The SustainLane 2006 US City Rankings

Cities by Category Ranking: Local Food and Agriculture

Local food and agriculture help communities become more self-sufficient and less reliant on food transported great distances with fossil fuels. Local food is also fresher, usually has more nutrients, and requires less packaging and refrigeration than food that must be shipped long distances. Local food purchases also recirculate money back into the regional economy, as farmers market income typically gets respent in-state.

The leader in local food and agriculture is Boston, which has a large number of farmers markets and community gardens per capita, and is supported by strong local food education and distribution programs. Minneapolis, at #2, also has high number of both community gardens and farmers markets per capita. At #3, Philadelphia draws upon a healthy network of in-state farmers. Washington, D.C. (#4) has strong links to its regional agricultural territory and the second-highest rate of farmers markets per capita. Tied at #5 are Portland and Seattle, both of which have high rates of farmers markets per capita and significant community garden programs.

  • 1. Boston, MA
  • 2. Minneapolis, MN
  • 3. Philadelphia, PA
  • 4. Washington, DC
  • 5. Portland, OR*
  • 5. Seattle, WA*
  • 7. Austin, TX
  • 8. Honolulu, HI
  • 9. Oakland, CA
  • 10. Denver, CO
  • 11. Baltimore, MD
  • 12. San Francisco, CA
  • 13. Milwaukee, WI
  • 14. Sacramento, CA
  • 15. Tucson, AZ
  • 16. Chicago, IL
  • 17. New York, NY
  • 18. San Antonio, TX
  • 19. Albuquerque, NM
  • 20. San Jose, CA
  • 21. Colorado Springs, CO
  • 22. Nashville, TN
  • 23. Long Beach, CA
  • 24.Kansas City, MO
  • 25. Fresno, CA
  • 26. Las Vegas, NV
  • 27. Cleveland, OH
  • 28. Charlotte, NC
  • 29. Omaha, NE
  • 30. El Paso, TX
  • 31. Indianapolis, IN
  • 32. San Diego, CA
  • 33. New Orleans, LA
  • 34. Tulsa, OK
  • 35. Columbus, OH
  • 36. Los Angeles, CA
  • 37. Mesa, AZ
  • 38. Detroit, MI
  • 39. Atlanta, GA
  • 40. Phoenix, AZ
  • 41. Oklahoma City, OK
  • 42. Jacksonville, FL
  • 43. Louisville, KY
  • 44. Houston, TX
  • 45. Miami, FL
  • 46. Fort Worth, TX
  • 47. Memphis, TN
  • 48. Dallas, TX
  • 49. Virginia Beach, VA
  • 50. Arlington, TX