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Rating

Water Recreation Access

Scale55-100

Higher values are better.

About This Ranking

Goal

Highlight places with substantial nearby water and credible public-facing ways to enjoy it, with a modest allowance for how long the typical recreation season lasts.

Sources

Data behind the rating

4 sources
Data
Official mapped polygons for substantial lakes, reservoirs, rivers, bays, and coastal water, measured from the place representative point to the shoreline.
What it tells us
Establishes that physical water exists nearby; it does not establish legal shoreline access, water quality, recreation suitability, or current conditions.
Data
Public-facing beaches, marinas, boat-rental or training services, and paddling access retained only when they are physically beside qualifying Census water.
What it tells us
Supports likely usable recreation access, but a mapped business or destination is not a guarantee of legal entry, present operation, facilities, or suitable water conditions.
Data
Protected and public-land polygons used with explicitly public place names to strengthen confidence that mapped water-recreation access is public-facing.
What it tells us
Adds confidence to access evidence; it does not prove a specific shoreline entrance, launch right, operating schedule, or fee status.
Data
NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 station normals matched to places using nearby stations, with distance and elevation mismatch penalties.
What it tells us
Provides typical annual heat, cold, precipitation, and snowfall conditions from nearby weather stations, not a block-level microclimate or future climate projection.

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