There’s nothing like the unconditional love of a pet, so when it comes to finding the right environment for our feline friends and canine companions, most pet owners only want the best of the best.
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In fact, according to the American Pet Products Association, nearly 85 million pet owners in the U.S. specifically search for pet-friendly areas where they can give their adopted friends an enjoyable life without breaking the bank.
To find out where America's top pet-friendly cities are, analysts at personal finance website WalletHub compared the country's 100 most populated cities based on three key dimensions: pet budget, pet health and wellness and outdoor pet-friendliness.
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They evaluated the dimensions using 21 relevant metrics such as average veterinary care costs, veterinarians per capita, dog parks per capita, weather and more.
Data came from a variety of sources, including the Census, WalkScore.com, Pets Best Insurance Services and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
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Scottsdale, Arizona, earned top honors as the most pet-friendly city in the U.S. and ranked first in pet health and wellness and second in outdoor pet-friendliness.
Atlanta, home to dedicated dog beaches, the Java Cats Cafe and countless other pet-friendly restaurants, also cracked WalletHub's top 10.
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How Atlanta fared in WalletHub’s most pet-friendly cities ranking:
- Overall rank: 9
- Pet budget: 24
- Pet health and wellness: 5
- Outdoor pet-friendliness: 75
- Most pet-friendly restaurants per capita: 1 (tie)
- Most animal shelters per capita: 2
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Last year, Atlanta ranked sixth on the overall list.
The 10 most pet-friendly cities in America, according to WalletHub:
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Tampa, Florida
- San Diego, California
- Orlando, Florida
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Austin, Texas
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Atlanta
- Las Vegas, Nevada
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More about the ranking and its methodology at WalletHub.com.
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