donnamb 

You can take this test and find out.

I don't know my score yet, as they seem to have high traffic at their site right now. Not that I'm helping things any by posting a link to their site here...

donnamb 

80 out of 100. (70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.)

squegeeboo

My current place is a 67, my last place was a 45, I was car free in both. Apparently your two choices are walking or driving, no biking allowed.

(seriously, if they find out your biking, they will find you and bring the pain)

ken cummings

Twp places I've lived worked and the third did not. Seems there are still some bugs in the system.

dipy911

24 out of 100. Ahh Kansas City. All the major things I need are Bicycle accessible, if I really wanted to go to all the effort. I figure 3-4 days/week riding 18 mile round-trip is a good start.

dipy911

everichon

Hmm, cool idea, but it is missing a lot of local businesses and amenities which I would include. My sense of my home's walkability is rather higher than the 58 I scored.

Slow Train

82. But I really would like a closer grocery store. A new Safeway is to open 2 blocks from me next year

I'm the champ so far!!!!

m5nardi

I wonder how they are figuring this, since my house is a 24, where I was carfree for ten years. Within a mile of my front door, clearly marked on their map: six restaurants, a supermarket, two small grocers, two pharmacies, three parks, a pool, a beach, three schools, etc. Most of that is a half mile or less. As the bus stop is less than a block away, this is a very popular street for the non-drivers around here.

crtreedude 

Denial! They don't have Costa Rica (and we don't have addresses anyway... )

gwd

It gave me an 82 but some of the mileages are inaccurate. For example I'm
much much closer to the parks listed. The site has me .21 miles from grocery and .41 miles from the park but the park is actually closer than the grocery. It also doesn't list some of the nearby parks.

linux_author

- hmm... dunno how 'walkability' is measured on the site, but using my bike and 5 minutes, i can:

1) get prescriptions filled at four different pharmacies
2) acquire fuel for generator
3) buy hard liquor (wine & beer only in grocery stores or gas stations)
4) shop at a large home-improvement store
5) get pizza
6) do grocery food shopping
7) go to a mom/pop diner restaurant
8) go to library
9) go to post office
10) get mower fixed
11) do banking (choice of three)
12) get lunch/dinner at a good vietnamese restaurant
13) barf out on bad fast food (KFC, Quiznos, A&W, Long John's, Pizza ****)
14) rent scuba diving equipment
15) buy a 40-ft+ sailboat (Catalina is around corner)
16) go to my doctor
17) go to my dentist
18) go to a Wed/Sat/Sun 40-acre+ Farmer's/Flea market
19) shop at a large 'box' store (Sams)
20) shop at a dollar store
21) buy greeting cards
22) ship packages via UPS/FedEx
23) etc., etc....

- crap! how much more 'walkable' can a 33-score be?

maddyfish

My score at my city house was 31. I can walk to anything from here.
My score at my country place that is not finished, 7 miles down a gravel road, 13 miles from the nearest state road, 17 miles from a town, got a 20.
Program needs some work I think.

Jerseysbest

Cool app, needs works though. I got a 58, but I bike everywhere so "walkability" specificity isn't that important. Parents house in the suburbs got a 9! Friends place in NYC got a 96.

Depends on the data they have on the area, but still a really neat use of google maps...

rockmom

I got a 40. "Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving is a must." And yet our household (2 adults, 2 children) is carfree. I guess the bike path a block over and the conveniently located bus transfer point don't count as transportation.

wahoonc

hehehe... My main house scored a whopping ZERO and yes their map needs some major work, they missed 2 grocery stores and a bar

My approximate city address netted a 60...gee I wonder why? the whole town is ONLY 3x4 miles square: What is really funny is that it listed the deli that is right next door as being .15 miles a way, but the public library that is 2 blocks away as being .12 miles....go figure...

Aaron

bike2math

56 for my house. Did you check some of the "famous" places. The White House scored a 98, with what appears to be a gaggle of coffee shops surrounding it. I don't remember there being a grocery store walking distance from the white house, but I haven't been there in a few years.

In my experience far and away the most important walking distance item is a grocery store and or liquor store (you gotta be able to get good beer), It wasn't clear to me if the program took this into account.

They should make a walking distance temperature map like zillow has for home sales.

CommuterRun

Woo-HOOO!! I got a blazin' 7!
Pfft, the only walking I have to do is walk a bike out of the livingroom. Okay, if I'm taking the road bike I have to walk out to the paved road. Whoop-ee, a few hundred yards.

They list a deli 0.26 miles away that I know for a fact isn't there.

The thing they really miss the boat on is not taking into account my lifestyle. I've got several places to go hunting and fresh and in-shore saltwater fishing, work, golf, etc., all within 10 miles. Easy bicycle distance, even towing a canoe.

donnamb 

You guys all saw this page, right? I think the way this page can work for people who use a bike as their primary or even secondary means of transportation is that they can use that score as a minimum. A distance that isn't so much fun to walk can be perfectly reasonable by bike.

AStomper

It has a spa listed as a grocer near me, must have pulled everything out of a phonebook, and if a little party store decides to call itself a grocer than it counts as one. I think they should have a feature to pull the stuff off that is miss marked. I like this though because it made me realize how close stuff is north of me, which I rarely travel to.

evblazer

I especially like their explanation of distance calculations
"We are currently using "as the crow flies" distances rather than walking directions. This means if you live across the lake from a destination, we are assuming you will swim."

My current house is a 30.. my parents was a 20 or so. In reality both should be a 0 but google don't know about lack of sidewalks or safe walking paths.

ClineAudio

My location has me at 76...in chicago. However, as many are saying, w/ a bike, I really don't need a car, outside of needing to get somewhere far away faster in the evening, having to carry something large, or needing go out of town.

BTW, this map does not show the fact that I have major bus and rail lines under .5 mi away. Or, any of the major chain grocery stores (Jewel). Makes me think that walkscore.com only shows results for people who replied to their phone calls or something.

wahoonc

I went back an played with that thing some more. It is GROSSLY inaccurate. The town we are moving to has at least 5 grocery stores including a Super Walmart that aren't listed. And it lists a Mobile Home park as a coffee shop??? Strange...and at my house it is missing 2 full service grocery stores that are within 2 miles. I also love their little quip about narrow lane roads being good for walking because traffic travels slower....HELLO???? have they ever visited a narrow two lane road in the deep south I think not. It is a neat concept but needs major work to be truly useful. The best way to find out if a place is walkable or bikable is to get out there and try it.

Aaron

CommuterRun

An excellent quote.

dblock

24

same time

Hmm, my house only scored a 60 even though everything I need is less than a mile away, most things on the list less than half a mile. We walk to them all. Not sure why my score was so low. Maybe half a mile is considered a long walk.

Open-air and vendor markets that don't have business addresses aren't listed, either, even though the one by me is open six days a week. There are at least four bars and one coffee shop closer than the ones they listed, too.

Other than that, it was accurate with locations/distances, and pretty much came up with a list of the places I shop.

Edit: okay, I entered in my old Brooklyn NY address, and everything came up less than two tenths of a mile from the house, most things less than one tenth. The score is only 89. Just where do you have to live to score in the 90's?