Which American City Throws The Best St. Patrick’s Day Party?
More than 31 million people in the United States claim Irish ancestry — nearly six times the population of Ireland itself.
When St. Patrick’s Day rolls around — a Catholic feast day originally honoring Saint Patrick, a missionary who brought Christianity to the island in the fifth century — Americans go hard with street parades and pints of beer.
You may see more tame acknowledgements in schools and workplaces, where people often wear green, which, in American folklore, makes them invisible to leprechauns and therefore protects them from the their mischievous pinches.
READ: 5 Things You Didn't Know About the Feast of St. Patrick
Historians are quick to point out, however, that when the English ruled Ireland, they associated blue with St. Patrick. Green came along later, as a symbol of Irish rebellion against English rule and a reminder of the shamrock, Ireland’s national flower, and the plant the saint used to describe a core principle of Christianity: The trinity.
However, the weekend leading up to Saint Patrick’s Day and on March 17, many American streets come alive with celebrations.
“Different cities have their own St. Patrick’s Day traditions,” Adam McCann, a WalletHub financial writer, said in a recent report. “Chicago, for instance, gained fame for dyeing its river green, while other places are now known for their elaborate pageants, pub crawls or long processions of marching bagpipers.”
McCann and his team ranked the best American cities for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations based on traditions, costs, safety and typical weather. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Boston came in first place. More than 20% of the city’s residents claim Irish ancestry and their professional basketball team is called the Celtics, completing with a “Lucky the Leprechaun” mascot decked out in shamrocks.
That year-round Irish pride is amplified the week they celebrate their patron saint, with a huge St. Patrick’s Day parade, bringing in more than a million visitors per year and dating back to 1724.
According to the WalletHub report, Boston has the six most Irish pubs and restaurants in the city, and they are generally affordable to those celebrating.
In second place, Reno, Nev., is known for its “Leprechaun Crawl,” an annual 5K and some of the lowest beer prices in the country. Savannah came in third place. The city in Georgia welcomes around half a million visitors for the festivities. Many enjoy its famous Celtic Cross Ceremony, which kicks off with Mass at the Basilica Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, an architectural masterpiece, then attendees form a parade, marching to the Celtic Cross monument in Emmet Park.
“The art, myths and legends of Ireland have made their way into American folklore, and many people who are not of Irish descent still feel an affinity with the culture as a result,” said Bettina Arnold, a professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “A good indicator of this sense of cultural connection is the prevalence of tattoos with obvious origins in Irish or Celtic artistic traditions.”
How does your city stack up? McCann and his team crunched the numbers.
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Percent of the population with Irish ancestry
Highest:
1. Naperville, Ill.
2. Overland Park, Kan.
3. Pittsburgh, Penn.
4. Arlington, Virginia
5. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Lowest:
T-195. Paterson, N.J.
T-195. Miramar, Fla.
T-197. Newark, N.J.
T-197. Laredo, Texas
T-197. Brownsville, Texas
200. Hialeah, Fla.
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Irish pubs and restaurants per capita
Most:
T-1. New York City
T-1. Tampa, Fla.
3. San Francisco, Calif.
4. Boston, Mass.
5. Philadelphia, Penn.
Least:
135. Fort Worth, Texas
136. Wichita, Kan.
137. El Paso, Texas
138. Tucson, Ariz.
139. San Jose, Calif.
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Average beer prices
Lowest:
1. Madison, Wis.
2. Reno, Nev.
3. Milwaukee, Wis.
4. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
5. Jackson, Miss.
Highest
196. Arlington, Va.
197. Jersey City, N.J.
198. Philadelphia, Penn.
199. Salem, Oregon
200. Anchorage, Alaska
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Overall best cities on St. Patrick’s Day
1. Boston, Mass.
2. Reno, Nev.
3. Savannah. Ga.
4. Overland Park, Kan.
5. Henderson, Nev.
6. Omaha, Neb.
7. New York City
8. St. Paul, Minn.
9. Worcester, Mass.
10. Buffalo, N.Y.
Cassidy Grom is the managing editor of Religion Unplugged. Her award-winning reporting and digital design work have appeared in numerous publications.