Searching for the best beach towns to live in? Daydreaming of waking up every morning listening to the sea waves while your bedroom is bathed in the sun’s rays? Gazing at spectacular sunsets in the late noon, reading a book at the beach, and chilling out with your beloved people at the balcony sea view of your new house? Sounds like a perfect holiday. However, the news is even better. This is how your life could look every single day if your home is close to the coast. And you don’t need the fortune to live this way. Turn on the wave sound on YouTube, relax, and find out what are the best coastal towns to live in in the USA.
What Is the Most Affordable Beach Town to Live, and What Are the Benefits of Living By Sea?
If you want a getaway from a polluted, crowded metropolis and seek a quiet place with splendid natural environments and fresh air, where the quality of life can be significantly improved, then relocating to a smaller sea town could be a perfect solution for you.
Whatever your reasons to move may be, no matter if you’re moving your family to another state because you want to enhance the relationship with your kids and need a larger house, or you’re moving for love, or you’re looking for the best beach towns to retire in, the benefits of moving near the sea are quite numerous. According to the Health and Place study, living by the sea has a beneficial effect on mental health and well-being. The results showed that people who live less than 0.62 miles from the sea are 22% less likely to have mental health problems compared to those living over 31 miles away from the sea. Another study conducted by researchers from Plymouth University, UK, and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco showed that living in an environment near the sea can improve overall mood and impact the greater reductions in heart rate.
Knowing all these facts, it is completely understandable why people want to set home in such surroundings. And as we have already mentioned, you don’t need the fortune to live near the coastline. There are multiple options all across the USA that enable you to find affordable beachfront towns to live and improve the quality of life. For that reason, we prepared a list of the best and most affordable beach towns to live in and what to expect once you move to a new state.
Jacksonville – Welcome to Florida’s Best Hidden Gem
Jax, as locals call it, lies at the banks of Johns River, the longest river in Florida that meets the Atlantic ocean. The city is situated in Northeast Florida, only five hours drive from Miami, and its 22 miles long golden-sand beach, provides a wide range of options for spending free time outdoors and easily making friends in a new city. So, if you’re of adventurous spirit and enjoy fishing, kayaking, surfing, boating, and sailing, Jacksonville will be a perfect match for you.
Jacksonville’s population counts 163,657 citizens, which makes it one of the smaller cities in Florida, but still not too small. Developed infrastructure, good connections to the rest of the peninsula, and great opportunities for further growth were enough reasons for Jax to be listed as the twelfth most popular city in America, according to the Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 and More Report.
Jax is a Great Option for Young Families
According to Numbeo, the average monthly salary (after-tax) amounts to $3,690, while the property taxes range from $800-$1,499. The job prospects are great too, so moving for a job to Jax is definitely a justified decision. Well-developed financial and banking services, the tourism and leisure industry growth, logistics, media and technology, military and defense – which is the largest employer in Jacksonville – make Jax a great place to find new employment. Furthermore, the average price of the property is around $200,000, which is a really supportive option for young families, and all those who want to own the house with a spacious backyard, which will be especially important in case you’re moving with pets, and you need every inch of it.
Santa Barbara in California is the US Mediterranean
The palm-tree-lined coast, Mediterranean-like atmosphere, hidden gardens, and golden sand beaches with crystal clear waters are enough reasons why you would wish to have a home in such a place. Santa Barbara is located 95 miles from Los Angeles, at the foot of Los Padres National Forest, in the south of California. It provides just great working and educational opportunities for its residents, which makes it one of the best beaches to live on in the US.
With a population of 91,325 citizens and great infrastructure (the highway connects it directly to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and there’s also an airport,) it provides further development and advancement of life quality.
Santa Barbara Is Great Place to Invest and Start Your Own Business
As Numbeo reports, the median monthly income is $5,700 (after-tax,) and the average property value exceeds $993,600. According to the County of Santa Barbara, the major industries are agriculture, tourism and wine, health care and social assistance, building and design, technology and innovation, and energy and environment. Of course, because of the location, tourism and leisure is the most prospective industry that reports growth and gives tremendous opportunities for investing and starting own businesses.
Dreaming of Life in Sunny Spain? Charleston in South Carolina Can Provide You this Experience
If you prefer cities with historical backgrounds, then Charleston in South Carolina will be just the perfect option for you. Cobbled 17th-century streets, colorful old mansions that are the main landmark of the downtown, Spanish-like architecture, secret gardens, and air that smells of sea and roses will be enough reasons to move to one of the nicest cities in Carolina. Charleston is situated at the confluence of three rivers, Ashley, Cooper, and Wandoo, and an inlet of the Atlantic ocean.
Charleston’s population counts 211,192 citizens, which makes it the largest city in South Carolina. Charleston is also the principal of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan area and one of the largest tourist destinations in this part of America. The proximity of some popular beachfront towns such as Folly Beach, Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms, and many more make Charleston’s tourism industry strong and provide it with great opportunities for further development. Aside from tourism, Charleston is known for its port, which is the seventh-largest port in the US for containerized cargo, so the prospects for finding a job in this field are quite good.
Charleston Gives Tremendous Job Opportunities in Medical Services
The Medical University of South Carolina was one of the key factors to bring new industry players into town. With 35 pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and more than 50 research laboratories, Charleston has become a hub for bioscience and medical research. Other key industries that are generators of town development are aerospace, automotive, defense, tech, and logistics industry. When it comes to median salary, it amounts to $3,800 monthly (as Numbeo states,) while the average price of the property is $370,300, which is reasonable considering the location, proximity to the coast, and great job opportunities. For this reason, it could also be an ideal option for all those asking about where is the best beach to retire. So, if you’re finally ready to dedicate yourself to your hobbies, grandchildren, and lifestyle you always wanted, then Charleston, again, could be a solution for you.
Looking for a Family-Friendly Oceanfront Town? Narragansett in Rhode Island May Be Your New Home Base!
Rhode Island, or as locals call it Ocean State, with 40 miles of coastline, is among the smallest, but still very convenient states for living. According to the ZipRecruiter Report, its capital Providence is the fourth hottest job market in the entire US.
And a small oceanfront town Narragansett with its Victorian architecture, surfing, and family-friendly beaches, represents one of the most idyllic cities on the New England coast. Narragansett is one of the best-known tourist places, and also one of the best cities in America to raise a family, because of prestigious schools in Providence, high quality of life, and beachside. Moreover, New York’s only 170 mi away, and Boston is 89 miles from Narragansett, giving this municipality residents even more options for jobs or education.
Small Town – Huge Growth Perspectives
Although Rhode Island residents emphasize that the greatest con of the whole state is crowd, Narragansett counts only 3,725 residents. The best job opportunities in this coastal town are associated with educational services and health care that are the fastest growing industries in the whole state. Accommodation and food, real estate, rental and leasing, finance and insurance, as well as the arts and entertainment, provide great opportunities for employment too, which makes it one of the best beach towns to live in the USA.
The median monthly salary amounts to $3,900 (after-tax,) according to Numbeo. However, when it comes to housing options, the average property price in Narragansett is 2.24 times higher than the national average, so if you want your own property in Narragansett, you’ll be required to prepare around $515,500.
Looking for the Best Beach Towns to Live in? Welcome to Turquoise Paradise – Honolulu, Hawaii
Aloha! We hope you’ve packed all the moving essentials and feel ready to start living the Hawaiian tropical adventure!
Although Honolulu is one of the most popular places for tourists from all over the world, it is also regularly listed as one of the most desirable towns to live in the US. According to the SurveyMonkey analysis based on 3,000 survey respondents, Honolulu takes first place as the most desirable place for living in the US for 2020-2021, along with Los Angeles and Colorado Springs.
Honolulu is the largest and most urbanized city in Hawaii, with a population of 347,403 citizens. The interesting fact is that almost a third, or more precisely 27,1% of the population, is foreign-born, which reveals that Honolulu is one of the most popular destinations for living not only in the US but beyond. According to Redfin, the average sale price of properties in Honolulu is $535,000, which is far beyond the national average. However, the great natural predispositions, the crystal-clear and turquoise waters of the Pacific ocean, and Honolulu being valorized as one of the most desirable destinations among tourists globally, signifies great opportunities for luxury tourism growth and further development of this industry.
Honolulu Is Not Just Tourism-Oriented
As Numbeo reports, the median monthly income (after-tax) in Honolulu is $3,600, and the main industries in the city are accommodation and food services, health care, social assistance, and retail trade. At the same time, the highest salaries are in professional, scientific, and technical services, and public administration.
No matter why you choose to make a home in Hawaii, it could be an ideal solution for you whether you came here for work, retirement, love, iconic beaches, or just great conditions for your family. A relaxed Hawaiian atmosphere will definitely help you meet new neighbors, attain new friends, and adjust to the new environment quickly and feel like you lived there your whole life.
Want to Know All the Pros and Cons of Living in Hawaii?
Although it may look like a heavenly destination for living, Hawaii, like any other place in the world, has its pros and cons when it comes to the practical side of life. So, if you want to know all the information first hand, and find out why Hawaii still provides the best places to live near a beach, take a look at the video below.
How Difficult is Moving Interstate?
Nothing is more difficult than last-minute moving, so before you start packing, try to organize your move in advance and explore all the details. Start with an interstate moving company that will help you move out of state on a budget and make the whole experience less stressful. Since moving state to state requires various moving services, and you won’t be able to relocate many of the household items yourself, like a piano, sculpture, or any other valuable and massive piece of art. In order to move efficiently, don’t forget to ask them what packing services could they provide you and at what conditions.
Another great tip for moving out of state would be to create a checklist for interstate moving. This list will help you to track the packing progress and all the next steps you should take in order to reduce the anxiety about moving out you might feel, especially if you’re trying to figure out what do you need to rent an apartment for the first time, or who to notify about the address change when relocating.
Although there are literally thousands of details associated with relocation, and the whole process is pretty stressful and emotionally draining in some cases, we are sure that living by the ocean will mitigate all the previous difficulties and provide you with great experiences only the sea and the sun can provide.
