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6 Florida Cities Rank Among Best Places To Go For Thanksgiving

Author Daniel Morabito
Welcome to Florida sign along U.S. Route 319 at the Florida/Georgia state line.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, millions of Americans are traveling around the globe. Many people from the North are heading South to escape the cold weather, but where are they going? 6 Florida cities rank among the best places to go for Thanksgiving, according to WalletHub.

Traveling during the holidays can be absolutely insane. If you don’t like heavy traffic while traveling, you’ll want to avoid these places altogether, but sometimes it’s impossible to avoid. We got this info from the folks over at WalletHub. Click here to see the full breakdown and list.

How did WalletHub determine these rankings?

WalletHub took 100 of the most populated cities across five different key indicators. Thanksgiving Celebrations and Traditions, Affordability, Safety & Accessibility, Giving Thanks, and Thanksgiving Weather Forecast were the key indicators used to determine this list.

After determining the key indicators, they used 18 different metrics with differing point weights. Cost of Thanksgiving dinner, affordability of restaurants, crime rate, traffic congestion, Thanksgiving temperature vs. average temperature and more. These metrics were graded on a 100-point scale. The score of 100 represented the most favorable of conditions while 0 represented the most unfavorable for Thanksgiving celebrations.

After determining the score of each metric, they took the city’s weighted average to calculate the overall score. They excluded cities that were in the surrounding metro areas and only included the areas within the direct city limits.

Which Florida cities are the best places to go for Thanksgiving?

  • Orlando: Ranks 15th Overall
  • Miami: Ranks 23rd Overall
  • Tampa: Ranks 30th Overall
  • Jacksonville: Ranks 68th Overall
  • St. Petersburg: Ranks 83rd Overall
  • Hialeah: Ranks 99th Overall

Miami ranked in the top 5 for most pumpkin patches per capita while Jacksonville ranked in the lowest. Both Orlando and Tampa ranked in the top 5 for highest number of Holiday decorations shops per capita. Miami, Hialeah and Jacksonville ranked in the bottom 3 for total volunteer hours per residents ages 16 and older. 

Originally from the Midwest and moved down to Tampa Bay after college. When Daniel is not working on Beasley Content, you can find him fishing or skateboarding. Daniel enjoys writing about local restaurants across the Tampa Bay area, Florida lottery stories, and concert reviews/photos.

10 Things Floridians Are Thankful For

There are lots of reasons to love (and hate) Florida. Even though the traffic is crazy, it’s somehow getting more humid, politics has a lot of people in the state divided, we still love calling this place “home”. Now is the time when we gather around and recognize that even though times are tough, at least we’re living in paradise.  Here’s our list of 10 things that Floridians are thankful for.

It’s that time of year when we step back and appreciate all of the wonderful things in our lives. Here in Florida, we have a lot to be thankful for. We have gorgeous beaches, lots to do, and no need to shovel snow every year! There’s also a bunch of things that Floridians couldn’t survive without, like air conditioning, swimming pools, or sunglasses. We know after this summer, we’re especially grateful for our AC unit.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a huge increase in people moving to Florida. Who could blame them? Once they get a taste of the good life here in the Sunshine State, why would they go back north? If you ask any Floridian “What are you thankful for in Florida?” it’ll be hard to pinpoint a single reason. Here’s our list of 10 things Floridians are thankful for… Did we miss any?

  • Pub Subs

    It’s a Florida delicacy. One of the first things tourist do when they make it to Florida is see what all the hype is about for Pub Subs. Then, they realize this may be the best sub they’ll ever have. We couldn’t imagine living in a state without Publix.

  • Beautiful Beaches & Sunsets

    Floridians have to be thankful to live where others vacay. Sometimes sitting back with your toes in the sand and watch the sky change into a mix of beautiful pinks, purples and orange will make you forget about the awful snowbird driving.

  • Sunscreen

    To piggyback off our last reason to be thankful. Floridians simply could not survive without sunscreen. Without it, we’d look like this guy.

    10 Things Floridians Are Thankful For

    Getty Royalty Free

  • Theme Park Capital Of The World

    Floridians are sure thankful for the Florida Resident discount for multiple big theme parks!

  • Amazing Sports Teams

    There’s a reason why they call us Champa Bay. Not only do we have champion-winning teams, but wonderful owners and organizations who constantly give back to the community.

  • No State Income Tax

    While everybody else dreads April 15, Floridians don’t have to worry about state income tax.

  • Sweater Weather

    While other states are bundled up in winter gear, Floridians are thankful for sweater weather all winter long. Any time the thermometer dips below 75 degrees, we use it as an excuse to whip out our cardigans and knee-high boots.

    10 Things

    Getty Royalty Free

  • Delicious Food And Restaurants

    Floridians, and especially those in Tampa, should be grateful for all of the food culture in our state. The Cuban sandwich is a Tampa delicacy. We also have some of the most popular restaurants that get recognized nationally.

  • Gorgeous Fresh Water Springs

    If going to the beach surrounded by tourists isn’t your vibe, then you’re in luck! Floridians are thankful for this alternate cool-down activity in the summer time. Fresh water springs like Weeki-Watchi, Rainbow River, and Crystal River (just to name a few) to relax and cool off in the summer time. BONUS! Any spring open in the fall is a great opportunity to get close to our sea cows! I mean, who doesn’t love a manatee sighting!

    5 Springs That Are Worth The Drive From Tampa

  • Florida Man Headlines

    Alright, this is something that I think the whole COUNTRY is thankful for. Who doesn’t love a good Florida Man headline?

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Author Daniel Morabito
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