The 10 Trendiest U.S. Cities That You Can Still Afford to Buy In

How do you know when a New York City hipster mecca is over? When the median home price is $1,275,000, a one-bedroom rental runs $3,300 (or way more), and tourists clog the streets like water bugs in a pre-gentrified tenement. So what’s a craft beer–drinking, bike-commuting, EDM-loving, would-be home buyer to do?

Our data team mixed up a large batch of kale smoothies and set out to find the next hipster meccas sprouting up across the U.S. We took a deep dive into the 500 largest cities in the country in search of those that combine a fun, young, culture-rich urban experience with affordability for the long haul.

Here are the criteria we used:

Number of foodie hot spots: farm-to-table restaurants with Instagram-worthy dishes, food trucks, farmers markets, juice bars, and craft breweries.
Number of bike shops: Two wheels are now better than four.
Number of yoga studios: Come on, everyone needs yoga.
Number of cultural outlets: Music venues, indie movie theaters, and art galleries.
An increase in the population of 25- to 34-year-olds from 2013 to 2014, and in the percentage of people shopping for a home on realtor.com®, to show us where next-gen buyers are flocking.

Last, we ran a housing affordability check on each city to weed out the ones where home prices are through the roof. (See ya, San Francisco!) Check out the top 10 cities where you don’t have to shell out a fortune to live like a bohemian. Or just to live with your family in a cool, vibrant, emerging place.

1. Salt Lake City, UT

Median home price: $355,000

Sure, you know Silicon Valley, but do you know Silicon Slopes? In Salt Lake City, affordable real estate, an educated workforce, and a decent transit system have lured big tech companies such as Adobe and Electronic Arts, as well as a slew of startups. And along with them, armies of young techies eager to work hard and play harder.

Besides all the outdoorsy things to do in the majestic Rocky Mountains, there are plenty of impressive entertainment options. The Sundance Film Festival in nearby Park City each winter, of course, brings in thousands of filmmakers, actors, and fans—and locals get special deals on tickets. Plenty of those filmmakers decided to put down roots here. In summer, the Twilight Concert Series assembles indie and hip-hop powerhouses such as MGMT, Empire of the Sun, The Nationals, and Ludacris for free!

2. Richmond, VA

Median home price: $170,000

A classic city with rich history that was once plagued by crime, Richmond has now rebranded itself as a creative center for young folk. Artists, writers, bloggers, crafters, and punk garage bands have all convened on this Southern metropolis.

People in Richmond take music so seriously that they organized a crowd-funding campaign in 2014 to bring the Foo Fighters to town. Sept. 17, the day of the concert, is now the official “Foo Fighters Day RVA”—signed and stamped by Richmond’s mayor.

Farm-to-table eating? People in Richmond have been doing so even before you ever heard about farmers markets. The 17th Street Market has been oozing local charm since 1737, making it one of the oldest public markets in the nation. Nose-to-tail eating? Yeah, they’ve got that covered, too.

3. Asheville, NC

Median home price: $350,000

No, you’re not dreaming—that suspiciously hairy “nun” roaming the streets on a giant bike is one of the more commonplace daily sights you’ll experience in this funky place. In fact, this hippie Southern enclave with a proudly weird sense of humor has not only one, but three biking nuns—known as Sister Bad Habit, Sister Hairy Mary, and Sister Sauerkraut. In case you were wondering.

Dubbed the “New Freak Capital of the U.S.” by Rolling Stone, Asheville is also home to naturalists, bluegrass fiddlers, folk artists, crafters, and pedigreed chefs. It’s also been dubbed “Beer City USA” thanks to its more than two dozen mostly excellent craft breweries across town.