For most Americans, driving is a crucial part of everyday life. We drive to work, to school and to drop the kids off at soccer practice. We use our cars to drive to the grocery store to pick up food and basic necessities, and many of us use them for other utilitarian purposes related to our livelihoods. Without cars, America would fall apart unless you live in one of the cities with the best public transportation.
One thing many people don’t think about when considering how important cars are is parking. After all, a car is not much good if you’ve got nowhere to park it, right? Without parking, you’re dead in the water. You can’t even get out of your car! Parking is an oft-undiscussed but incredibly important part of driving, no matter where you live.
When moving to a new city, you should know what the parking situation in that city is like. Are there ample parking lots? Does the city do anything to alleviate parking related congestion? How does the city deal with parking during peak hours? If you drive, you should know the answers to all of these questions before you make a move.
With that being said, here are our picks for cities with the worst and best parking in the US: let’s get into it!
Best parking: Gatlinburg
The city of Gatlinburg has become known in recent years as a great place to spend a vacation. With its picturesque location in the Great Smoky Mountain range, this is no surprise. This town boasts a long list of tempting attractions, from moonshine tastings to skiing and hiking; there is certainly no shortage of reasons to make this town the site of your next vacation!
To add to this long list of attractive qualities, Gatlinburg has excellent parking facilities. This is a city that has seen tremendous growth in the tourism sector as of late, and it makes sense that they would prepare adequately for the yearly influx of automobile-driving tourists. Therefore it should come as no surprise that, if you visit Gatlinburg, you’ll find plenty of well maintained parking lots awaiting you.
If you are considering moving to Gatlinburg but aren’t quite sure, this should definitely sway your opinion towards moving. If you’ve decided in favor, then you’ll want to give one of the real estate agents in Gatlinburg a call. With their help, you’ll be motoring about on Gatlinburg’s well thought out streets in no time!
Worst parking: Houston
Houston is one of the most Texan cities in Texas. Despite its large size, an atmosphere of relaxed southern tranquility pervades most aspects of everyday life. It’s a great city to visit; in fact, the bulk of its economy is based on tourism. There’s plenty to see and do, and the city’s business center doesn’t hesitate to capitalize on that fact.
Despite the city’s booming tourism-based economy, the exponential population growth the city has experienced in recent years has left Houston with a tremendous parking shortage. Parking spaces are hugely inadequate for the number of residents and visitors present in the city, and drivers often are forced to park hundreds of yards away from their destination.
Although parking in Houston is scarce, the city makes up for it with its positive qualities, and is one of the best places to live in Texas. If you aren’t deterred by the less-than-ample parking and want to make this your new home, get in touch with one of the real estate agents in Houston! With their help, you might soon be calling Houston home.
Best parking: Boca Raton FL
There’s no denying it: Boca Raton is the perfect vacation destination. Immaculate white sand beaches follow the winding curves of the azure blue ocean. Charming downtown streets are lined with spellbinding shops that sell wares ranging from antique odds and ends to surf gear and casual apparel. Yes, this is a tourist paradise.
Now, with such a vibrant, fast paced tourism scene, you might expect parking to be an unavoidable headache, the price that must be paid if one wants to experience everything Boca Raton has to offer. Hold on! This couldn’t be further from the truth! Boca Raton has ample parking, courtesy of both private business owners and city funding alike.
If you were thinking of making Boca Raton your home, you can add this to the already long list of reasons why that’s a good idea. Ready to take the next step? Then get in touch with one of the real estate agents in Boca Raton; they’ll have you cruising the carefree streets of Boca Raton in no time!
Worst parking: Bowie MD
If you’ve been to Maryland, you probably already have a pretty good picture of what Bowie MD looks like. It’s your typical quiet little New England town, populated mainly by professionals and middle class families. There are quite a few things to see and do in the area, and by most standards it’s a pretty great place to live.
However, there’s one area where the city of Bowie MD falls woefully short: you guessed it, parking! Like many other mid sized towns in Maryland, Bowie suffers from a chronic lack of well maintained parking lots and parking spots, leaving residents and visitors alike desperately scanning the horizon for the titillating sight of taillights pulling out of a soon to be vacant parking space.
Despite this glaring shortcoming, Bowie MD is a pretty great place to live. The average salary is high, and the real estate market is thriving. If you want to make a home for yourself in this city, you’ll want to contact one of the real estate agents in Bowie MD. These experienced real estate agents will do their best to put you and your family in the home they deserve; pretty soon, you might just be calling Bowie home!
Conclusion
There’s no denying that parking is a huge part of everyday life for most of us, even though it’s a reality we seldom discuss. While many other factors such as crime rates, home prices and average salaries may take precedence when choosing a new city in which to live, the struggle to find parking in your new home may leave you wishing you had spent a little time researching this crucial caveat.
Wherever you go, you’re sure to encounter some difficulty parking; but if you do your research, you should be able to find a place with fewer parking-space related blood pressure difficulties. Whether you’re shopping for the family or trying to find a space while running five minutes late for work, trust us: you’ll be happy you found a city with ample parking.
Did you enjoy this article? Want to leave some feedback, ask a question or let us know something we missed? Leave us a comment in the comments section below! Our readers are our top priority, and we value each and every comment highly. From all of us at RealEstateAgent.com, happy home hunting!
Cities should have good parking so that the vehicle parkers shouldn’t have problems in their parking lot. Thanks for sharing this information with us.
Hey Mike! I completely agree with you. Bad parking is one of the main problems that affect traffic flow in major cities. Cities that allow for fast commutes come with good parking and road infrastructure so that people can go in and out of the city in the shortest amount of time possible.