Dayton lands among top 10 for affordable outdoor cities

Dayton is one of the most affordable cities for outdoor lovers, according to a new list from realtor.com.

Realtor.com's data team looked at metropolitian areas where the median home prices are under $300,000, and found "unexpected metros with enough top-notch outdoor access."

The data team looked at the number of national parks within a four-hour drive, number of state parks or beacges within a one-hour drive, restaurants with outdoor seating, annual months of mild weather, bicyle-friendliness rating, among other city attributes.

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“It’s sometimes hard to find the time and access to get outside when you live in a city,” says Lauren Skonieczny, operations manager and a guide at Discover Outdoors, a New York-based provider of guided adventure trips, to realtor.com. “[But] time outside really helps to improve mental health and physical health. A short hike is enough to get your heart pumping.”

Dayton made the list for its cheap home prices and 300 miles of bike paths. Here’s what they said:

“Dayton has been nationally recognized as a Bicycle-Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, largely for its 30 miles of central city trails that connect to more than 300 miles of paths. There are practically unlimited possibilities for day trips on a bike here. There’s also no shortage of hiking near Dayton’s city center, much of it on the 75 miles of trails in the Five Rivers MetroParks System.”

The top cities included:

1. Greenville, South Carolina

2. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

3. Morgantown, West Virginia

4. Greensboro, North Carolina

5. Dayton, Ohio

6. Tampa, Florida

7. Chico, California

8. Atlanta, Georgia

9. Knoxville, Tennessee

10. Buffalo, New York

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