Best places to live for people who love the outdoors
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Best places to live for people who love the outdoors
The beach and large boulders under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Deciding where you want to live—in a rural, urban, or suburban area—largely depends on your lifestyle. For instance, if your idea of the perfect Saturday is a long hike through the wilderness, living in a big city probably isn’t ideal.
In fact, a large number of Americans are leaving large urban centers: Between 2020 and 2022, 2 million people left the country’s largest cities, driven in part by social distancing measures in the early days of the pandemic as well as the increased prevalence of remote work.
While this trend has slowed somewhat in 2023, having access to the great outdoors is still top of mind for some—but not all. In fact, more than 25% of American adults don’t get enough physical activity, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
For those who do value making their way outside for exercise, Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live for people who love the outdoors using Niche’s 2023 rankings. Niche ranks places to live based on factors including the proximity to parks and beaches, air quality, and how often residents engaged in physical activity. More details on Niche’s methodology can be found here.
Most of the cities on this list are on the West Coast, with California claiming nearly two dozen spots. The list even includes a few large cities that happen to be located near local, state, or national parks.
Read through the list to get inspiration for your next move.
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#50. Naperville, Illinois
Paddleboats parked at a dock on the water.
– Population: 149,013
– Median home value: $433,400
– Median rent: $1,645
LBSimms Photography // Shutterstock
#49. Bridgeport, Connecticut
A green park with a park bench in the trees at sunrise.
– Population: 148,529
– Median home value: $194,100
– Median rent: $1,225
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#48. Arlington, Virginia
A cyclist in Arlington.
– Population: 235,764
– Median home value: $755,800
– Median rent: $2,094
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#47. Fort Collins, Colorado
A stream in the mountains.
– Population: 166,788
– Median home value: $431,300
– Median rent: $1,443
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#46. Chicago
An aerial view of green parks and trees with the Chicago skyline in the background.
– Population: 2,742,119
– Median home value: $277,600
– Median rent: $1,209
William X Brown // Shutterstock
#45. Corona, California
People on horses in an arena.
– Population: 157,844
– Median home value: $530,100
– Median rent: $1,802
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#44. Santa Ana, California
An aerial view of downtown Santa Ana.
– Population: 313,818
– Median home value: $556,300
– Median rent: $1,726
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#43. Alexandria, Virginia
People waterskiing.
– Population: 158,185
– Median home value: $579,100
– Median rent: $1,848
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#42. Riverside, California
An aerial vew of Riverside in the mountains.
– Population: 314,858
– Median home value: $418,000
– Median rent: $1,568
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#41. Worcester, Massachusetts
A bridge and willow tree in a park.
– Population: 203,867
– Median home value: $259,800
– Median rent: $1,179
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#40. Provo, Utah
A mountainside of flowers with a city in the background.
– Population: 113,538
– Median home value: $328,500
– Median rent: $973
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#39. Pasadena, California
A canyon covered in trees.
– Population: 138,771
– Median home value: $863,100
– Median rent: $1,904
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#38. Philadelphia
People on the lawn at an art museum park.
– Population: 1,596,865
– Median home value: $184,100
– Median rent: $1,149
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#37. Glendale, California
A white fence on a mountain road with Glendale in the distance.
– Population: 196,512
– Median home value: $865,400
– Median rent: $1,835
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#36. Washington D.C.
A park with a large sculpture of a man’s head, arms and legs coming out of the ground.
– Population: 683,154
– Median home value: $635,900
– Median rent: $1,681
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#35. Manchester, New Hampshire
A waterway in Manchester.
– Population: 114,730
– Median home value: $258,100
– Median rent: $1,220
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#34. Spokane, Washington
A pond surrounded by forest.
– Population: 225,709
– Median home value: $236,300
– Median rent: $956
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#33. Burbank, California
A trail in the hills with Burbank in the background.
– Population: 107,364
– Median home value: $837,900
– Median rent: $1,859
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#32. Everett, Washington
The sun setting over sailboats and a kite surfer on the water.
– Population: 110,438
– Median home value: $394,900
– Median rent: $1,426
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#31. Denver
A large park surrounding water with Denver in the background.
– Population: 706,799
– Median home value: $459,100
– Median rent: $1,495
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#30. Boulder, Colorado
A trail going up to flatiron peaks.
– Population: 104,930
– Median home value: $790,100
– Median rent: $1,711
Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz // Shutterstock
#29. Santa Clara, California
A vineyard in Autumn.
– Population: 127,922
– Median home value: $1,199,500
– Median rent: $2,652
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#28. Hayward, California
A trail in the grassy foothills.
– Population: 162,254
– Median home value: $653,500
– Median rent: $2,071
Steve Cukrov // Shutterstock
#27. Orange, California
A sign for a park in Orange.
– Population: 139,195
– Median home value: $712,500
– Median rent: $1,972
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#26. Sunnyvale, California
Ducks on a trail over water.
– Population: 155,550
– Median home value: $1,528,500
– Median rent: $2,837
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#25. Tacoma, Washington
A rocky beach on Puget Sound in Tacoma.
– Population: 217,332
– Median home value: $347,100
– Median rent: $1,343
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#24. Thousand Oaks, California
An aerial view of Thousand Oaks and a highway in the foothills.
– Population: 127,274
– Median home value: $794,200
– Median rent: $2,303
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#23. San Francisco
A trail leading to the Golden Gate Bridge.
– Population: 865,933
– Median home value: $1,194,500
– Median rent: $2,130
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#22. Long Beach, California
The boardwalk and people walking on the beach at sunset.
– Population: 466,565
– Median home value: $614,900
– Median rent: $1,516
Marcelo Murillo // Shutterstock
#21. Jersey City, New Jersey
A man jogging at a park in Jersey City.
– Population: 287,146
– Median home value: $437,200
– Median rent: $1,611
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#20. Salt Lake City
Birds on the Great Salt Lake.
– Population: 199,153
– Median home value: $380,200
– Median rent: $1,141
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#19. Torrance, California
Homes on the beach in Torrance.
– Population: 147,156
– Median home value: $840,900
– Median rent: $1,906
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#18. San Diego
A cliff on the beach at sunset.
– Population: 1,385,398
– Median home value: $664,000
– Median rent: $1,885
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#17. Berkeley, California
Sather Tower and the Berkeley skyline on the water.
– Population: 119,607
– Median home value: $1,111,000
– Median rent: $1,886
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#16. Anaheim, California
Mountains above the hills of Anaheim.
– Population: 348,204
– Median home value: $623,300
– Median rent: $1,823
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#15. Costa Mesa, California
An aerial view of Costa Mesa.
– Population: 112,148
– Median home value: $841,700
– Median rent: $2,043
Nadia Yong // Shutterstock
#14. Vancouver, Washington
An aerial view of Vancouver in fall.
– Population: 188,331
– Median home value: $343,900
– Median rent: $1,396
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#13. Reno, Nevada
A trail with Reno in the background.
– Population: 259,913
– Median home value: $391,500
– Median rent: $1,213
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#12. Oakland, California
Flowers on a trail by a lake in Oakland.
– Population: 437,548
– Median home value: $772,400
– Median rent: $1,676
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#11. Stamford, Connecticut
Boats in a marina in Stamford.
– Population: 134,820
– Median home value: $550,600
– Median rent: $1,981
GeorgeColePhoto // Shutterstock
#10. Kent, Washington
Mount Rainier view from Kent.
– Population: 134,890
– Median home value: $414,200
– Median rent: $1,612
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#9. Irvine, California
Homes going up the green hills.
– Population: 297,868
– Median home value: $900,700
– Median rent: $2,533
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#8. San Jose, California
A trail on the bay with mountains in the background.
– Population: 1,013,337
– Median home value: $986,700
– Median rent: $2,366
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#7. Cambridge, Massachusetts
Boats on the water in Cambridge.
– Population: 116,892
– Median home value: $888,000
– Median rent: $2,388
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#6. Boston
Sailboats on the water with the Boston skyline in the background.
– Population: 672,814
– Median home value: $610,400
– Median rent: $1,783
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#5. New York City
People ice skating in New York City.
– Population: 8,736,047
– Median home value: $660,700
– Median rent: $1,579
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#4. Bellevue, Washington
A sailboat on the water with large homes and mountains in the background.
– Population: 149,365
– Median home value: $951,200
– Median rent: $2,220
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#3. Portland, Oregon
Water surrounded by trees and blooming flowers.
– Population: 647,176
– Median home value: $462,800
– Median rent: $1,406
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#2. Los Angeles
A hiking trail vista with Los Angeles in the background.
– Population: 3,902,440
– Median home value: $705,900
– Median rent: $1,641
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#1. Seattle
Coastal homes in the trees with Seattle in the background.
– Population: 726,054
– Median home value: $767,500
– Median rent: $1,801
Data reporting by Elena Cox. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
