The walkability of your neighbourhood

I was over at flirty*almost*30′s website yesterday and she was talking about a website called walkscore.com. Basically this website, Walk Score, it calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. The site measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking. Interesting!

So I plugged in my address (don’t forget to put in the city as well, because the first time I tried, I got a place in Texas), and our place got a 31 out of 100. Not good at all! But I already knew that about where we live. Public transportation isn’t very good here, and amenities are far away. Which is why I’m really grateful that I only pay $150/month in rent. Minimum rent means I can comfortably afford a car and still save a lot of money each month.

• 90–100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70–89 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50–69 = Somewhat Walkable: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25–49 = Car-Dependent: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0–24 = Car-Dependent (Driving Only): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

How walkable is YOUR neighbourhood?