These Are the Most Affordable Cities for Outdoor Enthusiasts

If you are ready to swap sidewalks for hiking trails, you need to check this out.

Leigh Trail/Shutterstock
Leigh Trail/Shutterstock

In a time where everything and everywhere is so expensive, making any major changes might feel out of reach. But if you are someone craving more time outdoors, and less time feeling like you are trapped in a concrete jungle, the desire to relocate might trump anything else. If that's the case, here's a glimmer of hope. There are 10 cities in America where outdoor enthusiasts have a much better chance at buying an affordable home and being closer to nature.

According to Realtor.com, the ten cities listed below are nature hotspots with home listings that don't feel like they are priced for oligarchs. Here are the cities and the median home list price in that area.

1. Urbana, Illinois has a median home list price of $165,000.
2. Madison, Wisconsin has a median home list price of $410,000.
3. Iowa City, Iowa has a median home list price of $320,000.
4. Bloomington, Indiana has a median home list price of $375,000.
5. El Paso, Texas has a median home list price of $280,000.
6. Columbia, Missouri has a median home list price of $349,000.
7. State College, Pennsylvania has a median home list price of $340,000.
8. Morgantown, West Virginia has a median home list price of $300,000.
9. Rochester, New York has a median home list price of $200,000.
10. Duluth, Minnesota has a median home list price of $265,000.

"During the pandemic, we saw a shift in migration trends from urban cores to areas with [smaller populations and more] outdoor amenities," Frank Nothaft, chief economist at real estate data firm CoreLogic, told Realtor.com. "Mountain regions and smaller coastal metros were in particularly large demand."

The number one city, Urbana, Illinois, has 26 miles of hiking and biking trails and 1,077 acres of city parks, including a dark sky campground dedicated to stargazers. The rest of the cities listed boast similar features—towns that incorporate and embrace nature, rather than work against it. So, if you've been thinking about swapping out a car for a bike, or getting really into hiking, don't be afraid to click around and check out some listings.

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Opheli Garcia Lawler is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.