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You Could Live In a Picturesque Mountain Town for Under $50,000 Mountain living often sounds like a dream come true. Imagine starting your day surrounded by nature, waking up to birds chirping, leaves gently rustling in the wind, or the soothing sound of a nearby stream. Add in fresh, crisp mountain air and scenic views, and it is easy to see why so many people picture this as an ideal way of life. While mountain living is not for everyone, those who have always envisioned settling down in a charming mountain town may find that now is the perfect time to explore the option.
To identify picturesque mountain towns with more affordable housing, Moms Who Think analyzed five years of data on median home values and median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. Towns and Census-designated places were ranked using the ratio of median home value to median household income, helping highlight locations where homes are more attainable relative to earnings.
Only places with at least 500 residents were considered, along with the requirement that at least 5 percent of housing units are vacant for seasonal or recreational use. Each location also had to intersect with a mountain, based on spatial boundaries from the GMBA Mountain Inventory v2 of EarthEnv.
In addition, we included a Niche grade for each town or its surrounding area. These grades reflect a combination of factors, including cost of living, quality of public schools, diversity, and access to outdoor activities, offering a more complete picture of what life in each mountain town might look like.
50. Ridgecrest, California Median home value: $224,600 (2.6 times income)Median household income: $85,872Overall Niche grade : B+Total population: 28,11849. Steele Creek, Alaska Median home value: $309,900 (2.6 times income)Median household income: $118,934Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 6,54248. Cumberland, Maryland Median home value: $119,500 (2.6 times income)Median household income: $45,915Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 19,04147. White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia Median home value: $122,000 (2.6 times income)Median household income: $47,292Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 2,70746. Scranton, Pennsylvania Median home value: $125,700 (2.6 times income)Median household income: $48,776Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 76,11945. Apple Mountain Lake, Virginia Median home value: $310,200 (2.6 times income)Median household income: $120,539Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 1,58444. Cobleskill, New York Median home value: $168,800 (2.6 times income)Median household income: $65,610Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 4,15243. Deltana, Alaska Median home value: $267,700 (2.5 times income)Median household income: $105,250Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 2,05942. Lakemont, Pennsylvania Median home value: $118,600 (2.5 times income)Median household income: $46,840Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 1,51141. Pulaski, Virginia Median home value: $137,400 (2.5 times income)Median household income: $55,213Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 8,98240. Keyser, West Virginia Median home value: $115,400 (2.5 times income)Median household income: $46,724Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 4,87939. Nice, California Median home value: $170,600 (2.4 times income)Median household income: $69,653Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 2,38938. Mount Union, Pennsylvania Median home value: $93,600 (2.4 times income)Median household income: $38,382Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 2,13037. Middlesborough, Kentucky Median home value: $87,000 (2.4 times income)Median household income: $35,798Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 9,38336. Whitehall, New York Median home value: $96,400 (2.4 times income)Median household income: $40,294Overall Niche grade : CTotal population: 2,16635. Lewistown, Pennsylvania Median home value: $86,500 (2.4 times income)Median household income: $36,166Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 8,52234. Hinton, West Virginia Median home value: $85,400 (2.4 times income)Median household income: $35,735Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 2,16733. Gorham, New Hampshire Median home value: $132,800 (2.4 times income)Median household income: $55,845Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 2,04332. Jenkins, Kentucky Median home value: $61,300 (2.3 times income)Median household income: $26,500Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 1,86231. La Vale, Maryland Median home value: $168,200 (2.3 times income)Median household income: $73,778Overall Niche grade : A-Total population: 4,35130. Powells Crossroads, Tennessee Median home value: $146,100 (2.3 times income)Median household income: $64,100Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 1,68629. Ellenville, New York Median home value: $172,700 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $77,125Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 4,21328. Berlin, New Hampshire Median home value: $93,200 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $41,638Overall Niche grade : CTotal population: 9,48527. Olyphant, Pennsylvania Median home value: $132,200 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $60,120Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 5,37226. Richwood, West Virginia Median home value: $68,000 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $30,962Overall Niche grade : CTotal population: 2,56725. Altoona, Pennsylvania Median home value: $110,700 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $50,435Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 43,82124. Warm Springs, Oregon Median home value: $129,200 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $59,167Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 2,45323. Old Forge, Pennsylvania Median home value: $156,300 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $71,615Overall Niche grade : A-Total population: 8,50622. Neah Bay, Washington Median home value: $137,500 (2.2 times income)Median household income: $63,750Overall Niche grade : B+Total population: 1,08121. Metlakatla, Alaska Median home value: $163,900 (2.1 times income)Median household income: $78,750Overall Niche grade : CTotal population: 1,43720. Marlinton, West Virginia Median home value: $82,000 (2.1 times income)Median household income: $39,643Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 1,13919. Bluefield, West Virginia Median home value: $94,400 (2.1 times income)Median household income: $45,854Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 9,61918. Saltville, Virginia Median home value: $84,900 (2.1 times income)Median household income: $41,339Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 2,08517. Bowling Green, Maryland Median home value: $119,100 (2.0 times income)Median household income: $59,773Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 1,10216. Parsons, West Virginia Median home value: $88,600 (1.9 times income)Median household income: $45,729Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 1,52415. Dannemora, New York Median home value: $130,900 (1.9 times income)Median household income: $67,778Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 3,37314. McClure, Pennsylvania Median home value: $119,100 (1.9 times income)Median household income: $62,667Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 1,17113. Patrick Springs, Virginia Median home value: $99,500 (1.9 times income)Median household income: $52,548Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 2,20412. Renovo, Pennsylvania Median home value: $54,400 (1.9 times income)Median household income: $28,750Overall Niche grade : CTotal population: 1,08111. Cumberland, Kentucky Median home value: $59,900 (1.8 times income)Median household income: $32,716Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 2,39010. Covington, Virginia Median home value: $80,100 (1.8 times income)Median household income: $45,737Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 5,7229. Westernport, Maryland Median home value: $83,500 (1.6 times income)Median household income: $50,938Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 1,9938. Springville, Virginia Median home value: $65,700 (1.6 times income)Median household income: $41,250Overall Niche grade : BTotal population: 1,0177. East Carbon, Utah Median home value: $80,700 (1.5 times income)Median household income: $52,554Overall Niche grade : C+Total population: 1,4416. Atkins, Virginia Median home value: $66,300 (1.5 times income)Median household income: $43,318Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 1,0285. King Cove, Alaska Median home value: $118,200 (1.5 times income)Median household income: $79,844Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 1,1084. Searles Valley, California Median home value: $78,000 (1.4 times income)Median household income: $54,013Overall Niche grade : C-Total population: 1,7163. Desert Edge, California Median home value: $53,600 (1.4 times income)Median household income: $38,668Overall Niche grade : B-Total population: 3,7152. Hays, Montana Median home value: $63,600 (1.3 times income)Median household income: $49,423Overall Niche grade : C-Total population: 1,0951. Johnstown, Pennsylvania Median home value: $40,000 (1.2 times income)Median household income: $33,466Overall Niche grade : CTotal population: 18,429← PreviousNext →
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