The number of city blocks equaling one mile varies from city to city. Because there is no standard length for a municipal block in the United States, the length of blocks varies around the nation.
In order to calculate the number of blocks in a mile, it is necessary to know the average size of a city block. Urban planners recommend that pedestrian-friendly blocks range in length from 300 to 600 feet. A mile is 5,280 feet in length. Using the recommended range of 300 to 600 feet with a mean of 450 feet, a mile would consist of 11.73 blocks.
However, blocks vary widely in length. In New York, the typical length of a city block is approximately 750 feet, although in Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon, the average length is 400 to 500 feet and 200 feet, respectively.
In New York, one would only need to walk seven blocks to reach one mile. However, not all city blocks are square, thus walking direction must be considered. If the width of the block in question is comparable to that of a rectangular block, then the computation must be changed correspondingly.
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