By Morf Morford, Tacoma Daily Index
There are many ways to measure, define or frame what makes any given area desirable or appealing. In residential real estate, a key principle is “curb appeal” – the first impression that anyone passing by initially holds. As most of us know, the first impression, as individuals or as a community, can be lasting. Communities can be measured and defined by many things – parks, schools, even bookstores, artisan coffee shops, breweries or bakeries.
Ice Cream as an urban metric?
But ice cream access and quality? One answer is, of course, why not? Ice cream, it could be argued has, like fast food of all kinds, from pizza to burgers, its legions of dedicated, if not obsessive fans.
And, as in every other category of food or drink, not every city has access to memorable varieties of ice cream.
Quality vs. quantity
Like other essentials (and quasi-essentials), being able to find what you are looking for is one thing, whether it is worthy of the search – or extra effort or price – is an entirely different question.
In short, like internet access, artisan bakeries and local breweries, the ability to find quality and innovative ice cream is not evenly distributed.
As with everything else, some regions excel in their ice cream offerings, while others for whatever set of reasons, do not.
You might think ice cream appreciation would follow, or at least be somewhat aligned with, geography. But that is not necessarily true. While a few southern cities offer the best options for ice cream, several southern cities dominate the list of the top ten worst cities for ice cream.
On the basis of a (relatively) objective metric of access to ice cream, speciality offerings like froyo and gelato, consumer ratings, and ice cream awards, these are the best;
Best Cities for Ice Cream Lovers
- 1 Miami, FL
- 2 San Francisco, CA
- 3 New York, NY
- 4 Los Angeles, CA
- 5 Philadelphia, PA
- 6 St. Louis, MO
- 7 Las Vegas, NV
- 8 Honolulu, HI
- 9 Washington, DC
- 10 Orlando, FL
You can see the details, including the methodology, criteria and a location near you, here.
As you might guess, California produces the most ice cream. But a closer look shows that Miami (No. 1) has the best ice cream access, with over four vendors per square mile. The next-best access will be found in San Francisco (No. 2) with over three vendors per square mile.
There are many reasons for varying availability and quality.
From ethnic communities with additional flavors and combinations (like Miami’s Cuban gelato, with interesting flavors like menta (mint), turron (nougat with nuts), Moscatel (muscatel wine), and avellana (hazelnut)) to regional or seasonal preferences, how we take our ice cream is as individual as our tastes.
Where we ice cream
For some of us, buying ice cream, and socializing at a favorite shop is the best part of the experience. For others, for a variety of reasons, from the budget to the logistics (number of people, distance, event, time of day) buying ice cream from the local grocery store is good enough.
Business opportunities
Oddly enough, Nashville, Tennessee (No. 106), Kansas City, Missouri (No. 113), and Fort Worth, Texas (No. 140), finished within the bottom 30 in terms of access. They also scored among the top 40 cities with the most online searches for ice cream, which means that, for any budding ice cream entrepreneur, untapped potential markets are waiting for you.
When it comes to official recognition, St. Louis (No. 6) takes 1st place in Contest Awards, with the most total wins from the most recent North American Ice Cream Association Awards.
And, just so you know…
Worst Cities for Ice Cream Lovers
- 1 Montgomery, AL
- 2 Macon, GA
- 3 Springfield, MA
- 4 Columbus, GA
- 5 Amarillo, TX
- 6 Thornton, CO
- 7 Warren, MI
- 8 Lubbock, TX
- 9 Laredo, TX
- 10 Fayetteville, NC
