Best Block Party Places

Neighbors in Austin, Texas, have a reason to block off their streets, break out the paper plates and get the charcoal grills sizzling. Why? The always vibrant Texas capital was just ranked the No. 1 block party city in America in a national survey.

Neighbors from the top 10 block party places especially have a reason to celebrate. While cities from all over the country made the cut, they all have at least a few things in common. Each city values strong communities, quality time with friends and family and, of course, love a good block party.

Block Party Top Ten

1. Austin, Texas
2. New Orleans, La.
3. Birmingham, Ala.
4. St. Louis, Mo.
5. Providence, R.I.
6. Cleveland, Ohio
7. Chicago, Ill.
8. Pittsburgh, Pa.
9. Raleigh, N.C.
10. Memphis, Tenn.

See all 50

Chef David Garrido of Austin's Shady Grove restaurant, who created a recipe for Grilled Chicken Fajitas and Ranchero Beans to celebrate his city's standing, was not surprised that Austin led the rankings. "It's no wonder Austin is the top block party city in America," Garrido said. "Grilling and outdoor gatherings are a part of Texas culture and have always been my favorite way to bring family and friends together to create memories."

Three other Texas cities - Dallas, San Antonio and Houston - all hold spots in the top 35 on the Best Block Party Places list, proving, "everything's bigger in Texas."

To rank the best block party spots, we surveyed more than 10,000 Americans from 50 of the nation's largest cities. The study was sponsored by the family of products that host mealstogether.com - Kingsford(r) Charcoal, KC Masterpiece(r) sauces, Hidden Valley Ranch(r) dressings and Glad(r) products. Austin came out on top, based on the frequency and importance of block parties to the community.

To honor the top cities, block parties will be held this summer in the top four block party cities hosted by mealstogether.com, an online destination for families to get recipes, activity ideas and suggestions for spending more time together. The site also features a downloadable Block Party Starter Kit with simple solutions for those looking to host their own block party.

The Best Block Party Places survey elicited responses among a national probability sample of more than 10,000 men and women by using a Web-based questionnaire and personal exchanges with residents of the markets included in this survey. Sperling's conclusions are based on respondents' answers regarding the frequency and importance of block parties in their communities.