I think sometimes living in a small town can get a bad wrap. Sure, it is not for everyone, and no doubt some are better than others. Each year the folks at Realtor.com rate the top 10 Small Towns. To create their list, they, "...looked at U.S. metros with a population under 50,000, then factored in affordability metrics like median home list prices on realtor.com, year-over-year list price change, and ownership costs as a percentage of income. Of course, being able to afford a home depends on employment prospects, so we also took unemployment rates into account. And just to make sure these places are as safe and wholesome as you’d imagine a small town to be, we factored in the rates of violent crime and property crime. Finally, we limited the list to one small town per state, to get some geographic diversity."
2021 Realtor.com's Top 10 Small Towns in the U.S.:
New Ulm, Minnesota
Lexington, Nebraska
Houghton, Michigan
Spencer, Iowa
Wahpeton, North Dakota
Wapakoneta, Ohio
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Lincoln, Illinois
Maryville, Missouri
Seneca Falls, New York
Source:
https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/top-10-affordable-small-towns-where-youd-actually-want-to-live-2021-edition/?identityID=5b61da44b0162aca25000040&MID=2021_0416_Weekly_NL&RID=5526101382&cid=eml_promo_Marketing_NonPRSL_WeeklyNL_cons.12663942_2021_0416_Weekly_NL-blog1affordablesmalltowns-blogs_trends