By Monday, Halloween will be over. However, an estimated 1.5 million witches in the U.S. still need to find a welcoming place to practice witchcraft year-long once the candy is eaten and decorations are down.
Helen Berger, a resident Scholar at Brandeis University's Women's Studies Research Center, said her research indicates that there are 800,000 people in the U.S. who identify as Wiccan, a neopagan religion developed in the 1940s. There are other witches in the country who don’t identify as Wiccan, she added.
According to Berger, more people are becoming witches.
“The increasing numbers that have been witnessed in surveys and the growth of groups, such as those on TikTok, suggest that the religion is continuing to grow,” she said.
“Today, more women than ever are choosing the way of the witch, whether literally or symbolically,” said Pam Grossman, a witch and author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic and Power.
Many of the people who identify as witches in the U.S. are also men, according to Mel Magazine.
Recently, lawn maintenance company Lawn Love decided to research where these witches could find the best places to settle down. To create the list, Lawn Love said their researchers ranked the 200 largest U.S.
cities based on access to tarot readers, astrology classes, and covens, or groups witches can gather and practice in.
“We also looked for cities brimming with natural healers, herbalists, and metaphysical supply stores,” said Lawn Love.
After collecting data, Lawn Loved conjured up a list of the top 10 U.S. cities for magical folk. Ranking on top:
1. New York, N.Y.
2. Los Angeles, Calif.
3. Pasadena, Calif.
4. Jersey City, N.J.
5. San Francisco, Calif.
6. Orange, Calif.
7. Hollywood, Fla.
8. Seattle, Wash.
9. Torrance, Calif.
10. Fullerton, Calif
With more than half of the top 10 cities on the list, California is the most witch-friendly state in the nation, according to Lawn Love’s ranking. Los Angeles ranked high in covens and supplies meaning there are fellow witches to meet and supply stores with supplies witches need. Nearby, Pasadena also ranked high in health and spirituality thanks to an abundance of healers, herbalists and tarot practitioners.
Apart from being the highest ranked city, New York is also home to WitchsFest USA, an annual festival where witches from around the country meet and participate in local workshops.
Witches in the Philadelphia region will be happy to know the city actually ranks well on the full list. Of the 200 largest U.S. cities, Philly ranks as the 37th best place for witches.
While witches might consider packing up their tarot deck, bundles of sage and candles to head to these locations, they might want to avoid the bottom 10 cities.
191. Sunrise Manor, Nev.
192. Enterprise, Nev.
193. Olathe, Kan.
194. Toledo, Ohio
195. Brownsville, Tex.
196. Jackson, Mississippi
196. Amarillo, Tex.
198. Lubbock, Tex.
199. Moreno Valley, Calif.
200. Laredo, Tex.
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