Richmond named best Virginia city to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond has taken the top spot in the Commonwealth as the best city in Virginia to celebrate St. Patrick's Day next week.

A recent WalletHub report ranks 200 of the largest cities in America to find the best places to don the green on March 17 based on four key dimensions: St. Patrick's Day traditions, weather, costs and safety and accessibility. Originally a day honoring the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish heritage, the holiday has taken the U.S. by storm with parades in cities all over the country.

Each WalletHub dimension in the report features a set of metrics that add up to 100 points. Some of these metrics include the number of Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, average beer price, walkability and forecasted temperature for St. Patrick's Day.

Here’s what you need to know about St. Patrick’s Day

The study placed Richmond 26th on the list with 56.24 points, the highest-scoring Virginia city. The next Virginia locality with 53.98 points is Virginia Beach at No. 42. Other Virginia cities that made the list are Alexandria in the 59th spot, Newport News at 113th, Hampton at 124th, Norfolk at 127th and Arlington at 140th.

Overall, with 69.37 points and first place in the St. Patrick's Day traditions dimension, Boston is the best U.S. city to celebrate the holiday. Reno, Nev., Savannah, Ga., Overland Park, Kan. and Henderson, Nev. rounded out the top five.

To see the full report, visit WalletHub.