Best Cities for Trick or Treating

New England can provide some of the scariest thrills on Halloween, and Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk has some great stops for trick-or-treaters as well. Downtown Bridgeport will host the Halloween Bash at the Arcade Mall that will provide free candy for children, and food and dessert will be available for purchase.

Flickr

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---los-angeles_r20l4w

Los Angeles residents take Halloween seriously: Some neighborhoods even dedicate themselves to having Hollywood-caliber decorations. For some family-friendly entertainment in Venice, the Ghouls, a local elementary school rock band, will play at the local Mar Vista Farmers Market alongside local DJs on October 31.

Noel Vasquez / Getty Images

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---new-york_jghvrz

Although some people might consider New York City a tough place to get candy on Halloween, it presents plenty of opportunities for unconventional trick-or-treating. Broadway opens its doors for kids as well: Kids Night on Broadway will hold a pre-theater Halloween party at Madame Tussauds with interactive theater activities.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---chicago_bdgrin

There are always opportunities for candy, but Chicago has lots for the health-conscious as well. The Monster Dash Half Marathon and 5K will kick off at 8 and 8:30 a.m., respectively—and don't forget to wear a costume!

Emmanuel Dunand, AFP, File / Getty Images

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---washington-dc_nqwlba

Trick-or-treating in Washington, D.C., has an added bonus: Embassy Row. Trick-or-treaters not only receive candy from participating embassies, but they also give youngsters a chance to step foot on foreign soil and learn a little about other cultures.

Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/smartest-college-towns---cambridge_x2x6ee

Boston makes for special fun for those in search of candy, since many of the universities provide safe Halloween trick-or-treating around the dorms. Other neighborhoods good for some candy include Beacon Hill, the North End, and Back Bay.

Diego Lezama / Getty Images

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---minneapolis_e6dhbc

This year, Minneapolis kids will welcome Selena Gomez at the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF on Tuesday, Oct. 26. The Disney star urged her fans to carry UNICEF's orange collection box while they trick or treat and also asked trick-or-treaters to collect funds for children around the world.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/eligible-batchelors---milwaukee_os4rnv

Haunted Wisconsin helps keep the city trick-or-treat friendly by announcing what time trick-or-treaters are allowed in each neighborhood. Households that welcome trick-or-treaters are asked to leave their porch lights on.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---trenton_chbsnp

The Trenton Devils are certainly in the holiday spirit this year: The team will be holding a trick-or-treat costume party on center ice. There will be a parade featuring costumed youngsters 14 and under, and the winner will get to drop the puck at a future game.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/america-reads---philadelphia_n6upjs

The city of brotherly love has lots of love for Halloween. The Monster Mash at the Playhouse Theatre is a dance party for anyone who wants to tango with some scary creatures.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/cities-start-over---san-diego_ntcbyi

Two-thirds of San Diego's population is under 35, and with its sunny weather and warm temperatures, the city is one fun place to spend Halloween. From the Boo Bash and Harvest Fair on Oct. 30 for the whole family to the Hard Rock Halloween at the Hard Rock Hotel, there are plenty of places to make the most of the holiday.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/most-caffeinated-cities---san-francisco_rwvv74

San Francisco's hilly neighborhoods may not seem an obvious spot for good trick-or-treating, but never fear: The area has some great haunts for anyone to check out. One good neighborhood in particular is Haight Ashbury, once known for its drug culture and now a haven for anyone in a costume.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---san-jose_a0haci

San Jose has the "History Haunt" at the San Jose Park and the Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, with trolley rides, trick-or-treating, and games. And the San Jose Mercury-News calls the Trunk-or-Treat, which has decorated trunks and candy for children 12 and under, the "most ambitious" event in the area, but there is also the Pumpkin Alley for carving enthusiasts.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/cities-start-over---seattle_kkgxm6

West Seattle is helping to maintain the city's good trick-or-treating reputation: The neighborhood will hold three days of trick or treating this year. In Wallingford, one of the city's neighborhoods, residents in 2009 had costume swaps, pumpkin-carving contests, and even a local haunted home.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---portland_uriznp

With 24.7 percent of its population under 18, Portland has lots of kids in costume on Halloween. There's also plenty for kids to do, including lots of pumpkin patches and farms for kids, as well as a trick-or-treating event at the Portland Zoo.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---lancaster_eyavbf

When on the hunt for candy, why not just go straight to the source? Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a comfortable mid-size city and just a 30-minute drive from Hershey, home of the famous chocolate company.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/smartest-college-towns---ann-arbor_wutews

Take a look at the biggest American football stadium in the world before going out for Halloween in one of America's greatest college towns. In a city where a third of the population is college students, there's plenty of activity on Halloween.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/affluent-cities---honolulu_bzti9f

Halloween in Honolulu may not have the fall weather or yellowing foliage, but Honoluluans don't let that stop them from throwing street parties to celebrate the holiday. Then everyone gets back to surfing.

galleries/2010/10/27/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating/best-cities-for-trick-or-treating---boulder_kfga8l

Boulder's traditional Halloween Mall Crawl is always a hit with locals (though not so much with the local authorities), and anyone who thinks going streaking through downtown Boulder with a jack-o'-lantern on his head sounds like the height of Halloween fun should consider Boulder's famous Naked Pumpkin Run.

Best Cities for Trick or Treating

You may have your costume already picked out, but how does your city rate for celebrating Halloween? Richard Florida crunched the numbers for the ultimate list of the best cities to collect candy.