Everyone loves a good beach town; they are perfect places for a relaxing summer getaway, especially if you own a vacation home just a short walk from the beach. The problem is, many of them are so expensive the average American can’t even enjoy what they have to offer. Take Southampton N.Y., for example, where the median home price is almost $2 million. Or Key West, where even small homes can go for around $530,000, more than twice the national median.
However, not every beach town in the country is quite so unobtainable, and realtor.com has done all the legwork in finding the 10 most obtainable and affordable beach towns in the country. The list was created by looking at median home list prices, price growth from April 2015 to April 2016, the number of activities per capita, and the number of restaurants per capita. After all of these factors were taken into consideration, the final stipulation was added: the towns could not be famous.
Coming in at number one on the list was Ocean Park, Wash., with a median list price of $228,000. Ocean Park has just over 1,100 people. One of the biggest activities you will find on the sandy beachfront is digging for clams, as the beach is one of five state-designated beaches for digging razor clams. The town hosts an annual razor clam festival that features free clam-digging lessons, a chowder competition, and a clam-fritter cook-off in the world’s largest frying pan. What’s not to love?
Cape Canaveral, Fla. took the second spot on the list. Generally thought of in terms of rockets and astronauts, its beaches often take a back seat. It is also overshadowed by neighboring Cocoa Beach, but with beaches that are just as beautiful and a median home price of $262,000 compared to Cocoa Beach’s $369,900, Cape Canaveral should be on any beach lover’s list of places to visit.
Other cities on the list include Crescent City, Calif. (3), Rockaway Beach, Ore. (5), Kill Devil Hills, N.C. (9), and Dennis Port, Mass. (10).
For realtor.com’s full list of the best under the radar beach towns, follow the link below.
