The 10 Most Desirable Small Towns

Small towns get a bad rap for their lack of excitement, but Realtor.com found 10 of them that have plenty of local culture.

Mexico, Mo., has a burgeoning performance arts center, rolling woodlands, and a berry farm. Guymon, Okla., offers jobs in oil, bio energy, and renewable energy. Worthington, Minn., has very diverse ethnic cuisine and hosts an international festival every year.

The list also factors in unemployment rates, crime rates, and the percentage of income that owners spend on housing.

The median home prices of our top picks range from just $65,600 to $139,900—compared with the national median price of $250,000, or the $800,000 median price tag in San Francisco. We found the most livable small-town oases of affordability in 2017 to be clustered in the Midwest.

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