In a city with so many large sports fields, Montgomery Park was for some time the worst. 

The never-ending expanse of unmarked green space is interrupted only by small old baseball diamonds, with a sad small collection of trees on the far east side. The grass is choppy. The drainage is poor. Benches are minimal. In short, the space feels underused outside of large sports tournaments. 

Thankfully, the park board agreed, which is why they approved a $2 million upgrade to improve the fields, upgrade the seating and make the field layouts more flexible. 

That construction is finished after several delays during the pandemic. But it means our 2022 score reflects the park virtually shut down with the exception of the playground, and thus with this very limited ranking.

We look forward in 2023 to revisiting — especially considering the playground next to the elementary school has three structures perfectly acceptable for 5-12 years olds.