For the first time, Des Moines has been ranked on an annuallist of the best city park systems in the U.S.
Iowa's capital city ranked 39th on the Trust for Public Land's ParkScore index, which rates the 100 most populous cities based on total park acreage, investment, amenities and access.
"While 39 out of 100 may not sound that impressive, consider that Des Moines beat out cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Dallas and Miami," said Des Moines' parks communications director, Jen Fletcher. "We know we have some work to do, but our team is very proud of this accomplishment in our first yearparticipating."