The popularity of pickleball has reached an all-time high in America after the sport seemed to take off during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pickleball was a way for people to get a quick workout in with friends and to be able to spend time together in what was viewed as a safe, relatively sanitary space in a time when those values were of utmost importance.
Pickleball has thrived as many members of the growing community realized how fun and enjoyable it was. Much like golf, demand for the sport has skyrocketed since 2020 with people having fun and still considering safety and sanitation to be more important than they did pre-Covid. With the Covid year requiring so many people to isolate, spending time doing activities with friends has become even more popular, adding to the pickleball growth.
Demand has been so great that dedicated pickleball facilities have been opening up across the nation, with stores that are closing down in malls scheduled to be turned into pickleball courts, indoor golf facilities, and more.
We break from Minnesota sportsbooks updates to bring you the top U.S. cities that love pickleball most.
Pickleball Has Been Around Nearly 60 Years
The sport began in 1965, but up until the recent surge in popularity it has been mostly a sport for retirement-age individuals who use it as a way to get exercise without straining their bodies too much. It combines several elements from tennis, badminton, and ping pong, and can be played on indoor or outdoor courts.
With the sport taking off at such a rapid pace, MinnesotaBets.com wanted to see which states across the nation love pickleball the most. Utilizing Trust For Public Land’s 2022 City Park Facts data on parks in the nation’s 100 largest cities, BetMinnesota was able to utilize their pickleball courts per 20,000 residents in the city to come up with the top cities.
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St. Paul Representing Minnesota Pickleball Lovers
While St. Paul put up a strong fight, they weren’t able to take down the top spot as that honor went to Seattle, WA, checking in with 3.0 courts per 20,000 residents, compared to St. Paul’s 2.6. Aside from Seattle, Des Moines IA, and Columbus OH were the only cities to rank above St. Paul. This result is made even more impressive considering all of those cities deal with months of the year when their outdoor courts are not usable due to the weather outside. States like Florida can have outdoor courts going all year long and have the advantage of being the home of several retirees.
There is no doubt that pickleball is a sport on the rise, and there are few better spots to play than St. Paul, with a wide variety of indoor and outdoor courts to keep the excitement going.
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