Market Wire has released a list via MySummerCamps.com of the best cities for summer camps in the U.S. (and one non-U.S. city as Toronto sneaks in). Champaign ranks #3, which is pretty astounding considering the size of the city compared to some of the others on this list. You can see the whole list and information here.
More information from the press release:
LOS ANGELES (April 11, 2013) – San Diego is the most popular summer camp city in North America, according to an analysis of the 20 most popular summer camp locations by MySummerCamps.com and KidsCamps.com. The websites are two of the leading sites for summer and day camps in the United States and Canada, and the analysis included data from their combined database of more than 4,500 summer camps listings across North America.
San Diego ranked number one as the most popular city for camps. San Diego is a great location for summer camps across all categories, thanks to sunny weather and beautiful beaches.
Ranked number two is New York City. The city that never sleeps is a great location for campers interested in art and the performing arts. Known as the birthplace to many famous performers and artists, camps located in New York City offer campers a taste of stardom.
Coming in third is Champaign, Illinois. The home to the Fighting Illini offers numerous sports camps for active youth. In fact, all of the camps listed on MySummerCamps.com and KidsCamps.com in Champaign are sports camps. Surrounded by farmland, the city makes for a great location for sports and outdoor activities.
Canadian camps are historically very popular, and Canada is well-represented on the list by Toronto, Ontario, coming in at number 16.
Taking a state-wide view, California makes the list three times with San Diego, Los Angeles and Stanford, making California one of the most-represented states on the list. New York also boasts three cities in the top 20: New York City, Brooklyn, Garden City.
California and New York rank number 1 and number 3 for number of youths between the ages of 4 and 12 in the United States, respectively. In a bit of a surprise, Texas, which houses the second-most number of youths in the United States, is only represented by one city: Dallas.
The complete list of the top 20 most popular cities for summer and day camps in the United States is as follows:
Ranking
City
- San Diego, CA
- New York, NY
- Champaign, IL
- Milton, MA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Fairfield, CT
- Atlanta, GA
- Stanford, CA
- Seattle, Wa
- Orlando, FL
- Lawrenceville, Nj
- Garden City, NY
- Denver, CO
- Chicago, IL
- Boston, MA
- Toronto, ON, Canada
- Portland, OR
- Lakeland, FL
- Dallas, TX
- Brooklyn, NY
“Camps attract more than 11 million youths each year, and offer much more than a vacation. It is an invaluable opportunity for children to explore a world that goes beyond their neighborhoods,” says Nicola Marconato, Director of MySummerCamps.com and KidsCamps.com. “This Top 20 list demonstrates how camps cover the entire spectrum of places in North America, from its large urban cities to its smaller towns.”