US cities with genuinely walkable, transit-accessible downtowns where car-free or car-light living is realistic.
This is a curated list of cities with dense pre-WWII downtowns and developed transit networks.
Heavily East Coast, urban California, and a few Midwest holdouts. Most of the modern Sun Belt grew car-dependent and doesn't make this list, regardless of overall growth.
1Newport, RIProvidence-Warwick · pop 24,48277RisingRIstate 6Charleston, SCCharleston-North Charleston · pop 157,66571RisingSCstate 7Buffalo, NYBuffalo-Cheektowaga · pop 276,61770RisingNYstate 8Hartford, CTHartford-East Hartford-Middletown · pop 122,12970RisingCTstate 10Portland, MEPortland-South Portland · pop 69,56866RisingMEstate 13Salem, MABoston-Cambridge-Newton · pop 45,67764RisingMAstate 15Chicago, ILChicago-Naperville-Elgin · pop 2,721,30863RisingILstate 16New York, NYNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 8,478,07262RisingNYstate 19Annapolis, MDBaltimore-Columbia-Towson · pop 40,68961StableMDstate 22Long Beach, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · pop 450,90159StableCAstate 23Minneapolis, MNMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington · pop 428,57959StableMNstate 25Boston, MABoston-Cambridge-Newton · pop 673,45856StableMAstate 26Pasadena, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · pop 137,19556StableCAstate 27Cambridge, MABoston-Cambridge-Newton · pop 121,18656StableMAstate 28Alexandria, VAWashington-Arlington-Alexandria · pop 159,10255StableVAstate 30Burlington, VTBurlington-South Burlington · pop 44,43255StableVTstate 31Baltimore, MDBaltimore-Columbia-Towson · pop 568,27154StableMDstate 32Hoboken, NJNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 59,14954StableNJstate 34Seattle, WASeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue · pop 780,99551StableWAstate 37Portland, ORPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro · pop 635,74944CoolingORstate 39Berkeley, CASan Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · pop 121,74941CoolingCAstate 40Washington, DCWashington-Arlington-Alexandria · pop 702,25036CoolingDCstate 41Oakland, CASan Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · pop 443,55430DecliningCAstate