Key Insights:
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Land of Locavores: It’s no secret that Portlanders love local food. Portland, Oregon, takes first place overall with the best Access to local eats and the highest number of u-pick farms. The City of Roses also offers a high number of farm stands, on-farm markets, and craft breweries per square mile.
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Atlantic Eats: Mid-Atlantic cities Baltimore (No. 2), Alexandria, Virginia(No. 3), and Washington (No. 4), sprout to the top of our ranking with high Access and Support for eating local.
Alexandria and Washington tie with Philadelphia (No. 21) for the most on-farm markets within 50 miles. Baltimore boasts the best Convenience with the second-highest number of both on-farm pickup and delivery options. All three cities have Buy Fresh Buy Local chapters, too.
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Pick Your Own: Cities in the Northeast and Northwest grow plenty of options for picking your own produce at farms. Portland (No. 1) leads the way, followed by Vancouver, Washington (No. 10), Boston (No. 7), Worcester, Massachusetts (No. 11), and Seattle (No. 6) in u-pick farm access.
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Fast (Fresh) Food: Eating local doesn’t need to be inconvenient in Madison, Wisconsin (No. 8), where locals devour the most options for food delivery directly from farms. Baltimore (No. 2), Portland, Oregon(No. 1), Louisville, Kentucky (No. 39), and St. Paul, Minnesota (No. 15), all tie for second place in this metric with a handful of other cities.
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From Seed to Salad: Community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs are a popular and convenient way to access farm-fresh food — especially in Minneapolis (No. 5), which has the most CSAs per 100,000 residents. Eugene, Oregon (No. 42), produces the second-highest number of CSAs per capita.
While you’re busy cooking up a locavore storm, hire a local LawnStarter pro to keep your lawn looking as fresh as your local food.
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