Finding a basketball game to watch in the Norfolk, Va., area is a slam dunk. And finding a place to play basketball there is an alley-oop. Figures from the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit that promotes parks and other public spaces, indicate Norfolk lays up 406 public basketball hoops […]
Author: John Egan
America’s 9 Most Vegan-Friendly Cities
“The Voice” judges and celebrity couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton embrace it. So do former President Bill Clinton, actress Natalie Portman, pop superstar Madonna and tennis legend Venus Williams. All of these high-profile people count themselves among the millions of American devotees of veganism. In the U.S., 3% of […]
Top 10 Cities With Biggest Increase in Extreme Heat
In McAllen, a Texas city along the U.S. border with Mexico, the heat is on … and on and on and on. From 1979 to 2018, McAllen saw the average number of days per year with a heat index of at least 105 degrees shoot up by 21.9, according to […]
Less Room to Roam: Average Size of Home Lots in U.S. Is Shrinking
When Americans are hunting for a home, they give a lot of thought to the size of the lot. After all, a bigger lot means more space for a backyard patio or a kids’ playscape — and more lawn to mow. “Many people like the idea of living in a […]
Hot Landscaping Trend: Building Fireplaces Outdoors
Is the indoor fireplace flaming out and the outdoor fireplace flaring up? A LawnStarter review of U.S. Census Bureau data shows the percentage of new single-family homes built without indoor fireplaces sits at its highest level since at least 1973. In 2018, according to the Census Bureau, the share of […]
Farmer’s Dozen: The 12 States With the Most Organic Farms
Written by John Egan With a nickname like the Green Mountain State, it’s fitting that Vermont has cultivated a sizable presence in organic farming. A LawnStarter review of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows Vermont leads the country for the number of organic-certified farms per 100,000 residents. […]
The 8 Places Where Christmas Lights Truly Make People’s Faces Light Up
Written by John Egan When it comes to Christmas lights, the Oklahoma City, OK, metro area is a shining star. The OKC metro area tops LawnStarter’s new ranking, based on Google Trends data, of the 8 Places Where Christmas Lights Truly Make People’s Faces Light Up. Jump to List of […]
The 12 U.S. Markets Between the Coasts with the Most Homes Valued at $1 Million-Plus
Written by John Egan In the San Francisco, CA, metro area, many homes worth at least $1 million don’t actually fall into the luxury category. In fact, it’s almost a luxury if you can buy a home in the country’s most expensive housing market that’s valued at less than $1 […]
The 12 States Where Christmas Tree Harvesting Has Sagged the Most
Written by John Egan The state of the Christmas tree business in Kentucky is almost as sad as Charlie Brown’s famously frail Christmas tree. A LawnStarter review of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows Christmas tree production in Kentucky plummeted 85.9 percent from 2002 to 2012. That […]
Raising The Roof: The 12 U.S. Regions Adding The Most New Homes
Long Island, NY, is undergoing a residential building boom — just in time for Amazon to drop a corporate office there that eventually will employ 25,000 people. A LawnStarter analysis of data from real estate brokerage Redfin shows that among more than 70 U.S. metro locations, Long Island — home […]