Washington, D.C. ranks eighth on the 2019 list of best cities for public transit, according to a new Transit Score ranking released by tech-powered real estate brokerage Redfin.
Transit Score ranks locations based on their convenience to public transportation. The Washington, D.C. area landed the eighth spot overall with a transit score of 71. Except for the suburb of Arlington, the capital rose three points this year, which is more than any other city in the top 25. Arlington also gained three points with a transit score of 62, an increase attributed to the arrival of Amazon HQ2 in Crystal City, Arlington.
“Access to mass transit was listed as a core preference in criteria when Amazon opened up their nationwide search, and there are already plans in place for key transportation infrastructure improvements near the new office campus,” says the Redfin report.
Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather said that housing affordability has become a nationwide concern, and people are moving away from big, expensive cities to smaller, affordable commuter towns and inland areas.
“Small cities that offer the best of both worlds–accessible public transit and relatively affordable homes for sale–are destined for strong growth in the coming years,” he said.
New York, Union City, NJ, and San Francisco topped the 2019 list of best cities for public transit, getting the first three ranks respectively. Hoboken, West New York, and Jersey City also scored high on the list, making the top 10.
Cambridge was ranked above Boston with a transit score of 74, while Boston’s score was 72. Suburbs like Brookline and Somerville also got top scores, showing that public transportation is easily accessible in the Boston metro area.