If you’re plotting your route to get the most loot on the scariest night of the year, be sure to check out Dublin. The city is on Nextdoor.com’s list of top 10 cities for trick-or-treating in the country.
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, the neighborhood-based social networking site posts a special feature: a map of users who plan to give out treats on All Hallows' Eve.
Each home on the Treat Map is marked with a candy corn icon. Residents must be users of the site and self-identify online as candy-pushers.
“This is the online equivalent of turning on your porch light,” said Nextdoor spokeswoman Kelsey Grady.
Costumed kids can hone in on the houses with sweets to spare, instead of just judging homes by how much effort went into the spooky décor. Candy-obsessed trick-or-treaters can plot a path through their neighborhood to insure their goodie bags reach maximum capacity. And people who are dieting or going to bed early can avoid having the doorbell rung every five minutes by small children experiencing extreme sugar highs.
Dublin came in seventh on Nextdoor’s list for densest candy-distribution. Most of other cities on the top-10 list are in the Midwest, with the exception of Silver Spring, MD (#10), Parker, CO (#5), Wake Forest, NC (#4), and Brentwood, TN (#6). The Chicago suburb of Downers Grove tops the list.
Nextdoor’s analysis compared the number of users who registered told the site they planned to dole out candy last Halloween, against its total number of users in each city with more than 5,000 Nextdoor users. The list features cities with the best ratio for candy consumption from each state.
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Grady said users have asked the site to flag which homes are giving out peanut-free candy, or small toys instead of sugary treats, or the coveted king-size candy bars. But the map can’t do that yet – maybe next year. Start costume planning now!
Nextdoor has members in 115,000 neighborhoods, which represents 65 percent of the neighborhoods in US.
So forget schlepping the kids to Mariposa in the Berkeley Hills. Or the parking headache on Trestle Glen in Oakland. Pile the little ghouls in the car and hop 580 to a land where chocolate, caramel, and cavities are free for the taking. Go East, young goblin, and do your best!
