Minneapolis, St. Paul parks lauded for amenities by national trust

We already knew our park systems were great. Now we know why.

Minneapolis and St. Paul parks have some of the best amenities in the country, says the Trust for Public Land (TPL).

The California-based nonprofit named Minneapolis and St. Paul the top two park systems in the nation in May. On Wednesday, the trust released a breakdown of the component parts that went into those honors.

"Minneapolis and St. Paul have great parks, but of course we knew that," said Alexandra Hiple, program coordinator at TPL's Center for City Park Excellence. "This just provides more information."

Both cities won eight top 10 rankings in a survey that breaks down the component parts of successful park systems.

Minneapolis has more ice rinks, golf courses, recreation and senior centers. St. Paul has more baseball diamonds, restrooms, pickleball courts and trail miles.

The capital city is leading in the number of community garden plots, which is becoming a growing national trend.

"They took a really hard look at making sure that the money they were spending on their parks was being not just equally distributed across the city, but also targeting areas that have historically been neglected," she said. "That's a plan we haven't seen anything similar to in other cities."

This report is a part of the trust's initiative to ensure that everyone has access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of their home.

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647 Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora