The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that America has a total shoreline of more than 95,000 miles, a distance almost four times the earth’s circumference. That means a lot of beaches. Of course access to beaches varies enormously from state to state and city to city, with some inland states losing out almost entirely.
Which municipalities have the longest stretches of beachfront (whether on ocean, lake, or river) for locals and their visitors to enjoy? To determine that, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data in 2021 City Park Facts, published by the Trust for Public Land, which reports miles of beach per 100,000 residents.
Click here to see the cities with the most miles of beach per person
Given its name, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that No. 1 on the list is Virginia Beach, Virginia. Maybe it should even be called Virginia Beaches, since it has 45 of them, translating into 9.9 miles of beach per 100,000 residents. It’s followed by Corpus Christi, Texas, with 15 beaches and less than half the per capita beachfront, at 4.5 miles per 100,000 residents. (This is the best place in America to own a beach house.)
Minneapolis comes in at third place, with 12 beaches and 2.8 miles of beach per 100,000 residents, which may come as a surprise since it’s an inland state. However, remember that the state is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”
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39. Houston, TX
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.1 mile
> Total number of beaches: 2
> Total population: 2,419,240
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38. Charlotte/Mecklenburg, NC
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.1 mile
> Total number of beaches: 2
> Total population: 1,115,617
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37. Kansas City, MO
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.2 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 509,608
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36. Detroit, MI
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.2 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 660,628
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35. Colorado Springs, CO
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.2 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 485,817
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34. Baltimore, MD
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.2 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 609,422
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33. Atlanta, GA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.2 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 503,991
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32. San Jose, CA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.2 mile
> Total number of beaches: 2
> Total population: 1,013,400
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31. New York, NY
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.2 mile
> Total number of beaches: 19
> Total population: 8,502,614
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30. St. Paul, MN
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.3 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 304,197
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29. Cleveland, OH
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.3 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 376,362
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28. Anchorage, AK
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.3 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 301,209
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27. Madison, WI
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 264,742
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26. Laredo, TX
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 269,616
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25. Jersey City, NJ
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 281,829
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24. Des Moines, IA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 228,877
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23. Buffalo, NY
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 260,357
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22. Boise, ID
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 1
> Total population: 239,077
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21. Miami, FL
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 2
> Total population: 461,859
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20. Los Angeles, CA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.4 mile
> Total number of beaches: 16
> Total population: 3,967,152
19. Aurora, CO
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.5 mile
> Total number of beaches: 2
> Total population: 375,803
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18. Milwaukee, WI
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.5 mile
> Total number of beaches: 3
> Total population: 588,573
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17. Nashville/Davidson, TN
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.7 mile
> Total number of beaches: 5
> Total population: 696,653
Source: Brandon Williams / iStock via Getty Images
16. Sacramento, CA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.8 mile
> Total number of beaches: 4
> Total population: 508,357
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15. Portland, OR
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.8 mile
> Total number of beaches: 5
> Total population: 656,300
Source: bluejayphoto / iStock via Getty Images
14. San Francisco, CA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.8 mile
> Total number of beaches: 7
> Total population: 881,791
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13. Fremont, CA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 0.9 mile
> Total number of beaches: 2
> Total population: 231,567
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12. Tampa, FL
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.0 mile
> Total number of beaches: 4
> Total population: 390,996
Source: roman_slavik / iStock via Getty Images
11. Seattle, WA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.2 miles
> Total number of beaches: 9
> Total population: 740,227
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10. Jacksonville, FL
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.2 miles
> Total number of beaches: 11
> Total population: 937,821
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9. Chicago, IL
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.2 miles
> Total number of beaches: 32
> Total population: 2,740,225
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8. Long Beach, CA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.3 miles
> Total number of beaches: 6
> Total population: 473,567
Source: Planet Unicorn / iStock via Getty Images
7. Boston, MA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.6 miles
> Total number of beaches: 11
> Total population: 699,253
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
6. St. Petersburg, FL
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.9 miles
> Total number of beaches: 5
> Total population: 265,119
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5. San Diego, CA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 1.9 miles
> Total number of beaches: 26
> Total population: 1,394,515
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4. Norfolk, VA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 2.8 miles
> Total number of beaches: 7
> Total population: 248,416
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3. Minneapolis, MN
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 2.8 miles
> Total number of beaches: 12
> Total population: 424,175
Source: DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
2. Corpus Christi, TX
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 4.5 miles
> Total number of beaches: 15
> Total population: 329,746
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1. Virginia Beach, VA
> Miles of beach per 100,000 residents: 9.9 miles
> Total number of beaches: 45
> Total population: 453,291
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