The Best Cities For Vegetarians & Vegans
While a lot of us can’t imagine going a day without eating meat, there are plenty of people in this country who swear by the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. And while it’s getting easier and easier to be vegan/vegetarian these days, there are still some areas in the country that provide better options than others.
WalletHub has just come out with their list of the Best Cities for Vegans and Vegetarians. They judged 100 of the largest American cities across 17 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness, in areas of Affordability, Diversity, Accessibility & Quality, and Vegetarian Lifestyle. That includes things like the cost of groceries for vegetarians, the share of restaurants serving vegan and vegetarian options, cities most likely to order vegetarian options, and more.
So, which city is the best?
Portland, Oregon apparently, which scores 61.15 overall. Portland comes in fifth for diversity, accessibility, and quality, although it’s at 38th for affordability so apparently being vegetarian and vegan there isn’t necessarily cheap. San Francisco, which is seventh overall, is tops for diversity, accessibility, and for a vegetarian lifestyle, while Laredo, Texas is number one for affordability.
Top Ten Most Vegan & Vegetarian-Friendly Cities
- Portland, OR
- Orlando, FL
- Los Angeles, CA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Austin, TX
- Seattle, WA
- San Francisco, CA
- Tampa, FL
- San Diego, CA
- Lexington-Fayette, KY
As for the least-friendly city for vegans and vegetarians, San Bernardino, California gets the honor, scoring just a 25.11 and landing pretty low on the list in all three categories, especially diversity, accessibility, and quality.