Affordable Cities: 10 US Metro Areas With Underrated Livability, Walkability and Transit

This is one where, going into it, I had strong opinions about cities I though would show up when I did the "analysis." Most of them did, but two didn't, and I'm going to explain why.

1. Baltimore. The Zillow Home Value Index for the Baltimore MSA is $366,129, which I thought was surprisingly high. It's still a good value, but just not as good a value (i.e. differential between what I think it's worth and what the going price is) as the ten that made this list.

2. Cincinnati. The ZHVI is pretty low ($250,986), but the transit supply (metro area per capita) is significantly worse than any of the ten cities that made this list. It's like half of what Cleveland is -- and they're in the same state!

Gonna be honest saying violent crime shouldn't be a factor in where you want to live is insane to me. Sure, I definitely agree there's racism involved that blows things out of proportions however, think it's an incredibly naive and privileged to say fear of crime shouldn't be a factor. Anyone who's lived in these areas subconsciously is always hyper alert to the surroundings. How is possible to enjoy your city when you're constantly in a state of hypervigilance?

Contrast that to walking through the streets of Tokyo at night with literally no fear of anything and experience the unbelievable serenity of that experience.

Hi nerd. I love your stuff. I know it’s not really your bag. But, could you do one of these for cities under 100k people? If you already have I apologize I just haven’t delved that deep yet.

One thing that's an overlooked factor for rating the quality of these cities is cleanliness and pollution, especially for people moving from smaller towns. You don't realize it when you're flying in a plane to New York, but if you're driving you can see from a distance how filthy the air is. It honestly does feel unsettling to think of how much time you're going to be living and breathing in that atmosphere. I also recently learned that the reason why New York City often smells bad is due to sewage overflow, because the population of the city long surpassed the sewage infrastructure. Everyone living there is used to it but that's still disgusting. I've often dreamed about living in a transit oriented & car free city, but I don't want to do it at the expense of my health.

God so depressing watching this in the future after India Walton lost 😭

Nothing for me this week.

Minneapolis has great pedestrian and bike safety per billion trips

i love how you made a whole video to try and help Nia find a city other than chicago, and the answer is chicago haha

Surprised people defend Boise. All it has is the nature. Literally everything else is subpar.
Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities!

Philly is great and very walkable but the far Northeast, which is a big chunk of the city’s population, is an absolute abomination.

very weird that you don't want to consider high crime rate or low test scores because it is linked to people of color. might as well move into the hood

i completely appreciate your naming the safety conversation. being from Cincinnati and living in Seattle for over 20 year, I have spent time in both St. louis and other urban areas with "high crime" however I honestly don't ever feel safe visiting or driving through any place in Idaho. To each their own imo.

The Twin Cities are heavily residential and a lot of places especially on the east side of St Paul will look a lot like how New Orleans looks with all the trees.

You don't want to live in Vegas unless your mission in life is to sell your body or your a swinger or you want to sell illegal substances

Whats the best choice if i like snowy winters 😂

New Orleans? Really? Maybe if you're okay with the risk of having your apartment/home including all your belongings destroyed in one fell swoop and possibly even being killed the next time a major hurricane rolls through. Living in a city that's under sea level and relies on pumps to keep it from drowning (maintained by American governments mind you, not Dutch ones) just seems like a horrible idea. And that's even before you throw hurricanes into the mix.

Affordable is a synonym for low cost. And for value. This attracts the demographic known for people you might avoid. These are many reasons to avoid which leads me to conclude your list of ten means AVOiD. There are also reasons higher priced homes exist. Better demographics.

I want to genuinely thank you for these videos. One of my young adult kids has medical reasons for needing to live car-free, and some of the information you've provided in a number of videos (like this one) has been very helpful for helping her considering job options. We appreciate it!

Shout to the guy that just found out that he lives in the best city in America.

Hey now…lol…I know we have snow, but Grand Rapids, MI is pretty rad. :)

If someone's bored in Austin, that's their issue, not the city's.

#1 issue, BLIGHT. I want an affordable community where there is Zero blight. NY is out the place is a dumpster right next to SF. Highways are good, they let me get away from the slums.

I'd rather be cold than bored. I'd also rather be cold than hot. I like these CityNerd videos, but I disagree strongly with CityNerd's definition of a good climate. For me the best climate is one where the temperature rarely or never exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I also hate long periods of cloudless skies. So I moved to Seattle more than 30 years ago, and for the first dozen years (1990-2001) I loved the weather. During that period the number of days per year that hit 80 or higher ranged from a blissful 10 to a barely bearable 36. But more recently it's gotten waaaay hotter in Seattle. For the past decade, most years have exceeded 40 days of 80 degrees or more.

So how about a video about the most livable American cities that are also the coldest? (Anchorage definitely isn't one of them.)

As it has been crazy hot everywhere this summer (and it is only still July!) I cannot wait for winter! Ha. Most places it is not really freezing anymore with huge amounts of snow. Most of the time in the midwest you get a few snows a year and they are about 1 or 2 inches. Big deal.

The St.Louis crime thing is more of a quirk of statistics than reality. The city and surrounding county are considered separate in the stats, whereas most other cities have their "metro area" included, dilluting their inner-city crime. St. Louis is only considered to be this porkchop-shaped area (google "St Louis City County map"), when in reality people in Maplewood, Brentwood, Kirkwood, Ladue, and Clayton are all effectively part of the city. You don't even have to lock your doors in a lot of those places.

The statistics also don't show that it's hyper-local. There are some legitimately scary areas on the east side of the city over the river and certain parts of the north side, but the crime doesn't tend to "flow out" into surrounding areas. And the racism here really blurs the data. I've heard some scared white people talk about University City like it's some war-torn dystopia, but it's a perfectly safe area with a wonderful mixed-raced and mixed-class community.

Best advice if you're considering it is to talk to several real estate agents and visit the actual neighborhoods. Each one has a different vibe -- St. Louis is more like a collection of neighborhoods than a singular city. You'll almost certainly something that fits you if you take the time to look.

Thanks!

Vegas, more homeless on the strip than years past, rip off tourists left right and centre. That heat 🔥 😫. Income tax or not, no thanks.

Tough that not 1 locale in western us I guess just overvalued places unfortunately but can’t get to mountains too well from listed places

Your upward inflections are making my ears bleed

your intros are too long get to the point

Okay, I've got a few different ways I feel about the crime thing. On one hand, in most US cities, the vast majority of crime is concentrated in certain parts. In the case of St. Louis, it's unfortunately like half the damn city, but with such density, you have plenty of places to pick from in safer neighborhoods. The other thing is--and not to put too fine a point on this, but just so we're being real about it--you can make all the analysis you want about what's racially coded and this and that, SOME NEIGHBORHOODS JUST F***ING SUCK. Regardless of who lives there, the danger is just REAL, my friends. So don't dismiss warnings and concerns just because you think the person might be racist. It's one of those unfortunate things.

Love your channel! I’m not surprised to see Chicago as #1 here as it is a truly hidden gem. I moved here around 1 year ago and it is one of the best cities in the world. You should check out everything that is happening on the Fulton Innovation District, this will be a case for urban planning that will be talked about a lot in 5yrs from now

I have lived in "good" neighborhoods (by that I mean not "bad" neighborhoods) and bad neighborhoods. Not all good areas are very good and not all bad areas are very bad, but the really bad ones ARE really bad. And sometimes allegations of "white flight," which is itself racial coding for racism, ignore the fact that people of color also flee those neighborhoods due to the danger. From the Memorial Day weekend to the Father's Day weekend in an area comprised of certain neighborhoods in Chicago, between 40 and 75 people were shot during each of those weekends. Some were children. Some were old. Some, just walking down the street. Some too close to a window. Some attacked at stoplights. So, yeh, those places are "affordable" but you might pay with your life.

Why does Indianapolis never get coverage on this channel? It’s affordable and has truly phenomenal neoclassical monumental architecture

What a cool specialty you have. Fun channel. Thank you.

I grew up in a corn field, I have lived in all 4 contiguous time zones, and in cities from the millions to the thousands, including Chicgo for eight years. You nailed it! My eight years in Chicago started with a constant headache finding parking for six months, and then 7 1/2 years of absolute bliss after I got rid of my car. It was the best 7 1/2 years of my life!

They won't be underrated anymore now that youve tokd every body.

I would live in Boise before any of those 10. Skiing, hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking...big university, music, festivals.

Hi there... Just discovered your channel. Have been looking at a number of cities in the Midwest for a potential escape from CA. A number on on this list. A few that struck an interest with me that are not on the list are KC & Louisville, KY. Especially Louisville. Curious if you've ever covered either or intend to? Nice work!

You Zoomed onto my street in one of the cities about a block from where I live and I jumped with joy.

Cool list but gosh why does it feel like “settling” 😐. Still team Europe/ Asia/ Central America

Minnesota sux. Comparing it to Portland was apt. Don't move here you will regret it.

Dear Ray, do you sing? If not, you should ! You have some really interesting melodies and cadences in your spoken voice. All the best from NY. ( from a vocalist!)

I freaking love Chicago. I love the hate we get. I lived in Hawaii, phoenix and kc. Chicago has bad weather (cool, ill go to a museum or movie or hang around a fire), crime (yeah, look at the actual stats…..st Louis is top on the list and i still have a awesome time there), food (yes ), sports (yes)……..what sucks is nature. But quick drive to Wisconsin/Michigan is a cool getaway. Oh, because its 1/2 the cost of a coastal city we can afford lake houses. But its all relative. Just do you!!

Discounting crime is all cool and good until someone you know gets shot in a drive by…also property crime is just miserable in general.

Chicago

None in the west!

Who else listens at 1.25x speed