House hunters typically don’t venture too far from where they live today. Most people look for homes for saleor rentals across town, not across the country. However, more than one-third of searches are to homes at least 100 miles away. And as anyone who’s had to move knows, finding the best place to live isn’t easy — especially if you’re moving to an unfamiliar place.
Using the same analysis behind our Metro Movers report — a forward-looking housing report that starts with where people are today and offers insights on where they want to live tomorrow — we found that out-of-towners tend to look in name-brand neighborhoods such as Tribeca in New York, Beverly Hills in Los Angeles,Miami Beach in Miami, Pacific Heights in San Francisco and Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
But if you’re moving to a new city, maybe you want to find the neighborhoods that locals know but aren’t nationally famous. (Or maybe you’re a local trying to avoid the transplants and carpetbaggers.) These are what we call a city’s “best-kept secret” neighborhoods. They’re not secrets to most local house hunters, but outsiders looking to move in typically overlook them.
To find out which neighborhoods are the locals’ best-kept secrets, I looked at the zip codes within a city where locals account for more search activity than other similarly priced neighborhoods where out-of-towners tend to search. In general, pricier neighborhoods that are more famous tend to get more attention from non-locals. But many of our best-kept secret neighborhoods are pricey, too: many have been recently gentrified or redeveloped, while some have been quietly upscale for decades.
Using this methodology, here’s our list of America’s best-kept secret neighborhoods – we’ve also thrown in pics and links homes for sales (that are in the ballpark of the median list price) to give you an idea about what’s available in each neighborhood.
New York’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Hunters Point (Long Island City, Queens)
Zip Code: 11101
Median List Price: $695,750
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,060 sqft condo at 2415 Queens Plaza North for $699,000.
Los Angeles’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: La Brea / Hancock Park
Zip Code: 90036
Median List Price: $959,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,871 sqft single family home at 800 South Burnside Avenue for $995,000.
Chicago’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: West Town / Wicker Park
Zip Code: 60622
Median List Price: $350,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 2-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 1,600 sqft condo at 2121 West Schiller Street for $375,000.
San Francisco’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Diamond Heights / Glen Park
Zip Code: 94131
Median List Price: $779,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom, 1,280 sqft single family home at 119 Joost Avenue for $689,000
Miami’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Key Biscayne
Zip Code: 33149
Median List Price: $832,500
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,320 sqft condo at 200 Ocean Lane for $875,000.
Washington DC’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Logan Circle
Zip Code: 20005
Median List Price: $499,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom condo at 1401 Church Street Northwest for $474,900.
Boston: Fort Point / Seaport District:Fort Point / Seaport District
Zip Code: 02210
Median List Price: $927,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 1-bedroom, 2-bathroom 1,914 sqft condo at 35 Channel Ctr for $899,000.
Houston’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Spring Branch East
Zip Code: 77055
Median List Price: $332,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 2,667 sqft single family home at 7527 Woodvine Place Court for $335,000.
Dallas’ Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Greenway Parks
Zip Code: 75209
Median List Price: $448,975
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom 1,768 sqft single family room at 5523 Druid Lane for $478,000.
Seattle’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Sunset Hill / North Beach
Zip Code: 98117
Median List Price: $419,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 1,870 sqft single family room at 9209 7th Avenue NW for $425,000.
Philadelphia’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Bella Vista / Southwark
Zip Code: 19147
Median List Price:$320,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 1-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 946 sqft condo at 712 South 12th Street for $304,900
Atlanta’s Best-Kept Secret Neighborhood: Virginia-Highland
Zip Code: 30306
Median List Price: $385,000
What’s kind of pad can I get there? Check out this 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, single family home at 1225 Carol Lane NE for $339,900.
