheila Say/ShutterstockSome big cities also have big yards. According to the study, only the top 150 cities enjoy lawns larger than the national average of half an acre. And cities with populations under 50,000 tend to get the most space.
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10 | The Acreage, Florida
Anthony Giarrusso/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 40,160
Average Yard Acreage: 0.789
The Acreage in South Florida is the first city in the top 10, with an average yard size of more than three-quarters of an acre.
9 | Barnstable Town, Massachusetts
Shanshan0312/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 48,922
Average Yard Acreage: 0.790
Barnstable Town is a city in Massachusetts that's known for its scenic views—and large backyards.
8 | Weatherford, Texas
Bradly Hulce/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 32,168
Average Yard Acreage: 0.814
LawnStarter points out that Texas had 15 cities in the top 150. Weatherford is one of them, and it's the first of two in the state to be this high up on the list.
7 | Nacogdoches, Texas
Kenneth Morton/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 32,148
Average Yard Acreage: 0.825
With only a 20-person difference in population from Weatherford, Nacogdoches is one of the best cities to live in if you want a big backyard.
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6 | Derry, New Hampshire
Zack Frank/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 23,027
Average Yard Acreage: 0.829
Derry, New Hampshire, home to the Robert Frost Farm, places sixth. It isn't heavily populated, which may mean there's more room for big backyards.
5 | Fallbrook, California
Jason Finn/iStockPopulation Size: 33,710
Average Yard Acreage: 0.853
Fallbrook is the only city in California to make the top 10. Lawnstarter points out that "255 Golden State cities shrank into the bottom half of our ranking."
4 | Caledonia, Wisconsin
Tony Savino/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 25,277
Average Yard Acreage: 0.951
With a population of just over 25,000 residents, Caledonia, Wisconsin offers average lots with almost a full acre of space.
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3 | Mequon, Wisconsin
James Meyer/ShutterstockPopulation Size: 25,102
Average Yard Acreage: 0.966
Mequon is the second city in Wisconsin to make the top five, coming in with just under an acre of average yard space.
2 | Linton Hall, Virginia
THEGIFT777/iStockPopulation Size: 42,702
Average Yard Acreage: 1.046
Taking second place is Linton Hall, Virginia. Even though it has a larger population than other cities in the top 10, it also has over one acre of yard space.
1 | Carney, Maryland
Sean Pavone/iStockPopulation Size: 29, 352
Average Yard Acreage: 1.140
According to the study, Carney, Maryland is the best city to live in if you want a big backyard.
