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Best places to live for people who love the outdoors

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

– Population: 149,013
– Median home value: $433,400
– Median rent: $1,645

LBSimms Photography // Shutterstock

#49. Bridgeport, Connecticut

– Population: 148,529
– Median home value: $194,100
– Median rent: $1,225

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#48. Arlington, Virginia

– Population: 235,764
– Median home value: $755,800
– Median rent: $2,094

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#47. Fort Collins, Colorado

– Population: 166,788
– Median home value: $431,300
– Median rent: $1,443

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#46. Chicago

– Population: 2,742,119
– Median home value: $277,600
– Median rent: $1,209

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#45. Corona, California

– Population: 157,844
– Median home value: $530,100
– Median rent: $1,802

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#44. Santa Ana, California

– Population: 313,818
– Median home value: $556,300
– Median rent: $1,726

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#43. Alexandria, Virginia

– Population: 158,185
– Median home value: $579,100
– Median rent: $1,848

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#42. Riverside, California

– Population: 314,858
– Median home value: $418,000
– Median rent: $1,568

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#41. Worcester, Massachusetts

– Population: 203,867
– Median home value: $259,800
– Median rent: $1,179

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#40. Provo, Utah

– Population: 113,538
– Median home value: $328,500
– Median rent: $973

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#39. Pasadena, California

– Population: 138,771
– Median home value: $863,100
– Median rent: $1,904

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#38. Philadelphia

– Population: 1,596,865
– Median home value: $184,100
– Median rent: $1,149

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#37. Glendale, California

– Population: 196,512
– Median home value: $865,400
– Median rent: $1,835

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#36. Washington D.C.

– Population: 683,154
– Median home value: $635,900
– Median rent: $1,681

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#35. Manchester, New Hampshire

– Population: 114,730
– Median home value: $258,100
– Median rent: $1,220

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#34. Spokane, Washington

– Population: 225,709
– Median home value: $236,300
– Median rent: $956

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#33. Burbank, California

– Population: 107,364
– Median home value: $837,900
– Median rent: $1,859

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#32. Everett, Washington

– Population: 110,438
– Median home value: $394,900
– Median rent: $1,426

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#31. Denver

– Population: 706,799
– Median home value: $459,100
– Median rent: $1,495

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#30. Boulder, Colorado

– Population: 104,930
– Median home value: $790,100
– Median rent: $1,711

Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz // Shutterstock

#29. Santa Clara, California

– Population: 127,922
– Median home value: $1,199,500
– Median rent: $2,652

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#28. Hayward, California

– Population: 162,254
– Median home value: $653,500
– Median rent: $2,071

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#27. Orange, California

– Population: 139,195
– Median home value: $712,500
– Median rent: $1,972

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#26. Sunnyvale, California

– Population: 155,550
– Median home value: $1,528,500
– Median rent: $2,837

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#25. Tacoma, Washington

– Population: 217,332
– Median home value: $347,100
– Median rent: $1,343

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#24. Thousand Oaks, California

– Population: 127,274
– Median home value: $794,200
– Median rent: $2,303

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#23. San Francisco

– Population: 865,933
– Median home value: $1,194,500
– Median rent: $2,130

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#22. Long Beach, California

– Population: 466,565
– Median home value: $614,900
– Median rent: $1,516

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#21. Jersey City, New Jersey

– Population: 287,146
– Median home value: $437,200
– Median rent: $1,611

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#20. Salt Lake City

– Population: 199,153
– Median home value: $380,200
– Median rent: $1,141

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#19. Torrance, California

– Population: 147,156
– Median home value: $840,900
– Median rent: $1,906

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#18. San Diego

– Population: 1,385,398
– Median home value: $664,000
– Median rent: $1,885

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#17. Berkeley, California

– Population: 119,607
– Median home value: $1,111,000
– Median rent: $1,886

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#16. Anaheim, California

– Population: 348,204
– Median home value: $623,300
– Median rent: $1,823

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#15. Costa Mesa, California

– Population: 112,148
– Median home value: $841,700
– Median rent: $2,043

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#14. Vancouver, Washington

– Population: 188,331
– Median home value: $343,900
– Median rent: $1,396

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#13. Reno, Nevada

– Population: 259,913
– Median home value: $391,500
– Median rent: $1,213

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#12. Oakland, California

– Population: 437,548
– Median home value: $772,400
– Median rent: $1,676

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#11. Stamford, Connecticut

– Population: 134,820
– Median home value: $550,600
– Median rent: $1,981

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#10. Kent, Washington

– Population: 134,890
– Median home value: $414,200
– Median rent: $1,612

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#9. Irvine, California

– Population: 297,868
– Median home value: $900,700
– Median rent: $2,533

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#8. San Jose, California

– Population: 1,013,337
– Median home value: $986,700
– Median rent: $2,366

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#7. Cambridge, Massachusetts

– Population: 116,892
– Median home value: $888,000
– Median rent: $2,388

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#6. Boston

– Population: 672,814
– Median home value: $610,400
– Median rent: $1,783

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#5. New York City

– Population: 8,736,047
– Median home value: $660,700
– Median rent: $1,579

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#4. Bellevue, Washington

– Population: 149,365
– Median home value: $951,200
– Median rent: $2,220

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#3. Portland, Oregon

– Population: 647,176
– Median home value: $462,800
– Median rent: $1,406

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#2. Los Angeles

– Population: 3,902,440
– Median home value: $705,900
– Median rent: $1,641

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#1. Seattle

– 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.