Redfin Unveils the Most Bikeable U.S. Cities of 2020

SEATTLE, Dec. 4, 2019 -- Minneapolis, Portland and Chicago are the most bikeable cities in the U.S. for the second year in a row, according to a new ranking from Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

The ranking is based on data from Bike Score, a tool by Redfin company Walk Score that rates the bikeability of neighborhoods, cities and addresses. Scores are based on several factors including access to bike lanes and hilliness. Cities where daily errands can be accomplished by bike score 90 points and above, cities where biking is convenient for most trips score 70 to 89 points and cities with some bike infrastructure score 50-69 points.

Below is the ranking of the top 10 U.S. cities (with populations of more than 300,000) for biking:

In Minneapolis and Portland, local government has committed to creating new bike infrastructure for environmental, health, affordability and safety reasons. Minneapolis has hundreds of miles of both on-street and off-street bike lanes. The Portland bike plan, with a goal of full implementation by 2030, includes hundreds of miles of bikeways.

"Fair-weather bikers like myself are out in full force during the summer months in Minneapolis, but you still see bike commuters with ski goggles year round," said local Redfin agent James Garry. "Homebuyers moving to Minneapolis from a different area are always pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to bike everywhere here. The streets have dedicated bike lanes, many of which connect to suburban trails, and a lot of companies provide locker and shower facilities for bike commuters. The city's bike culture is especially important to buyers looking at downtown condos, as they're often looking to get rid of at least one car."

Portland Redfin agent Daniel Brooks said dedicated bike lanes throughout the city and the Tilikum Crossing Bridge, a car-free bridge for use by cyclists, pedestrians and public transit, contribute to the area's bike culture.

"We live in a relatively small area that makes for a short bike commute to work," Brooks said. "I've worked with a lot of clients who buy homes on the east side of Portland and bike to work downtown over the Tilikum bridge. We're also seeing more newly built condos with limited parking, which encourages people to ditch their cars and rely on bikes."

Top 5 Bike Score increases

St. Louis experienced the biggest increase in its Bike Score from 2018, up nine points to 62. It's followed by Long Beach, CA, up eight points to 69.

"Long Beach added several new bike lanes to its city streets in the last few years and divided the beach path so there are designated lanes for bikers and pedestrians. The path runs along a white sand beach, providing direct access to the Pacific Ocean and the city's popular Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier," said local Redfin agent Costanza Genoese Zerbi. "Although there has been some controversy around adding bike lanes to crowded city streets—some people believe they can cause congestion and safety issues—I count myself among Long Beach residents who take advantage of the sunny Southern California weather and the bike paths."

After Long Beach come Corpus Christi, TX (up 8 points to 49); Pittsburgh (up 6 points to 57) and Memphis (up 6 points to 44).

To read the full report, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/most-bike-friendly-cities-usa-2020.

For Redfin's ranking of the most bikeable Canadian cities of 2020, visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/most-bike-friendly-cities-canada-2020.

About Redfin

Redfin is a technology-powered real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer's favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country's #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry's lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 85 major metro areas across the U.S. and Canada. The company has closed more than $85 billion in home sales.