With 33 recreation and senior center facilities, Baton Rouge leads the nation’s 100 largest cities for such centers per every 20,000 residents, according to a new report on the state of the nation’s public parks released today by The Trust for Public Land.
Baton Rouge has 2.9 recreation and senior centers for every 20,000 residents, says the report, which also notes Baton Rouge is ranked No. 7 nationally for its number of public basketball hoops per capita. With 120 hoops at city parks throughout Baton Rouge, that works out to about 5.2 per every 10,000 residents. Baton Rouge is also ranked No. 24 nationally for the number of park playgrounds per capita, with its 63 total playgrounds equaling about three per every 10,000 residents.
Of the roughly 49,250 acres of land within the city limits of Baton Rouge, 1,432—or 2.9%—is dedicated public park space, the report says. As for park space outside the city limits, the report says there are 5,193 acres in East Baton Rouge Parish, placing it fourth nationally.
Total spending on parks per resident in Baton Rouge is $49, with $1 of that going toward capital improvements and $48 going toward operational expenses, according to the report.
Across the country, the report says, the nation’s parks are quite literally going to dogs. The number of off-leash dog parks grew 6% last year and is up 20% in the past five years.
“In our research, and working closely with the communities we serve providing recreation spaces, we’ve seen tremendous growth in both dog parks and outdoor adult fitness spaces, which help provide amenities for a wider family dynamic in parks,” says Anne-Marie Spencer, Corporate Vice President of Marketing for PlayCore, which partners with The Trust for Public Land on the report.
—Steve Sanoski
