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Halloween — in all its costumed glory — is this Friday.
Which is why it pains us as a publication based in the state to say that there’s nowhere in Pennsylvania that is among the top cities to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve.
In a report conducted and published by WalletHub, not one city in the Keystone State was included among the top 10 best for Halloween this year. Nay, not even in the top 20.
The highest-ranked Pennsylvanian city was Philadelphia in the 22nd spot overall, meaning it just missed a solid standing. Pittsburgh came next in 37th overall.
Researchers at the site determined rankings after grading each of the 100 cities included on the list across three main categories: “Trick-or-Treater Friendliness;” “Halloween Fun;” and “Halloween Weather.” Various sub-metrics — “Crime Rate;” “Candy & Chocolate Stores per Capita” (something which Pittsburgh actually ranked fifth overall); and “Forecasted Halloween Precipitation” among them — were also taken into account.
The top three best cities for Halloween were thus found to be Los Angeles, California, in third; Jersey City, New Jersey, in second; and New York, New York, in first.
“New York City is the best place to be on Halloween, boasting the second-most Halloween costume shops and the most candy stores per capita,” the report reads. “Its residents also search Google for ‘Halloween parties’ and related terms more than people in any other city.
“On top of that, New York has the highest population density in the country, and the second-highest walkability score. That means it’s easy to go trick-or-treating and get a lot of candy. When it comes to other Halloween activities, New York also has the second-most movie theaters per capita and the 16th-most haunted houses, along with many amusement parks.”
Alas, the city in dead last was Memphis, Tennessee.
“Halloween holds a big place in American popular culture, and we collectively spend billions of dollars celebrating every year,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst. “At the same time, it’s also a holiday that comes with a certain amount of risk, given that children visit strangers’ houses in the dark.
“The best cities for Halloween are those that provide the safest conditions for celebrating, along with an abundance of activities, Halloween-related stores and good weather.”
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