The Trust for Public Land has named Plano Parks & Recreation first in Texas and 15th in the United States, per their annual ParkScore rankings! This year’s report examined equity gaps in America and our evolving relationship to parks and public land, particularly as it pertains to a pandemic.

According to Plano’s 2021 ParkScore, 78% of Plano residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Plano has 85 parks, 98 miles of trails, five recreation centers and nine public swimming pools. The ranking is the latest in a long list of accolades for Plano Parks & Recreation. According to the report, Plano’s median park size is 13.8 acres. Seventy-seven percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Plano also spends $219 per resident on parks.

The ParkScore is based on five characteristics of an effective park system: access, investment, acreage, amenities and equity.

The department is also a four-time recipient of the National Recreation and Parks Association’s coveted National Gold Medal Award. This organization honors public park and recreation programs worldwide for excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb services with fiscally sound business practices.

Plano Parks & Recreation has been nationally accredited since 1994. The parks system has been key to Plano being a Tree City USA since 1989.