4 Cities for Homebuyers Who Love the Great Outdoors

Grab your parkas, paddles or poles (whether for skiing or camping tents!).

According to RE/MAX real estate agents, these four U.S. cities could be ideal home bases for anyone looking to prioritize purchasing a home near easily accessible outdoor recreation. Curious what the current local housing markets are like? Read on to learn more about these near-to-nature locales.

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is an epicenter for the arts, music, fine dining and local breweries, says Margaret Vestal, an agent with RE/MAX Executive in Asheville. She explains that the small city in western North Carolina has a neighborly feel and environmentally aware mindset. The area attracts a wide array of folks looking to get outdoors and enjoy a slower pace of life, and many have their sights set on Asheville to escape harsher climates and larger cities.

“The Asheville area has always drawn outdoor enthusiasts as well as those just seeking a place of natural beauty and mild weather throughout four distinct seasons,” Vestal adds. “The Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain Ranges are nature’s playground, and locals love to hike, mountain bike, kayak, fish, tube and camp in our abundant nearby National Forests and National and State Parks.”

The housing market in Asheville is booming, she says, but like many places, there aren’t enough homes for sale to meet the demand.

“Prices are up 20% year-over-year, and buyer demand remains high while inventory is still at record lows. It’s not impossible for buyers to find a home, but there is a strategy to it and they need to connect with an agent who understands how to win in a competitive market.”

Burlington, Vermont

Set on Lake Champlain in northern Vermont, Burlington is a city with a small town-like feel.

“Burlington has changed a lot over the last couple of decades,” says Lauren Gaffney Cohen, a longtime Vermont resident and REALTOR® with RE/MAX North Professionals. “We have a very walkable downtown shopping area and we have numerous nearby outdoor activities. In the summertime, you can bike from Burlington to Colchester and take a bike ferry to the islands on the causeway. My family loves to rent sailboats at the sailing center.”

An ideal place to enjoy four seasons, Burlington has close proximity to classic New England ski resorts like Stowe and Sugarbush and offers easy access to nearby state parks like the popular Camel’s Hump State Park.

When it comes to the housing market, Cohen recommends considering opening the home search to beyond the city limits.

“It’s definitely a challenging housing market right now. We’re facing low inventory,” Cohen says. “Living close by, however, doesn’t need to mean you live in Burlington – you can be outside of the city in the surrounding towns and still reap the benefits of going downtown or getting out to mountains, lakes and parks.”

Bend, Oregon

“Bend offers pretty much any outdoor activity you might be interested in, whether it’s skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking or amazing trails – and all of those are between 30 minutes and one hour away. Nature is very accessible,” says Erin Shinn, an agent with RE/MAX Key Properties in Bend.

Named after a unique curve in the Deschutes River, the city of Bend is home to avid kayakers and has the Bend Whitewater Park downtown for kayaking, surfing, paddling, rafting and more. In the winter months, Bend is a 30-minute commute to snowy Mt. Bachelor, a renowned location for backcountry skiing. Popular in the summer months, the city also boasts a multitude of golf courses and nearby lakes and is less than a four-hour drive to the state’s coastline.

Shinn, however, isn’t the only one who agrees Bend is a great place to live and recreate.

“Bend continues to be a hotspot for people relocating, especially during COVID with more people working remotely,” he says. “We have short, direct flights from the Redmond Airport to the Bay Area, Seattle and Portland, so we’re seeing a lot of new people from these areas. That’s definitely creating more demand, but we don’t have much supply – it’s what we’re facing nationwide.”

Flagstaff, Arizona

In Northern Arizona, Flagstaff sits in an ideal location for mountain lovers and desert dwellers alike.

“The city is in such a unique location with high elevation, low pollution, access to world-class hiking and biking trails, and a ski resort in our backyard. An abundance of sunshine year-round makes this place so attractive,” says Ksenia Hartl, an agent with RE/MAX Fine Properties in Flagstaff.

She adds, “My family and I are big skiers, so the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort – minutes from downtown Flagstaff – is the place to be. Not many know that we have a ski resort up here, but this is one of many things that make Flagstaff so unique.”

Hartl points to the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) as a popular and alternative way to get around town and even commute to work. And just a 45-minute drive south of Flagstaff is the city of Sedona, known as an exploration hub due to its other-worldly red sandstone formations.

But access to so many desirable environments is making the Flagstaff housing market competitive.

“Right now, it’s typical to see homes going for 5% to 10% over asking price, but even prices 20% to 25% over asking are not all that uncommon,” she explains. “Phoenix, one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, is within a two-hour drive. Everyone wants to be in Flagstaff in the summer because its considerably cooler temperatures, which stay in the mid 80-degree range, provide a relief from the 120-degree temperatures elsewhere in the state.”

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