Best towns / communities for young families who enjoy nature but also being able to walk everywhere? (low crime)

[Akon921]

Hey everyone,

So my wife and I have been going nuts trying to find the perfect place to live... we’ve done plenty of Google searches but haven’t found what we’re looking for.

I’m hoping someone here can point us in the right direction.

About Us:
- In our 30’s
- Have 2 young children
- Work from home so can live anywhere
- Travel frequently for business

What we’re looking for in a new city:
- Scenic: we’d like to have a view of mountains, or a beach, or a lake. We’d also like to live somewhere that has seasons.
- Outdoor Activities: could be mountains for snowboarding, or a lake or beach for boating.
- Good schools.
- Low crime.
- Close to a major airport.

There are a good amount of places that meet that criteria, but what we’re really looking for is a “resort style” family community in one of those places.

Ideally, we could buy a townhouse in one of those communities that is in a walkable distance to coffee shops, restaurants, schools, a movie theater, and a grocery store and either a walk or a quick drive away from a ski-mountain or a lake. We’d also like the community to have amenities like parks, basketball courts, a gym, and a pool.

Kind of hard to explain exactly what we’re looking for, which is probably why we haven’t found anything yet!

If you know of any communities that meet the criteria from above I’d appreciate any and all recommendations.

Thanks in advance!

[EckyX]

Might not be what you're looking for but Vermont has the lowest crime rates in the nation, tons of nature to enjoy, a decent (though not super inexpensive) airport, lots of places with a view of both mountain and lake, and if you're cool with living in Burlington you can generally walk to most anything you want. Burlington itself has some petty crime issues in some areas due to its homeless population near downtown (it's basically the only place in the state with facilities and services for them) but otherwise it's an extremely safe "city".

[kyle19125]

Perhaps Alpharetta/Johns Creek just north of Atlanta could be a good option given your criteria.

[ckhthankgod]

What is your budget, OP?

A place that comes to mind is Skaneateles NY. Walkable village on a lake of the same name. Safe, good schools, has all of the park facilities and a short drive from multiple ski areas. Only possible is the airport, as Hancock International north of Syracuse is the closest, but Rochester International is another possibility and leads me to another suggestion. Home
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9458...7i13312!8i6656

Canandaigua, 30-35 minutes SE of Rochester on another Finger Lake of the same name is another place that would fit. It is a small “city” of 10,000. It also has the Bristol Mountain ski Area within minutes of the city. https://www.elocallink.tv/m/v/player...7_wel_rev1_iwd
Home - Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce, NY
https://www.downtowncanandaigua.com/
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8871...6!9m2!1b1!2i38

Another NY community a ferry ride across Lake Champlain from Vermont: Is the Plattsburgh area the best kept secret in NY State?

[Akon921]

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate all the replies so far and will definitely look into the locations mentioned.

@ckhthankgod Regarding budget, we're looking for a 3 or 4 bedroom for less than $800k. With that being said, we've been looking around online and have seen some places in small towns that would work for $<400k, and some places in major ski-towns that would be well over $1m... so the budget is pretty much open at this point while we try to find that perfect town!

[Pincho-toot]

Twin Cities