Best Places to Celebrate Easter!

You know it’s Easter when grocery stores devote special aisles to chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps while the dairy section is perpetually depleted of eggs. Besides Valentine’s Day, it’s the other big “consumer” holiday that’s expected to rake in billions and give every American a toothache. But eating is just one part of the celebration. Most people dye their eggs in bright colors, hide them strategically around the home and let the kids loose for the egg hunt on Easter Sunday. At least that’s the Easter tradition that’s familiar to the roughly 80 percent of Americans who celebrate the occasion in some way.

For Christians, however, Easter is less of a commercial event than a holy experience. It not only marks the end of Lent — a 40-day period of fasting, reflection, prayer and repentance followed directly by Easter Sunday — but it also celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and represents the “new covenant” between God and humanity. In observance of the holiday, many families will gather to attend a “sunrise service”, delight in an Easter feast and continue to share the messages of Christ.

But some Americans will feel the Easter spirit more than others, depending on where they live. To identify those areas, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities based on 11 metrics that speak to an ideal Easter celebration. Our metrics range from “number of egg-hunt events per capita” to “percentage of Christian population.” Read on for the full ranking, money-saving tips from experts and our methodology. Make sure to also check out WalletHub’s Easter Facts & Stats infographic for fun facts about the holiday.

Best Places to Celebrate Easter