Even prior to the pandemic, there has been a surge in direct farm-to-consumer sales in the United States. And it turns out that three California cities mark the best for locavores, meaning those who prefer foods from nearby gardens, farmers markets and farm-to-table restaurants.
LawnStarter compared the 150 biggest U.S. cities across 14 key indicators of locavore-friendliness to determine 2021’s Best Cities for Locavores (the top 10 can be viewed below). These indicators range from the prevalence of community-supported agriculture and farm-to-table restaurants to the sales of farm-to-consumer food per capita.
California dominates the rankings, claiming three of the top 10 (Santa Rosa, Anaheim and Ontario) and 10 of the top 20 cities. According to LawnStarter, the reasons are obvious as California is an agricultural powerhouse. One-third of all vegetables and two-thirds of all U.S. fruits and nuts come from this single state.
Rank | City |
1 | Santa Rosa, CA |
2 | Ontario, CA |
3 | Salem, OR |
4 | Vancouver, WA |
5 | Worcester, MA |
6 | Anaheim, CA |
7 | Yonkers, NY |
8 | Jersey City, NJ |
9 | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
10 | Hialeah, FL |
The full ranking and analysis can be found here.