There’s so much more to finding the perfect home than just looking at how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has. Not only are you searching for something with the features you want, but it’s also important to look at the area it’s in. As they always say...location, location, location!
Trulia, a website for real estate listings and rental properties, recently released their list of best neighborhoods in America. To help you find that prime spot, the website analyzed data to name the most ideal areas to live in small markets (up to one million people), medium markets (between one and two million people), and large markets (over two million people).
RELATED: The happiest, healthiest city in the US is...
The researchers focused in on some key characteristics and metrics they consider make a neighborhood good. According to a press release, that includes restaurants, beauty establishments, nightlife, trails, playgrounds, pediatricians, child care and percentage of quiet streets per square mile. They then divided out the results based on what you might be looking for in a neighborhood, including the best locations for a family, the greatest amenities, the top areas for singles and more.
In you’re in San Diego, Ocean Beach seems to be the prime neighborhood. It won the top spot for best amenities overall as well as for families in a large city.
For medium-sized cities, San Francisco's Excelsior took home the top prize for amenities, while Noe Valley was right behind it. Although the latter took the number one spot when it comes to places for families.
RELATED: Sarasota tops list of major U.S. cities with highest well-being
Ala Moana-Kakaako in Honolulu and Sam Hughes in Tucson, Arizona, made it onto two of the lists as well, both for smaller populations.
For singles, the best neighborhoods are Loop in Chicago, Central City in Salt Lake City and Downtown in Boise.
Here's how things panned out for neighborhoods with the best amenities:
The top three neighborhoods with the best amenities in large cities:
- Ocean Beach in San Diego
- Wallingford in Seattle
- Downtown in Seattle
The top three neighborhoods with the best amenities in midsize cities:
- Excelsior in San Francisco
- Noe Valley in San Francisco
- Fenway-Kenmore in Boston
The top three neighborhoods with the best amenities in small cities:
- Ala Moana-Kakaako in Honolulu
- Central Area in Salem, Oregon
- Downtown in Olympia, Washington
Check out all the neighborhoods that made the lists here. And to see how your current area ranks in terms of amenities, schools, crime, etc., you can check out Trulia’s maps feature here.