North Texas cities top national list of best places for sweet summer treats
Editor’s note: The above video is from 2022.
When the Texas heat feels like it’s never going to break, sometimes the best solution is a scoop of something cold.
Certain cities shine for the amount of options they offer to grab ice cream, smoothies, gelato or an acai bowl — but four North Texas cities are the best for summer sweet treats, according to a new list.
A new study by Clarify Capital — a small business loan company — looked at Yelp data to see where Americans are most spoiled for choice when it comes to summer sweets.
The results highlight a few standouts in North Texas, with some ranking in the top two spots nationally.
Here’s what to know about how the rankings shake out.
Which Texas cities made the list?
Texas and California dominated the top 10, with four Texas cities making the cut.
Irving and Garland didn’t just place, they ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
Irving topped the list overall with 158.7 ice cream and frozen yogurt shops per 100,000 residents — the highest number in the U.S.
Garland came in at No. 2 thanks to its strong showing of juice and smoothie bars, with 147.5 per 100,000 residents.
Frisco also earned a spot in the top 10, ranking at No. 6. Plano wasn’t far behind, coming in at No. 9.
Texas showed a strong presence in other categories as well, including gelato and acai bowls.
The findings place Texas alongside California as the two states most represented in Clarify Capital’s national ranking.
How did researchers select the best cities?
The rankings were based on Yelp data from major U.S. cities.
Researchers looked at four categories: ice cream and frozen yogurt, juice and smoothie bars, acai bowls, and gelato.
Cities were scored by how many shops they had per 100,000 residents.
For quality, they considered average Yelp ratings, but only in cities with at least 10 businesses in each category.
The results only reflect what’s listed on Yelp and don’t include every shop in the country, so smaller or newer spots may not have been counted.
What are the top 10 cities for summer sweets?
While Irving and Garland lead the way, here’s the full list of the top 10 cities for summer sweets:
- Irving, Texas
- Garland, Texas
- Irvine, Calif.
- Long Beach, Calif.
- Chula Vista, Calif.
- Frisco, Texas
- Plano, Texas
- Port St. Lucie, Fla.
- Newark, N.J.
- Enterprise, Nev.
