Wedding season may be coming to an end with the summer, so what that means is that the world is full of newlyweds starting their lives together. One of the big steps for those who have just gotten hitched is find a place to live. Even if they’ve been living together for years before they made their relationship legit, some newlyweds want a new beginning with new energy, and there’s nothing like a new apartment to do just that. But where should newlyweds live? According to a new survey by rental site Rent.com, they should be heading west to California.
Rent.com teamed up with Onboard Informatics to find out the best place for newlyweds to call home. In determining these cities, the study looked into places that have at least 750,000 people, where both the millennial and married adult population is higher than 25 percent, and crime rates are low. From there, the research took into consideration rent amounts, median household incomes, and of course important things like culture and restaurants. What they came up with is pretty much the ideal places for you, newlyweds of the world, to move to and call home.
So what cities in the United States should you be heading to? Here are the top 10.
10. Lewisville, Texas
With a 109 crime risk out of the 100 national average and a median household income of almost $56,000, Lewisville, Texas is number 10 on the list. There you can score a two-bedroom for an average of $1,218 a month and with it being right on Lewisville Lake, that’s quite a bargain.
9. San Diego, California
When it comes to place for newlyweds, California is the place to be. In fact, San Diego is the first of three California cities to be in this top 10 list. While a two-bedroom in San Diego might set you a back a little bit more than if you lived in Lewisville, the median household income is $63,930, so it works out. Also, from what I hear, San Diego is supposed to have some of the most beautiful weather in the country.
8. Lincoln, Nebraska
For those looking to call the middle of the country home, then there’s no place quite like Lincoln, Nebraska. Not only can you find a median rent for a two-bedroom at only $625 a month (I’m not even joking), but with the median income of just over $50,000 a year, you’ll actually get to have a savings account and be able to put money in it.
7. Arlington, Virginia
Arlington, VA is all about big bucks, median rents over $2,100, and a population of millennials and married folks at 32 percent. The crime risk is 95 out of the national average of 100 and you’re really close to D.C., which has culture coming out of its ears ― all those museums!
6. Somerville, Massachusetts
Oh hey, Somerville! Having dated a guy who lived in Somerville back in college, I can attest to the fact that this is a lovely city, with an adorable downtown and you’re just minutes from Boston. But its proximity to Boston also puts its median two-bedroom rent at $2,288 a month and a millennial population at 42 percent. Depending on your tolerance for packs of millennials, this could either be a good or bad thing. Somerville also has a 62 on the crime risk scale, so that’s pretty awesome.
5. Greeley, CO
Funny story about Greeley: When you live in the Boulder area, you always know it’s going to snow because the air smells like manure thanks to Greeley. Why? Lots of farms. However, if you can work around that little issue, Greeley, with a median rent of $800 and 43 percent population of fellow married people, is a darling city for newlyweds to call home.
4. Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is another suburb of Boston, but this time on the south side of the city. In Quincy, the millennial population is at 25 percent, the married population is at 37 percent, and the crime risk number is 67. Here you can also find a median two-bedroom rent that’s $1681, with an average income that’s almost $61,000. Not too shabby for being so close to Boston.
3. Vista, California
For the second time, we find California on the list, but Vista is a bit more north of San Diego. In Vista, two-bedroom apartments will run you, on average, $1,450 a month and the crime risk is 11 ― yes, 11 out of the 100 national average. I can already hear some of you packing your bags.
2. Orem, Utah
In Orem, you’ll find that, as a newlywed, there are plenty of married people to do all those couple things that married people just love to do together thanks to 48 percent of the population being hitched. It’s also here that a two-bedroom will only set you back $893 a month on average and you’re right on Utah Lake.
1. Santa Clara, California
The best city in the U.S. for newlyweds to live is Santa Clara, California. It’s not too far from the Bay Area, the median rent for a two-bedroom is only $900, the median household income is $88,953, the millennial population is 26 percent, the married population is 40.5 percent, and the crime risk number sits at a very comfortable 63. Basically, it’s a utopia, so you should move there. Now.
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