The Most Pet-Friendly Cities in the US
The Best Domestic Destinations for Travelers With Pets
Few experiences are more enjoyable and rewarding than traveling with your pet. On top of eliminating the stress and cost of leaving your furry friend behind, bringing your pet along for the journey likely ensures you’ll be spending less time staring at a screen and more time seeing your destination. To determine the top places for traveling pet owners, the expert team at All About Cats recently analyzed the biggest U.S. cities based on their pet-hosting infrastructure, examining a variety of key factors, including the percentage of pet owners in the city’s state, the amount of pet-friendly hotels, the number of dog-friendly restaurants, cat cafes and veterinary services. With the data in hand, All About Cats developed overall pet-friendly scores for each, revealing a top 10 that spans the nation.
T10. Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta rounds out the list of the top 10 most pet-friendly cities in America with a final score of 5.95 out of 10. It helps that more than half of Georgia’s population are pet owners. Plus, visitors to this city can choose from more than 240 pet-friendly hotels and there are even two cat cafes where travelers can dine and drink alongside their adorable pals.
T10. Madison, Wisconsin
Further north in the Midwest, Madison is tied with Atlanta for 10th overall but ranks second in terms of pet-friendly hotels, with 65 percent welcoming four-legged travel companions. Wisconsin also boasts a robust pet-owning population (59 percent) and its capital offers two cat cafes for felines and their friends.
9. Kansas City, Missouri
Missouri’s pet-owning population (63.5 percent) is the highest of any state in the top 10, trailing only Idaho, where nearly seven out of 10 residents own a pet. Therefore, Kansas City narrowly edges out Madison and Atlanta for ninth with a score of 5.96 out of 10. Kansas City offers more than 100 pet-friendly hotels but just a single cat cafe.
8. Orlando, Florida
Orlando’s 455 pet-friendly hotels are by far the most of any city in the top 10. Plus, the Theme Park Capital of the World offers more than 340 veterinary services and just over two dozen dog-friendly restaurants. Unfortunately, you can’t bring your pet to Walt Disney World.
7. Chicago, Illinois
Despite having the lowest pet-owning population (48.6 percent) of any state in the top 10, Illinois’ largest city, Chicago features a trio of cat cafes, more than two dozen dog-friendly restaurants and 175 pet-friendly hotels, helping it to an overall pet-friendly score of 6.09 out of 10.
6. Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is renowned for its gorgeous weather and all of those sun-kissed outdoor patios only help the city’s pet-friendliness score (6.14 out of 10). There are as many as 184 pet-friendly hotels to choose from in this South Florida hotspot, dozens of dog-friendly restaurants and close to 350 veterinary services.
5. Glendale, Arizona
Located just a few miles northwest of Phoenix, Glendale is taking advantage of its seemingly endless sunshine and toasty temperatures with nearly two dozen pet-friendly hotels, 17 dog-friendly restaurants and a whopping 409 veterinary services for Fido and felines alike. The latter figure is the most of any city in the top 10, trailing only Aurora, Colorado nationwide.
4. New York, New York
New York City’s 39 dog-friendly restaurants are the most of any city outside of San Diego. The Big Apple’s pet-friendly score of 7.32 out of 10 is also the result of having 250-plus pet-friendly hotels, 400 veterinarian services and a healthy population of pet owners in the state (58.6 percent).
3. Seattle, Washington
The Pacific Northwest is well-represented at the top of the list. Washington’s pet-owning population nears 63 percent and Seattle offers visitors more than 100 pet-friendly hotels as well as close to 30 dog-friendly restaurants, a pair of cat cafes and some 230 veterinary services.
2. Austin, Texas
Austin’s six cat cafes are the most of any city that All About Cats analyzed. For comparison, second-place Chicago has just three. Additionally, the Texas capital is home to more than 200 pet-friendly hotels, over 30 dog-friendly restaurants and close to 250 veterinary services. Plus, more than 58 percent of the Texas population are pet owners.
1. Portland, Oregon
Earning an impressive pet-friendly score of 7.68 out of 10, Portland is the best city in the U.S. for travelers with furry friends. In addition to nearly 60 percent of Oregon residents being pet owners, Portland is home to more than 100 pet-friendly hotels (58 percent), more than two dozen dog-friendly restaurants and close to 300 veterinary services. The city even offers 33 dog parks, which leads the nation in dog park per capita ratio.