(WalletHub) - Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with parades didn’t originate in Ireland, but instead started and became popular in North American colonies centuries ago. What began as a Catholic feast day and gained more recognition with these colonial celebrations is today one of America’s biggest cultural holidays.
More than 31.2 million people in the U.S. claim Irish ancestry – that’s nearly six times the population of Ireland. As this lucky group of people expanded over the centuries, so too did American St. Paddy’s Day traditions. 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. This year, Americans are projected to spend $7 billion on the holiday.
But not every city that celebrates St. Patrick’s Day is worth kissing the Irish for. WalletHub compared 200 of the largest cities across 15 key metrics to find the best places to wear green and save some, too. To figure its rankings, WalletHub looked at everything from Irish pubs and restaurants per capita to the lowest price for a three-star hotel on St. Patrick’s Day to the weather forecast.
Though Las Vegas is known for throwing a great party, WalletHub found two other cities in Nevada that they felt do it better, with both finishing in the top 10.
Reno came in 2nd place in the entire 200-city ranking, with Henderson finishing 8th. Las Vegas was a respectable 23rd . Dinging Las Vegas’ overall ranking were low marks in “Costs” (74th) and “Safety and Accessibility” (85th). Las Vegas ranked 2nd overall in the “Weather” category, trailing only…Henderson.
In what should be a surprise to no one, Boston topped the “Best Places” survey, with Reno, Savannah, Santa Rosa (CA) and Worcester (MA) topping out the top 5.
For a full look at the Wallet Hub survey, click here.