Redfin Names the Best Cities for Living Without a Car

SEATTLE--Proximity to restaurants, grocery stores, parks and jobs are some of the key perks of urban living, especially if those destinations are accessible without a car. Redfin, the next-generation real estate brokerage, compiled the latest Walk Score rankings to see which U.S. cities with populations greater than 300,000 have the highest composite Walk Score, Transit Score and Bike Score rankings. These are places where you could forgo having a car and still be able to get around town in a variety of ways, whether it be by foot, bike or public transit. And while not all cities are created equal, each of these 10 cities has infrastructure to support a car-free lifestyle.

Even though San Francisco takes second place in every category (walking, biking and transit) its overall score is the highest in the nation. This isn't a surprise to Redfin agents. "It's true that most people in San Francisco don't own cars. It's said that if you want to own a home that has parking, plan on adding about $300,000 to the cost of your home," said Redfin real estate agent Mia Simon. "The good news is that nearly every neighborhood in San Francisco is walkable and the BART and MUNI can basically get you anywhere you need to go. It's very common for prospective buyers to schedule a series of home tours and travel between tours on foot and via public transit to get a feel for what life would be like at their new home without a car.

Here's the full ranking of the 10 best cities for living without a car:

1. San Francisco, California
2. New York, New York
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6. Chicago, Illinois
7. Minneapolis, Minnesota
8. Miami, Florida
9. Seattle, Washington
10. Oakland, California

To read the full report, complete with more information on each city, click here.

About Redfin Corporation
Redfin is the next-generation 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 highly accurate automated home-value estimate. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $31 billion in home sales and saved customers more than $335 million in fees through 2015.