Sifter

For years we’ve been operating under the impression that Bidwell Park is the third-largest municipal park in America, behind Los Angeles’ Griffith Park and Phoenix’s South Mountain Park. Boy were we wrong. Bidwell is actually the ninth-largest municipal park in the nation, at least in area. Break it down to acres per capita, however, and we’re No. 1. The following information comes from the Friends of Bidwell Park Web site.

Park Name Location Size (acres) 2000 Population Acres Per Capita<p<South Mountain Park Phoenix, AZ 16,500 1,321,045 .013</p>

Cullen Park Houston, TX 10,534 1,953,631 .005

Newport News Park Newport News, VA 8,000 180,150 .044

Mission Trails Park San Diego, CA 5,760 1,223,400 .005

Forest Park Portland, OR 5,000 529,121 .010

Fairmont Park Philadelphia, PA 4,180 1,517,550 .003

Griffith Park Los Angeles, CA 4,107 3,694,820 .001

Eagle Creek Park Indianapolis, IN 3,930 781,870 .005

Bidwell Park Chico, CA 3,670 59,954 .061

Mill Creek Park Youngstown OH 2,530 82,026 .030

Swope Park Kansas City, MO 1,769 441,545 .004

Forest Park St. Louis, MO 1,300 348,189 .004

Golden Gate Park San Francisco, CA 1,017 776,733 .001

Central Park New York City, NY 843 19,157,532 .00004