GENERAL MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY PARK PLANNING 85 



cities, or 93.7 per cent of the total number of cities. Of the 134 cities 

 reported, 133 were reported as having parks and one without parks. 



The 133 cities were stated to have 30,129.57 acres of parks exclusive 

 of 357.25 acres in township parks in the vicinity of two cities in the group. 

 This represents an average of 226.6 acres per city. Taking 37,50*0 as an 

 average population of this group of cities in connection with the average 

 number of acres per city, the average ratio of park acreage to population 

 would be one acre to approximately every 165 inhabitants. 



Selecting twenty cities of this group as most adequately provided with 

 park areas, the reports showed a total population (1920) of 739,201; a 

 total park area of 13,729.48 acres; total number of park properties, 261; 

 total average number of acres per city, 686.47; and the average number of 

 properties per city approximately 13. The ratio of park acreage to popu- 

 lation for the entire group is one acre to every 53 inhabitants. 



These statistics show, in general, a far more ample provision for out- 

 door recreation in these small cities than in any single city in the United 

 States with a population approximately the same or larger than the aggre- 

 gate population of these twenty small cities. 



However, the total number of acres per community in the twenty cities 

 is three times the average number of acres per city for the entire group of 

 133 cities. This indicates that general park planning has not proceeded 

 evenly throughout the entire group. This unevenness is still further shown 

 by the fact that the 20 cities, while only 15 per cent of the total number 

 of cities reported as having parks, have about 45 per cent of the total park 

 area of the 133 cities. Nineteen of these 20 cities had a total of 917.01 

 acres in school sites, and there were 300 different school sites. The average 

 number of school sites per city was between 17 and 18, and the average 

 number of acres per community was 48.2. 



A FEW EXAMPLES IX DETAIL OF PARK, SCHOOL SITE AND OTHER OUTDOOR 

 RECREATION AREAS IN CITIES OF THIS GROUP 



LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN appointed by the donor. This park is endowed and is 



The population of La Crosse in 1920 was 30,421. used by the public as a public park. 



The area of the city is 9.943 square miles or 6,364.8 acres. If this were added to the above as it should be the 



Public Parks, 1925: The park areas under public total park acreage would be 778.7, and the ratio of park 



control in 1925 comprised 16 properties totaling 518.7 acreage to population would be one acre to every 37 



acres. The areas of these properties are as follows: inhabitants. 



.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.3, 3, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 17, 37, 40, 67.5, 70, School Sites: Nine primary schools have a total of 



240 acres. There was in addition a park of 40 acres 13.5 acres or an average of approximately 1.5 acres per 



the ownership of which by the city was in question. school. The junior high school has a site of four acres 



Total area of parks without the 40 acres, 518.7 acres and the senior high school a site of 4.7 acres. The total 



or one acre to every 58 inhabitants. With the 4O-acre area of free play space for all the schools is 17.8 acres, 



park added the ratio would be one acre to every 54 Six of the schools are equipped with gymnasium, and 



inhabitants. See page 83 for illustration. the high school has a swimming pool. All the primary 



Private Public Park: There is one large park of 260 school grounds are equipped with playground apparatus 



acres privately owned but under a special park board and have facilities for playing organized games such as 



