Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks
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Plano has the best city park system in Texas, per a new ranking.
- Dallas, meanwhile, has jumped up in the annual ranking.
Why it matters: Public parks offer greenery, shade and fresh air on hot days and a free gathering space for community groups.
Driving the news: None of the biggest Texas cities landed in the Top 10 in the 2025 ParkScore index, an annual ranking from the Trust for Public Land, a pro-park nonprofit.
- The report ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities' park systems relative to one another based on five categories: acreage, access, amenities, investment and equity.
Zoom in: Plano landed in the Top 25 at 17, followed by Dallas (34), Frisco (37), Arlington (46), Garland (67) and Fort Worth (72).
- Irving was bottom ranked at 99.
State of greenery: Dallas was ranked 53 in 2022, with 73% of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park. Now 81% of residents are within a 10-minute walk to green space.
- City leaders have prioritized adding park space, but Dallas still lags the national median for percentage of land used for parks and recreation.
Zoom out: Mayor Mattie Parker launched the Good Natured Greenspace Initiative two years ago to ensure Fort Worth preserves park space as the city rapidly grows.
- Fort Worth loses about 50 acres of open land every week to new development, the Trust report says. To offset that, the city has increased its parks funding from $73 million to $111 million in the past four years.
By the numbers: In Fort Worth, 69% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. And just 6% of the land is used for parks and recreation.
- 81% of Plano residents live within 10 minutes of a park. The city scores well for its park amenities, including having 19.2 playgrounds per 10,000 children and two bathrooms per 10,000 people.
- 63% of Irving residents live walking distance to a park, and 5% of the city's land is dedicated to parks.
Yes, but: Parks are not evenly distributed among low-income and high-income neighborhoods.
- For example, in Irving, low-income neighborhoods have 31% less park space per person than residents in an average neighborhood. High-income residents have access to 47% more park space in their neighborhoods than the average resident.