The midland journal., 1917-07-20
CITIES OF NATION
HAVE MANY PARKS
Practically All Of Larger Munich
paIities Have Public ReCre-
alton Grounds.
CAPITAL LEADS IN NUMBER
New York Has Largest Acreage and
Philadelphia Biggest Single Area,
According to Uncle
Sans Figures.

All but two of the 213 American
cities of over 10000 population own
certain areas specifically set aside as
public parks.
This fact is brought out in a report
issued by Uncle Sans census bureau,
following an investigation by Starke
M. Grogan.
The national capital has by far the
largest number of breathing areas, but
New York has a larger park acreage.
New York has about twelve square
miles in parks.
Other cities with large park areas
are Philadelphia, with $500 acres Los
Angeles, with 4,127 acres; Chicago
with 3,815 acres; Denver, with 3,719
acres; Washington, D. c., with 3,O67
acres, and Minneapolis, with 3,O3S
acres.
The largest single park owned by
any city is Fairmount park in Phila-
delphia, which has an area of 1926
acres, or 51a square miles, and the
next largest, park of 3,027 acres, or
more than AZ square miles, is reported
for Los Angeles.
One Acre to Fourteen Persons.
The greatest area of parks and
other public grounds inside city limits
In proportion to population-one acre
for each IA inhabitants-is shown for
Quincy, Mass.
Other cities reporting more than an
acre to each 100 inhabitants are San
Diego, CAL, with 26 inhabitants per
acre of parks and recreation grounds;
La Crosse, Wis, with 43; Council
Bluffs, Iowa, with As; Lynn, Mass
with 50; Sioux City, Iowa, with 81 !;
Harrisburg Pa, with II; Hartford,
Conn, with "a; Niagara Falls, N. Y,
with 81; Washington, D. c., with 81,
and Covington, KY, with 80.
Geological parks were maintained
in 80 of the 213 cities covered by the
report. ~
All but 18 of the 21S cities of over
10000 inhabitants maintained play
grounds (not including those open only
to schoolchildren during the school
year), the total number of such play
grounds being 2,19O, and their average
area being a trifie more than two acres.
The largest number, 1856, is shown for
New York, and the next largest, 100,
for Philadelphia.
A total Of 10 athletic fields (exclu-
sive of those located in parks), with
an average area Of little less than
eight acres, were reported by 13 cities
-four by Detroit, Mich; three by Sac
ramento, CAL; two by Hoboken, N. j.,
and one each by the remaining ten
cities.
Facilities for games and athletics in
parks, Fairgrounds and athletic fields
were maintained by 176 cities.
Many Have Bathing Beaches.
Swimming pools and bathing beaches
were provided by Ill cities, whose to-
tai facilities in this respect comprised
III outdoor swimming pools, 81 indoor
swimming pools and 149 bathing
beaches, at which the aggregate at
tendance during the year was more
than 26,O0O,OO0.
Museums and art galleries were ad-
ministered by 33 cities; and in II cities
such institutions were under private
administration, but received municipal
aid.
The expenditures for recreation pur'
poses Excluding outlays) in cities OF
over 10000 inhabitants during the fis
cal year 1916 aggregated $21, ,6S7, ,097
or 81 cents per capita. The greatest
per capita expenditures under this
head which are shown for any one
city were reported by Brookline, Mass
-$4.69.