{"id":31388,"date":"2021-07-06T14:45:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T11:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/?p=31388"},"modified":"2025-03-25T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T11:30:00","slug":"top-underrated-u-s-cities-livability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/top-underrated-u-s-cities-livability\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 20 Most Underrated Cities in the Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone these days seems to be talking about moving from Silicon Valley to Miami or from New York City to Austin. And, while those are wonderful, vibrant places, not everyone wants \u2014 or can even afford \u2014 the big-city prices. As a result, and with home prices skyrocketing, smaller cities that are just off the beaten path are becoming increasingly more appealing.<\/p>\n

So, as Millennials begin starting families, settling down and spending more time at home and less time out for cocktails, we wanted to know: What are the best underrated cities that offer a great quality of life, are smaller and are perhaps even a little more affordable? For this study, we only considered cities that have more than 100,000 residents, but less than 250,000. We also factored in attributes like earning potential, home prices, crime rates, local entertainment and whether the city itself was growing or not.<\/p>\n

\"Underrated<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

As you might expect, suburbs made a strong showing on this list. That\u2019s great news for Millennials who are looking for more space and a place to raise a family, yet still within proximity of urban amenities.<\/p>\n

Most Underrated Cities Coast-to-Coast<\/h2>\n

\"Top<\/p>\n\n\n

Alexandria, Va.<\/h3>\n

Alexandria is our top below-the-radar city. It sits on the west bank of the Potomac River \u2014 roughly seven miles south of Washington, D.C. \u2014 with a population of roughly 160,000 residents, many of whom work in civil services or for private companies that contract directly with the federal government.<\/p>\n

The city is as historic as it is beautiful, with compact neighborhoods that make the whole community very walkable. Here, boutique shops, restaurants and other entertainment venues draw residents and tourists alike. Alexandria also has a low rate of unemployment \u2014 just 2.9% in 2019. Wages are on the higher end, too, as the median income for residents age 25 and older is nearly $70,000 per year. However, higher wages typically bring higher home prices, and the median home sale price in Alexandria in 2019 was $572,500.<\/p>\n

Overland Park, Kan.<\/h3>\n

Overland Park comes in at the second spot on our list. This suburb of Kansas City, Mo., is just 13 miles from downtown Kansas City. At first glance, the city doesn\u2019t stand out in any specific metric, but it\u2019s actually well above average across most of them.<\/p>\n

Overland Park sports a median home sale price of just more than $300,000 \u2014 below the national median \u2014 combined with a median yearly salary of $60,000, which is above the national median. Plus, the unemployment rate here is just 2.18%. The city also has thriving healthcare and tech sectors, and was rated \u201cone of the most popular cities for Millennials\u201d in 2018.<\/p>\n

Bellevue, Wash.<\/h3>\n

Bellevue comes in at #3 on our list of top underrated cities, and this Seattle suburb is a gem. Just east of downtown Seattle and across Lake Washington, Bellevue boasts an impressive median annual salary of $79,000 and its 2019 unemployment rate was below 3%. And, although the city\u2019s population is comprised of just 148,000 people, the numerous skyscrapers downtown will make you think you\u2019re actually in a bigger city.<\/p>\n

Granted, at $920,000, home prices here are on the higher end of most cities on our list. But Bellevue is a safe city. In fact, it\u2019s the fourth-safest city on our list with just 12.3 incidents per 100,000 residents. As such, Bellevue should definitely be on the radar of the upwardly mobile Millennial generation.<\/p>\n

Top 3 Underrated Cities Where People are Moving<\/h2>\n

Geographic mobility measures the number of people who move to particular city as a percentage of the city\u2019s total population during a specific time period, which was 2018 to 2019 for our purposes. The higher the percentage, the larger the proportion of current residents who have moved there recently.<\/p>\n

Here are the top three most popular underrated cities by geographic mobility.<\/p>\n

\"Top<\/p>\n\n\n

Columbia, S.C.<\/h3>\n

Columbia sits almost exactly in the center of South Carolina and is the state\u2019s capital. It\u2019s also situated at the region\u2019s fall line \u2014 where the heights of the Piedmont region fall to the Atlantic coastal plain \u2014 creating a hiker\u2019s paradise with truly breathtaking scenery of waterfalls and terrain.<\/p>\n

In the 1990s, Columbia began an urban renewal of sorts after losing many of its urban residents to the suburbs. For example, the Conagree Vista District \u2014 once a warehouse district \u2014 is now a vibrant setting of restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques. Plus, more revitalization projects are also currently underway \u2014 and they\u2019re paying off. In fact, census data showed that about 30,000 people moved to Columbia in 2018. That equated to 23% of the city\u2019s current population \u2014 the highest percentage in our study.<\/p>\n

Boulder, Colo.<\/h3>\n

Boulder also saw lots of emigration recently. The city is just northwest of Denver in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and welcomed approximately 16,500 emigrants from 2018 to 2019 \u2014 more than 15% of its current population. Boulder also consistently ranks high on city rankings of health, quality of life and more.<\/p>\n

The University of Colorado also calls Boulder home and brings with it many entertainment venues that cater to the students and residents alike. It\u2019s also one of the only cities on our list that has an urban growth boundary and wildlife management plan, both of which aim to preserve the natural beauty of the city and surrounding area.<\/p>\n

Norfolk, Va.<\/h3>\n

Norfolk is world famous in military and shipping circles: It\u2019s home to the largest naval base in the world \u2014 Naval Station Norfolk \u2014 and one of NATO\u2019s two Strategic Command headquarters. It\u2019s also the central hub for the nine cities in the region that make up the Hampton Roads metro area.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, because the city is surrounded by water on three sides and is close to the ocean, residents and tourists alike have an abundance of options when it comes to things to do. Plus, Norfolk also has one of the highest concentrations of food service establishments (542) on our list. Maybe that\u2019s why nearly 15% of its 243,000 current residents moved here between 2018 and 2019.<\/p>\n

Top 3 Underrated Cities by Income & Housing Prices<\/h2>\n

Often, finances are one the most significant considerations when choosing a location to move to \u2014 perhaps only behind family. In any case, how much you make directly affects what you can afford. And, while high salaries are definitely easier to work with, higher housing costs also tend to follow.<\/p>\n

Consequently, the top three underrated cities with the highest median incomes are all in Silicon Valley: Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Fremont.<\/p>\n

\"Top<\/p>\n\n\n

This region is famous for high tech, high salaries and high home prices. Indeed, all three cities have median salaries of more than $82,000, with Sunnyvale the highest at $92,000. Likewise, housing prices here were also the highest on our list: All three had median home sale prices of more than $1 million. And, once again, Sunnyvale is at the top of this list, with a median price of $1.567 million.<\/p>\n

Quality of life is great in this area, too \u2014 if you can afford it. Violent crime rates here are low, averaging about 16 incidents per 100,000 people. And, there are plenty of restaurants and entertainment venues to keep you either busy or relaxed, depending on your preference. To that end, Fremont has the second-most food service establishments on our list at 551.<\/p>\n

Top 3 Most Affordable Underrated Cities<\/h2>\n

But just because a city has higher wages and higher costs of living doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s better. There\u2019s more to life than the rat race, and living comfortably and affordably are not mutually exclusive. In fact, many Millennials are learning just how important work\/life balance is \u2014 and how to achieve it on a budget.<\/p>\n

\"Underrated<\/p>\n\n\n

Columbia and Norfolk also rank on our list as the top two most affordable underrated cities. Both of these cities boast very reasonable housing prices with median sale prices of $201,500 and $218,000, respectively. Additionally, both cities\u2019 average commute time are right around 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Norfolk\u2019s 54 art, entertainment and recreational establishments are quite respectable on our list, while Columbia is closer to nature.<\/p>\n

Not far behind, Sioux Falls, S.D., is the third-most affordable city on our list with a median home sale price of just under $219,000. The city is near the Iowa border in the southeastern part of the state, and is widely considered to be one of the healthiest cities in the country. And, although average salaries in Sioux Falls are below other cities on our list, the unemployment rate here is quite appealing: It was just 2.09% in 2019 \u2014 the second-lowest in our study, behind only Ann Arbor, Mich.<\/p>\n

Plus, South Dakota doesn\u2019t have a corporate income tax, which has been a draw for financial and services companies. It\u2019s also a regional hub for Wells Fargo and Citigroup. And, because the distances between other larger cities in the region are so far, Sioux Falls has many of the amenities you\u2019d come to expect in larger cities: It\u2019s the regional center of shopping and dining with 408 dining establishments and 81 art, entertainment and recreation establishments.<\/p>\n

Check out the entire top 20 list below to see how each city ranks for every metric by points.<\/p>\n