Moving still takes a ton of effort, but in the not-so-distant past, it was actually worse. There was a time when the only way to connect to a moving company was to call their landline, leave a message, and wait for a call back. And if your couch didn’t fit in your new home? All you could do was check it off your inventory list with a pencil and deal with it.
But, a lot of advances in moving technology have made things much faster and easier. Virtual reality, digital apps, and artificial intelligence are improving the ways we find new homes and move into them. Here are 7 ways technology has forever transformed the moving industry — and might be able to help with your own move.
1. Technology for Home Tours
Virtual reality (VR) has totally altered the home-buying process. With 360 and 3D professional photography, you can see a home in its entirety before ever setting foot on the property. And house hunters love this. Virtual tours help them decide whether to visit a property in person, reducing time spent viewing unsuitable homes by about 40%. Properties with virtual tours also sell 31% faster, according to HomeJab.
360 Photography
Virtual tour software platforms like Matterport allow realtors to scan an indoor space and create a navigable 3D model, which is an excellent tool if you’re a buyer. You can click a link and take a virtual tour of a home from anywhere in the world so you can easily decide if the layout works for you.
Drone Photography and Videography
With drone photography and videos, you can clearly see a home and its yard from any screen in the world. You can check out the alleys, roads, and neighbors’ lawns, and see what the surrounding area looks like.This gives a buyer much more context into the neighborhood when deciding whether to make an offer.
AR and VR Technology
Augmented reality (AR) and VR use similar technology in different ways. Where VR uses headsets to give the impression you’re somewhere else, AR adds to what you can already see! As you look at a real-world environment through a smartphone or computer screen, AR can add visuals such as furniture or paint colors.
This technology means realtors can facilitate highly realistic virtual walkthroughs of spaces for out-of-town buyers. Homes can also be staged using AR to reduce actual staging costs and logistics. In addition, design apps can use VR and AR technology to help you virtually “move in” and decorate your space, so you have a plan before your actual move.
2. Digital Apps to Learn About a Neighborhood
Before you decide where to move, you can easily research the safety, walkability, and friendliness of an area from the comfort of your couch. It doesn’t take long to dig up key information, whether you want to know about the best neighborhoods in Tampa or where to move in Las Vegas.
Neighborhood accessibility
With basic apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze, you can get real-time data on the roads, restaurants, and shops in your new neighborhood. You can use them to map traffic flow on the routes you’ll need to travel most, so you can plan school and work commutes. Learn the best roads to take and the time of day to travel them to reduce traffic-related headaches.
Crime statistics
Learn about the safety of your new neighborhood with apps and websites like Citizen and City Protect. City Protect offers police reports, public record requests, and more, and some of its features are free. Family Watchdog provides publicly available information about sex offenders in an area, with detailed reports for a fee.
Neighborhood vibe apps
Believe it or not, there’s more to a neighborhood than traffic and crime stats. Neighborhood Scout is a subscription-based app that provides insights on an area’s demographics, housing, school performance, and other characteristics using 600 data elements.
AreaVibes calculates a neighborhood’s livability score based on 7 factors, including crime rate, amenities, cost of living, education, employment, housing, and user ratings. This score is compared against a national average to give a big picture of your potential new neighborhood. There’s also a search function so you can access the most relevant information.
3. Customer Feedback Tools for Professional Movers
It’s easy to find reviews of professional moving services on platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp. You can quickly learn which companies have a track record for making moving day easy and which ones consistently fall short of expectations.
“Smartphones have made visualizing a room way easier. No more guessing or relying on your memory. Apps like Planner 5D and Homestyler allow you to scan a space with your smartphone and save its dimensions.”
This has impacted moving companies tremendously. Customers used to choose movers through personal referrals from their friends and relatives. Now, recommendations are available at scale. You can skim reviews of a dozen moving services that handle relocations and choose the one that best suits your needs.
Note: Anyone can leave a review on social media, but it’s worth noting that HireAHelper verifies all reviews before they’re published. This means the feedback you’re reading comes from paying customers.
4. Online Moving Quotes — No Walk-Through Needed
Many moving companies have streamlined the call-and-get-a-quote process that your grandparents used to use, so it’s easier to know how much your move will cost.
Your inner introvert will be happy to hear you can get moving quotes entirely online. Innovative booking tools allow you to enter the basic details of your move and get free, instant moving quotes.
Many movers also offer live FaceTime or Zoom chats to get a better picture of your needs and the size of your home. This ensures you don’t get any expensive surprises after they’ve unloaded the last box from their moving truck.
And, if you have doubts or concerns about your quote from us at HireAHelper, we can help walk you through the process and cost breakdown with just a single phone call.
5. Virtual Checklists to Keep Your Move on Track
When you create a virtual moving checklist, you can ditch your paper to-do list. Use a note-taking app like Google Keep, Apple Notes, or Evernote on your smartphone, so your checklist is always in your pocket. You can also use a shareable spreadsheet to track pending items, from ordering home insurance to filing your change of address form.
For packing, consider using an inventory app such as Sortly, which lets you list and track every item you own. This is invaluable when making an inventory list before a move because it keeps all your belongings organized and easy to locate during packing, transport, and unpacking.
Not only does all this moving technology mean no more hard copy to-do lists that inevitably get lost, but it also means there are fewer chances for crucial tasks to slip through the cracks. Plus, with cloud sharing, everyone in your household has easy access to the list with instant updates.
6. GPS Trackers to Find Your Moving Truck
GPS technology has been around for a long time. It’s easier than ever for movers to buy trackers to avoid losing furniture, boxes, valuables, and even their moving trucks.
If you’re booking your own moving truck, a GPS can help ensure thieves don’t disappear with your expensive rental. You can also use more localized Bluetooth technology to tag boxes that contain valuables in case they get misplaced within range.
Not to mention, companies now provide more realistic updates for long-distance moves. Can you believe people moving to a new city used to wait around for weeks, wondering when their stuff would arrive? Yikes.
7. Artificial Intelligence as Your Personal Assistant
AI chatbots can do more than write a creative excuse for why you’re late or draft your Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Tools such as ChatGPT aren’t exclusively a moving technology, but can be a great sidekick that helps your move come together more easily.
Many moving companies already use automated chat features on their websites to improve customer experience, providing instant responses to queries at any time of day. You can leverage AI technology to streamline your move, too:
Create personalized moving plans and checklists
Organizing a move involves many tasks, and each move is unique. AI is great for organizing complex information. Jot down all the things you need to do (use our moving checklist as a starting point) and add tasks unique to your situation.
“Your inner introvert will be happy to hear you can get moving quotes entirely [online, and many] movers also offer live FaceTime or Zoom chats to get a better picture of your needs and the size of your home.”
Then, use AI to sort the information and create a personalized moving playbook to get everything done. It’s a great way to manage admin tasks, including address changes. You can even use AI to make a schedule based on your move date.
Get smart room-by-room packing guidance
Ready to start packing? AI can help! Use it to generate a list of moving supplies tailored to your belongings. It can also make quick calculations, such as the number of boxes needed to fit all your books. You can also ask ChatGPT or other platforms which rooms or items to pack first and how to group things based on what you own.
Enjoy real-time decision-making support
AI can help you weigh options and make informed decisions. Ask your tool to compare commute times between different neighborhoods. What’s the right size storage unit to rent for your belongings? How does your budget change if you hire a full-service mover instead of renting a U-Haul? Generative AI excels at gathering and condensing information to give you more clarity.
Bonus: Design Apps for Styling Without Stress
There’s one more moving technology that can simplify your relocation. Many new homeowners spend hours planning the furniture layout and decor for their space.
Smartphones have made visualizing a room way easier. No more guessing or relying on your memory. Apps like Planner 5D and Homestyler allow you to scan a space with your smartphone and save its dimensions. This gives you a virtual mockup of your new space.
These apps can save the time and back strain that comes with arranging and rearranging furniture. Even better, you can access room designs while you’re furniture shopping!
2023 Study: Which College Towns Have the Best Real Estate Investment Potential
The average price of a home in a college town in 2023 is $377,800, 7% lower than the national average of ($406,200), according to Redfin
Homes in college towns have appreciated by 4% in the last 12 months, compared to a 1.6% growth rate in home prices across the United States
The best college town for real estate investment is Indiana, PA due to relatively low home prices ($160k), their solid projected growth (+12%), and potentially high rental income
Gary, IN is the least expensive college town in the United States with an average home costing around $71,000 in 2023
Among college towns, Athens, GA is the hardest real estate market to get into, with an average home price of $355,400 and 64 new listings over 100 home sales
As a new crop of college students start class this September, the cost of attending college has never been higher. At four-year colleges, room and board alone costs around $12,000 to $13,000 per year.
That cost is pushing some parents towards buying a home close to their child’s college campus — even if the school might be far away. Renting in college towns remains expensive, but buying a home and renting out part of it could help cover mortgage repayments andso long as prices keep appreciating, it can be a good investment.
In this study, we rank over 500 college towns on their real estate investment potential based on current home prices, historical and projected growth, housing availability, and potential rental income. Read on to see which college towns score the highest, and where you might want to consider making your new home.
Prospects of Prosperity: Best College Towns for Real Estate Investment
A riverside park in Brownwood, TX, one of the best college towns to invest in real estate
This was our approach to ranking the 580 college towns on the following real estate metrics:
Median home price (the lower, the better)
Price change in the last 12 months (the more it’s grown, the better)
Projected growth in home prices over the next five years (the higher, the better)
Favorable housing supply-to-demand ratio (the more new listings for every home sold, the better)
Potential rental income (the higher the average rent in the town, the better)
On the balance of these factors, the college town with the best potential for real estate investments is Indiana, PA, scoring 93 out of 100 on our combined scale.
Home to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, this town’s home prices average around $160,500 in 2023. Home prices grew 19% in the last 12 months and are projected to grow by 12% more over the next five years. Combined with high levels of housing supply and a potentially high rental income, these factors put Indiana, PA in the #1 spot in our ranking.
“The most affordable college towns are largely concentrated in the Midwest, with 7 out of 10 being either in Illinois or Indiana.”
McPherson, KS is in second place, with house prices slightly higher ($179,800) and recent growth slightly slower (14% year-over-year). Two more towns from Kansas made our top 10 — Winfield, KS (#5), and Atchison, KS (#10), both with a median home price of around $150,00 and a healthy supply of homes for sale.
Geographically, the 10 highest-ranked towns stretch across the eastern part of the US. The furthest south is Brownwood, TX (#3) where homes are expected to appreciate 20% over the next five years. In the north, there’sWilliamsport, PA (#6), where a typical home costs $136,800.
Explore our interactive map below to see what other towns made our top 10.
Here are the top 10 college towns in ranking order:
Rank
Town
Total Score
1
Indiana, PA
93.0
2
McPherson, KS
92.1
3
Brownwood, TX
88.8
4
Arkadelphia, AR
87.8
5
Winfield, KS
87.3
6
Williamsport, PA
86.8
7
Clinton, SC
86.6
8
Murray, KY
86.1
9
Lubbock, TX
86.0
10
Atchison, KS
85.7
To see where all 580 colleges we ranked are located, check out the full map below. You can also find the college town with the highest real estate investment potential in your state!
An A+ in Affordability: College Towns with Low-Cost Homes
Comparing college towns from a pure price standpoint, there’s no rivaling Gary, IN (#291) — home to Indiana University — where houses sold for a median price of $71,000 in 2023.
The most affordable college towns are largely concentrated in the Midwest, with 7 out of 10 being either in Illinois or Indiana. Notable among them are Marion, IL (#378) where homes are projected to appreciate 17% by 2028, and Pine Bluff, AR (#30) where the supply of homes is far greater than demand.
In 7 out of the 10 least expensive college towns, the median price of a home in 2023 is below $100,000.
Growing Strong: Top College Towns for Projected Home Value Growth
Overall, home value in college towns has grown by 4% in the last year — higher than the US average of 1.6%. Looking at home price dynamics in college towns, the clear winner is Rock Hill, SC (#217), where both Winthrop University and Clinton College are located. Here, home prices are poised to rise by 33% over the next five years — the highest among college towns in our dataset.
That said, homes in Rock Hill, SC are fairly expensive ($315,900), which makes towns like Mount Vernon, OH (#26), and Anderson, IN (#28) better investment prospects overall with homes priced at $195,400 and $142,300, respectively.
Another interesting entry on this top 10 list is Buffalo, NY (#85), where the projected 5-year price growth is at 27%, homes go for $183,00 and rents reach an average of $1,349.
Lock and Key: Hardest College Towns Real Estate Markets to Get Into
An increasing number of college-goers and their parents might be considering buying a home in a college town. But, much like with college admissions, getting into one might prove a trying task. In most college towns, the demand for homes far outstrips supply.
This is particularly true for Athens, GA (#316) — the home base of the University of Georgia. With only 64 new listings for every 100 home sales and most homes going off the market in only 24 days, buying a home in this college town can be incredibly tricky.
And no wonder! Homes there are valued 21% higher than they were last year and are projected to appreciate by another 7% by 2028.
The second toughest college town to break into is another town in Georgia — Valdosta, GA (#315). Homes here typically cost $180,900 but housing supply is dwindling fast. For every 100 homes sold, only 74 are listed and they usually get sold within 35 days.
“Homes in college towns have appreciated by 4% in the last 12 months, compared to a 1.6% growth rate in home prices across the United States”
Two Idaho towns are among those where housing availability is the most scarce — Nampa, ID (#555) and Caldwell, ID (#516). Even though homes here aren’t selling that fast (≈55-60 days), new listings are at a deficit compared to home sales.
Even though homes in these towns don’t come cheap ($401,300 and $366,300, respectively), rents are high ($1,500+) and in both towns, homes are projected to appreciate by more than 20% in the next five years.
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Compare and Contrast: All College Towns, Mapped and Ranked
You can Browse all the college towns we analyzed along with their real estate data using the interactive table below.
College town population figures were looked up using the Census Bureau estimates. Places with a population of 500,000 or more were excluded.
The total “Best for Real Estate Investment” score has a maximum of 100 points and is based on a selection of six factors, which were weighted as follows:
Home Price (30 points) = Median home price in 2023
Home Price 12-Month Change (10 points) = Average percentage change in home price compared to 12 months ago
Market Projection (15 points) = Projected percent increase or decrease in home price in the next five years
Real Estate Availability (15 points) = Number of homes sold per 100 new listings
Days On The Market (10 points) = Median number of days a listing spent on the market in 2023
Rent (20 points) = Median rent of a residential property in 2023
Figures on the home price in 2023 and its year-over-year change, the number of homes sold, the number of new listings, typical number of days on the market were all taken from Redfin. Rent data was sourced from Zillow’s Housing Data and Rental Market Trends. Five-year market projections were taken from WalletInvestor’s Housing Market Forecast.
Towns with negative 5-year home price growth projections and those with fewer than 50 homes sold in 2023 were excluded from the analysis.
2023 Study: Majority of Renters Priced Out of Homeownership in 78% of All US Metros
63% of renters across the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas are priced out of home ownership (up from 61% last year)
The majority of renters can’t afford to own a home where they live in 205 out of 260 metros (78%)
At least 90% of renters are priced out of home ownership in 16 American metro areas, nine of which are in California
In two metropolitan areas, Prescott, AZ and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA, less than 1% of renters would be able to afford buying and owning a median-priced home
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI, Jackson, MI, and Johnstown, PA are the only three metros where more than 80% of renters could afford to own a home
In 2022, a study by Porch, a nationwide home-service company, found 61% of renters in the U.S. were priced out of homeownership, meaning they were not able to afford to buy and own a home in the same city where they rented.
In 2023, applying that study’s same methodology to the most recent home-owner data resulted in an estimate of 63%. In other words, today, nearly two-thirds of renters can’t afford to buy a home in the metro where they live.
To gain a better understanding of this huge number, we examined housing affordability by comparing renter incomes to home prices using the most recently available data for 260 metropolitan areas in the United States.
Home Prices Have Dropped, Why Aren’t Homes More Affordable?
Even though home prices have been falling for the better part of last year and then continued their decline in 2023, housing affordability hasn’t improved. In fact, things have gotten worse for prospective homeowners over the last year.
At the end of last year, the National Association of Realtors’ Housing Affordability Index reached its lowest point since 1965. It hasn’t been this hard for a family with an average income to qualify for a mortgage loan on an average-priced home in over six decades.
Why hasn’t a drop in home prices led to greater affordability?
For starters, mortgage interest rates are at 6.65% according to Freddie Mac — the highest they’ve been since the Great Recession. This means potential mortgage repayments for buyers would be a lot higher than they would have been even just a few years ago.
“It hasn’t been this hard for a family with an average income to qualify for a mortgage loan on an average-priced home in over six decades.”
Finally, there’s the pervasive issue of inflation and the increasing cost of goods, services, and rent, leaving less money in Americans’ pockets. Despite dropping to 6.5% in recent months, it’s still way higher than the pre-pandemic 1-2% rate.
Now that we know more about why housing is less and less affordable, let’s get into where all this leaves American renters wanting to buy a home in 2023.
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Further Out of Reach: The Majority of Renters Can’t Afford To Own a Home in 205 out of 260 Metros
To estimate the percent of renters priced out, we assumed a scenario where a first-time buyer put down 6% of the home value, obtained a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 6.65% interest rate (an average rate), and aimed to keep mortgage repayments to a maximum of 30% of the household income, as per the famous Housing and Urban Development guideline.
“…in two major U.S. metropolitan areas, the share of renters priced out of home ownership is a staggering 99%!”
With current income levels and home prices, this scenario is completely unattainable for the majority of renters in 205 out of 260 metropolitan areas in the United States. That’s in nearly eight out of the ten (78%) most populated areas in America where renters have no realistic chance at home ownership.
In the Porch study from 2022, there were 184 metros where home ownership was unaffordable for 50% or more renters living in them.
This overall increase seems to suggest the affordability crisis isn’t just deepening in areas already struggling with affordable homes, but is actually expanding to more metropolitan areas across the country.
Mission Impossible: In Two Metros, Home Ownership Is Unachievable for 99% of Renters
Last year’s study uncovered 13 major U.S. metro areas where at least 90% of renters wouldn’t have been able to afford home ownership based on their income. This year, there are 17 of them!
What’s different about this year’s findings, however, is that in two major U.S. metropolitan areas, the share of renters priced out of home ownership is a staggering 99%!
Those areas are San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA and Prescott, AZ, where the home prices are prohibitively high to be affordable for the absolute majority of people who rent in these areas. Homes in San Luis Obispo and the area being unaffordable is nothing new, but affordability dropping in Arizona and Prescott, AZ specifically is something that’s started happening recently, according to local reports.
Of the 17 places in the U.S. where the income of 90% of renters would prevent them from being able to afford a home, nine are in California with cities like Los Angeles (94.3%), Salinas, CA (92.9%) and San Diego (92.6%) all with an appearance on the list.
Hawaii and Colorado each have two metros on this list, but, rather surprisingly, so does Charleston-North Charleston, SC, where some 91.6% of renters are priced out of home ownership. Turns out, housing has been too expensive in the area for a while, but the local government does seem to be stepping in and building more affordable homes, according to reports.
The Modest Midwest: Two Michigan Metros Among Three Most Affordable Places for Renters
Like last year, Johnstown, PA leads the pack in terms of affordability of local housing for those on typical renter incomes. Nearly 90% of people who rent in the area earn enough to cope with the costs of home ownership if they were to buy a home in the area.
The only two other metropolitan areas where owning a home without repayments crosses the affordability threshold of 30% of the household income are in Michigan. Those places are Jackson, MI, (11.9%) and Kalamazoo-Portage, MI (13.3%).
Looking at the 10 most affordable areas for renters looking to jump onto a housing ladder without it breaking the bank, five are either in Michigan or Illinois, while a total of three exist in Pennsylvania.
See All the Data for Yourself
To see how affordable homeownership is for renters in your city or metro, check the table below.
Methodology, Data Sources, Calculations and Assumptions Made
Income levels of renter households and their % of all households in each metropolitan area were taken from the 2022 release of the Annual Social Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, as available via Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS). Home prices were taken from Zillow.
% of renters “priced out” was calculated as the percentage of renters in each metropolitan area whose income wouldn’t be sufficient to keep potential mortgage repayments to 30% of gross monthly income (Source: United States Department of Housing and Urban Development).
Mortgage repayments were estimated using the following assumptions:
Hearken back to the days of yore when you were just a young ‘un. What was your favorite thing to do? Children love thrilling experiences and the novelty of trying something new—and it’s good for their brain. We explore the importance of childhood adventures and point out a few great cities that rate very well on key measures of adventure.
Why are adventures important in childhood?
Adventures teach your child about themselves and the world they live in. It helps them expand their minds, deepen their understanding, and gain empathy.
Children are constantly taking in stimuli, and adventuring, i.e., playing, exploring the unknown. This is crucial for providing a variety of novel experiences that help children develop into curious, well-rounded people.
Adventure helps kids learn resilience, develop independent thinking, and understand what they’re capable of. Children who explore through adventurous play gain new social and behavioral skills as well as overcome challenges—all of which provide them with a sense of self-advocacy and confidence.
What kinds of adventures are good for kids?
Any and all of them! Children need challenging and fun experiences to help them grow, and really, no matter where you live, there’s no shortage of exciting adventures to share with your kids. Things you find old-hat—like a trip through the drive-thru car wash or hauling some stuff to the dump—may be brand-new and wondrous to them.
Outdoor adventures: Instill a love of nature in your kids. Take them hiking, biking, picnicking, climbing, canoeing, stargazing, swimming, bug-catching, snorkeling, or whatever outdoor adventures you, yourself enjoy. Being out-of-doors improves your child’s chances of future health and success. They get sunshine exposure that gives them the vitamin D they need for healthy bones and a robust immune system. They learn to take some risks, which gives them confidence and courage. And hopefully, they learn to appreciate—and protect—our natural world.
Educational adventures: In early childhood, small brains around a million neural connections every single second—far more than at any other time in life. These connections are formed through their experiences, and the type and quality of stimulation they get during these years helps determine which connections develop. Taking the kids to the children’s museum or your favorite science, history, natural history, or art museum, fills their little brains with knowledge.
Culinary adventures: Children with an appetite for culinary adventures are sure to love trying new cuisines. Encourage their bold palate with foods they haven’t tried before. Hit up a new restaurant or food truck every so often, and devote a day a week to cooking new foods.
Artistic adventures: Have a burgeoning Picasso in your midst? Check out nearby museums, and look for art shows in your area. Get your young art lover involved in the worlds of painting, sculpture, crafting, music, moviemaking, theatre, or dance.
Travel adventures: Mountains, deserts, and oceans, oh my! If your kid has an insatiable wanderlust, they’ll love seeing new places and novel landscapes. Hit the road for trips to national parks, famous landmarks, and big cities. Encourage them to learn a second (or third) language.
Thrill adventures: Even Evel Knievel was a kid once. Young thrill-seekers will get a kick out of amusement parks, white-water rafting, and climbing walls. Risky play—with supervision—boosts kids’ confidence and risk perception, and it reduces their chances of developing fears the could hold them back in life.
Backyard/at-home/playground adventures: You don’t have to leave your home — or even your neighborhood — to encourage your child’s adventurous side. Imaginative play, backyard treasure hunts, and allowing your child to take risks are ways to raise an adventurous kid right in the backyard.
What experts say about nurturing adventure—no matter where you live
Whether you’re isolated in rural Nebraska or locked in the concrete jungle of New York City, it’s possible to instill a sense of adventure in your offspring. Ann Pleshette Murphy, the author of The Secret of Play, lists five things parents should do if they want to raise an adventurous kid:
Create a safe environment. Your child will feel safe exploring and adventuring if they know you’re not going to get mad at them for taking risks and testing limits. Don’t yell, stay positive while they try new things, and be consistent and honest. Most importantly, display affection—hug ‘em, cuddle ‘em, and listen to everything they want to tell you.
Let kids explore. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to say, “no” when your kid asks you to do something potentially risky or messy, like trying to cut their apple into slices with a knife or mixing flour with food dye just to see what happens. Instead of saying no automatically, let them try new things (with supervision, of course) so they experiment, problem-solve, and learn new skills.
Hold back when your kid gets hurt. When a child falls and scrapes their hands, they immediately look to the adults around them for a reaction. Most of the time, if you don’t freak out, they don’t freak out. If your child gets hurt, wait for the reaction. If no tears are forthcoming, pretend like it didn’t happen. It might not be easy, but it’ll teach your sweet baby physical literacy and resilience.
Accept all types of adventurousness. Your child’s idea of adventure might be different from the kind you enjoyed as a kid. Maybe you’ve got a shy kid who’s dipping their toes in the unknown by going to a big birthday party—that’s an adventure! Or your kid likes making artistic messes out of play-doh and water, an adventure in texture and color. Some children lean toward physical adventurousness—the fearless kid that swings fast and climbs high and nearly gives you heart failure every single day. These are all valid ways to be adventurous. Watch your kid, and follow their lead.
Introduce them to things that scare them. Gently, of course! Say your kid is afraid of big dogs, even though they’ve never met one. Call up a friend with a great dane, or take your kid to the shelter to show them that big dogs can be very nice. Take a similar tactic with a child who’s afraid of heights—go to the top floor of a tall building, and let them enjoy the view and get accustomed to the height with your support. Soon, they’ll see that the things they once thought were scary aren’t so bad after all.
We also put the cities into three categories: those rife with outdoor adventures, those with endless opportunities for cultural discovery, and cities that are an excellent home base for taking road trips to new and exciting places.
Best Cities for Outdoor Adventures
Taking your kids on outdoor adventures is crucial for healthy childhood development. Unstructured time outdoors helps children develop creativity and executive functioning—working memory, mental flexibility, and self-control. Modern society is becoming more reliant on technology than ever before, and children are losing their connection to the natural world. Digging in the dirt, seeing wild animals, and getting lots of sunshine are great ways for kids to start appreciating nature.
Here are the top three cities to live in for outdoor adventures.
Boulder, Colorado
Population: ~106,000
Cost of living index: 167.4
Violent crime rate: 13.5
Education: A. Boulder Valley School District ranks #4 out of 80 Colorado districts.
Why it’s a great place for outdoor adventures:
Seated at the foothills of the majestic Rocky Mountains, Boulder has it all: Breathtaking scenery, a pleasurable climate, and tons of spectacular options for outdoor adventures are just the beginning of what this Colorado city has to offer. National Geographic has even rated Boulder as the happiest city in the US.
Young outdoor enthusiasts will love Boulder for its plentiful hiking and biking trails. The Open Space and Mountain Parks have trails that go through open land brimming with Colorado’s native flora and fauna, set against the backdrop of the gorgeous Rockies—which themselves are packed with adventures year-round.
Some of the many outdoor activities in and around Boulder include rock climbing at the famous Flatiron rock formations, picnicking in Boulder Mountain Park, fishing in one of the city’s many prime fishing spots, tubing on Boulder creek, kayaking on Boulder Reservoir, exploring the wilderness surrounding the city.
More reasons to choose Boulder:
Boulder isn’t just an outdoor adventure lover’s paradise. It may have a small-town vibe, but it’s got big-city tastes, with a thriving foodie scene, incredible museums, a planetarium, and a vibrant downtown with all sorts of interesting things to do. For those who enjoy classical music—or who don’t, but want their kids to—Boulder even has its own chamber orchestra. And it’s just a half-hour drive to Denver and everything that a world-class city offers.
Bend, Oregon
Population: 197,756
Cost of living index: 123.5
Violent crime rate: 12.2
Education: B+
Why it’s a great place for outdoor adventures:
Bend is situated between the Cascade Range and the high desert in central Oregon, making it an outdoor playground with a multitude of outdoor recreational opportunities. Known as “Bike City U.S.A.,” Bend has fantastic bike trails, including the Three Sisters Scenic Bikeway offering incredible views of the Three Sisters peaks in the Cascades. Mount Bachelor is an extinct volcano with some of the best skiing, snowshoeing, and snowboarding around, and Pilot Butte, located right in the city, is an ancient cinder cone with three hiking trails that reward you with gorgeous mountain and desert views
The Deschutes River in the heart of Bend invites kayakers, floaters, tubers, swimmers, and SUPers of all skill levels to its calm channel, and it welcomes whitewater rafters to its whitewater channel. The volcanic landscape around Bend is dotted with around 400 lava tube caves to explore, and nearby Smith River State Park features more than 1,800 climbing routes for novice climbers and experts alike.
More reasons to choose Bend:
When you’re not adventuring in the Great Outdoors, you’ll enjoy the urban adventures Bend offers. The Old Mill District alongside the Deschutes River is home to an eclectic selection of restaurants, shops, and the Les Schwab Amphitheater, the largest outdoor concert venue in Oregon. Bend loves festivals, and features them year-round, including Winterfest, Brewfest, and Art in the High Desert. The Downtown First Friday Art Walk offers an eyeful of local art and artists’ studios, and the Central Oregon Symphony and Cascades Theatre offer performances for the entire family.
Chesapeake, Virginia
Population: 239,982
Cost of living index: 106.4
Violent crime rate: 18.1
Education: A
Why it’s a great place for outdoor adventures:
A suburb of Norfolk in Virginia, Chesapeake lies along the Elizabeth River on the Tidewater coastal plain and is crisscrossed by waterways galore. The nearby Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge covers 170 square miles of forested wetlands and is a major draw from hikers, birders, photographers, and wildlife enthusiasts. Kayak or canoe deep into the cypress swamp, fish the 3,000-acre Lake Drummond, or hike the many trails, including the Elizabeth River Trail. Chesapeake proper offers a large network of urban hiking and biking trails and numerous green spaces, both manicured and wild, and, of course, there’s the Chesapeake Bay, where you can engage in all manner of water activities. From Chesapeake, it’s just a 26-minute drive to Virginia Beach, where you can swim, surf, paddle, and kayak — or just lay on the beach and enjoy the waves.
More reasons to choose Chesapeake:
Chesapeake is home to world-class arts and entertainment experiences, including numerous galleries, museums, and theaters. The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art offers gallery exhibitions and studio art classes, and the city’s many history museums explore various aspects of the Civil War, including exciting reenactments, and the African American Heritage Trail is a self-guided tour exploring the people and places of the Revolutionary War and Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
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Best Cities for Cultural Adventures
Books and movies have massive educational benefits for children, but nothing compares to real experiences. Children who engage with art and culture learn to think about the world compassionately and with an open mind. Cultural awareness teaches kids about diversity and respecting people who live differently than they do.
Here are the best cities to live in to expose your child to all manner of cultural adventures.
Naperville, Illinois
Population: 147,501
Cost of living index: 129.6
Violent crime rate: 10.2
Education: A+. Ranked Number one city with the best public schools in America.
Why it’s a great place for cultural adventures:
Naperville is a stone’s throw from Chicago, which has world-class dining, entertainment, museums, and arts. But Naperville has its own cultural adventures, including a number of museums, like the Naper Settlement, the 1,700-acre Morton Arboretum, and the Knoch Knolls Nature Center, situated on the DuPage River.
The downtown historic district boasts Naperville’s professional Bright Side Theatre, and the iconic Wentz Concert Hall features world-class acoustics and brings in a host of performances each year. Naperville’s Century Walk is made up of more than 40 pieces of public art and winds throughout the downtown area. The annual Bites and Sites Food Tour is a culinary adventure with plenty of fun stuff scheduled each year. Other great festivals in Naperville include Ribest, SoulFest, the Naper Nights outdoor community concert series, the Naper Pride Festival, Hometown Holidays, the St. Paddy’s Day Parade, and free municipal band concerts every Thursday in June. Naperville’s Last Fling festival is a four-day event over Labor Day featuring a carnival, national musical artists, a wide range of food vendors, and the largest Labor Day parade in Illinois.
More reasons to choose Naperville:
For outdoor and natural adventuring, Naperville offers the 2,000-acre Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, a grassland prairie replete with walking trails. For water fun, Paddleboat Quarry is situated on the riverwalk and rents out paddle boats and kayaks. Cantigny Park features formal gardens, golfing, playgrounds, picnic spots, and three miles of hiking trails.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Population: 464,485
Cost of living index: 102.3
Violent crime rate: 20.3
Education: A
Why it’s a great place for cultural adventures:
Known as the Smithsonian of the South for its many free-of-charge, high-quality museums and cultural institutions, Raleigh offers an abundance of fun and interesting cultural adventures for the whole family. The James B. Hunt Library is an architectural masterpiece and a tech-lover’s dream, featuring technological wonders including a robot that fetches books. The North Carolina Museum of Art features art, of course, but also trails, a theater, and a live music venue. The Juniper Level Botanic Garden showcases 27,000 different plant species throughout 28 acres, and the Municipal Rose Garden at the center of the Raleigh Little Theatre campus includes 60 varieties of roses and hosts a free outdoor movie series in the summer.
Home to the Carolina Hurricanes, Raleigh also sports a robust athletics scene that will entertain even the most novice sports-goers. The barbeque in Raleigh is off the charts, but if that’s not your jam, the city has over 1,200 restaurants to choose from. Just a few minutes away in the town of Cary is La Farm bakery, which is considered one of the best European-style bakeries in America.
More reasons to choose Raleigh:
Proximity to wild spaces in the Great Outdoors is another perk of Raleigh. The mountains are less than three hours away in Western North Carolina, and just a few hours to the east are ocean beaches and the gorgeous Outer Banks. Raleigh also has plenty of lakes, rivers, and parks to explore.
Berkeley, California
Population: 121,485
Cost of living index: 235.2
Violent crime rate: 28.5
Education: A+
Why it’s a great place for cultural adventures:
Berkeley is just 20 minutes away from the iconic cultural landmarks of San Francisco, but it’s less expensive than the City—and as a cultural hub in its own right, it’s full of colorful and exciting adventures. Berkeley is a city of art, home to the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Berkeley Art Museum, and the Pacific Film Archive. Numerous festivals and special events are put on each year by over 100 cultural arts organizations.
The Telegraph District along Telegraph Avenue is the heart and soul of Berkeley. It boasts tons of quirky restaurants, adventurous boutiques, and some of the best people-watching in the country. Berkeley’s even got an art scene just for kids—the Habitot Children’s Discovery Museum and Adventure Playground will fill your offspring’s imagination with wonderful sights, sounds, and activities.
More reasons to choose Berkeley:
Berkeley has a temperate climate that allows for outdoor fun all year round. Six magical Pacific Ocean beaches are within a two-hour drive of Berkeley. Land’s End, which is just 45 minutes away, has walking trails and offers a majestic view of the Pacific and Golden Gate Bridge.
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Best Cities for Traveling Adventures (Day and Weekend Trips)
Traveling ignites your child’s imagination, curiosity, and sense of adventure. It introduces kids to new scenery, new food, and other ways of life, and it illustrates that despite the differences in landscape and culture, people everywhere are more or less the same.
Families who love to take to the road will find a wealth of opportunities for day trips and weekend getaways in these cities.
Newton, Massachusetts
Population: 88,593
Cost of living index: 215.5
Violent crime rate: 9.7
Education: A+
Why it’s a great place for traveling adventures:
A suburb of Boston, Newton offers close proximity to incredible cultural attractions, and it’s a great place to live if your family loves the road trip life. From Newton, you can enjoy easy weekend getaways to numerous big cities, quaint towns, the quiet countryside, the seaside, and scores of national parks in Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maine. In just over three hours, you can be in the heart of New York City and all that metropolis offers.
Newton itself features plenty of adventures for weekends at home, including lots of dining, arts, and entertainment opportunities as well as outdoor destinations like Hemlock Gorge, found on one of Newton’s trails and featuring a beautiful, historic bridge that makes epic echoes. Scenic Crystal Lake is a great swimming spot with a small beach, and the Charles River, a prime canoeing spot, is worth the short drive any day of the week.
More reasons to choose Newton:
Newton is a history buff’s dream, where history museums and historical landmarks abound. Farmers’ markets and world-class ribs will appease foodies, while Newton’s cultural festivals and theatre scene are sure to satiate the art lovers in your family.
Pensacola, Florida
Population: 52,642
Cost of living index: 98.6
Violent crime rate: 35.7
Education: B-
Why it’s a great place for traveling adventures:
Pensacola, located on the Florida panhandle, is home to pristine, white-sand beaches, which is a must for many adventurous, outdoorsy families. But it’s also a great home base for weekend getaways. From Pensacola, you can get to New Orleans in under three hours, and just an hour away, you can visit the incredible historic sites in Mobile, Alabama.
A few hours of scenic driving will get you to Tallahassee, the state capital, which is rife with Civil War sites and home to the impressive capitol building, the Museum of Florida History, the fascinating Lake Jackson Mounds Archeological State Park, and Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park. About an hour away from Pensacola is the Black River State Forest, the largest forest in Florida, where you can camp, fish, boat, kayak, and canoe. Just down the road from Pensacola are numerous charming beach towns, including Destin, Fort Walton, and Seaside.
More reasons to choose Pensacola:
Pensacola has plenty to do without leaving the city. Ziplining, water parks, water sports on the Bay, and a multitude of museums will keep your family busy and entertained when you’re not on the road. Pensacola is also home to the Blue Angels, the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, whose amazing aerial stunts can be seen during the month of July.
Sacramento, California
Population: 500,930
Cost of living index: 118.2
Violent crime rate: 35.6
Education: B
Why it’s a great place for traveling adventures:
Situated in northern California, Sacramento is the state capital, and it’s an affordable home base for an adventuring family. From Sacramento, it’s a quick and easy trip to Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, and San Francisco. Within about three hours, you can be on the famous beaches of Marin County, and in five hours, you’ll be staring up at the tallest redwood tree on earth.
Watersport enthusiasts rejoice! Unlike most of California, Sacramento is home to scores of rivers and lakes. These waterways provide ample opportunity for day trips to go boating, fishing, swimming, rafting, hiking, and more.
More reasons to choose Sacramento:
Sacramento is a beautiful city filled with eclectic neighborhoods and great food. It has a rich history from the Gold Rush days and is home to one of the oldest triathlons in the nation. Sacramento is a cultural hub, boasting lots of annual festivals and carnivals and home to the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera.
Although all of these cities are great places to raise an adventurous kid, nearly any town or city will do, as long as you engage in activities that are new and exciting for your child!
Check with your local tourism office for a comprehensive list of everything your location offers. Chances are, you’ll discover fun things to do that you had no idea existed—and you’ll find yourself enjoying exciting adventures with wide-eyed wonder, right alongside the children.
Going into a kitchen remodel is a very intimidating task, especially if you are not very familiar with the process. In spite of this, there are a lot of people blindly diving into this large-scale project every year … including me!
How many? According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, over ten million Americans had their kitchens remodeled in 2015. And the numbers have only risen in the years since.
If you are one of those more than 10 million people tackling a kitchen remodel this year, this post is for you.
Everything To Expect When Remodeling A Kitchen
When I set out to get my kitchen remodeled, I honestly had no clue where to start. I had such a hard time finding info online that could map out the process for a rookie like me.
I vowed right then and there I would offer the internet everything I learned after I lived through that experience!
Take it from me, seeing the whole picture from the start is extremely helpful.
Most of the hard work (for anyone not physically putting together their kitchen infrastructure themselves) is at the front end of the process. Renovation is a lot like cooking: there’s a lot of prep.
Read over the complete process someone goes through before any work actually happens on a kitchen space:
Establish a budget
Find a designer to confirm new layout and provide accurate blueprints
Find and hire a contractor you trust and can afford
Identify where you want to buy cabinets and countertops
Research colors, textures, trends, materials, etc.
Order your cabinet and countertop and triple check to confirm your kitchen’s specs
Order anything else you may need (appliances, backsplash, light fixtures, faucets, sink, range hood, etc.)
Work with your contractor to establish a timeline
Keep track of all of all materials as they arrive
Clean out all of your old kitchen cabinets
Set up a temporary kitchen somewhere else in the house
Allow the contractors to do the heavy lifting, but be prepared to live in total chaos
Seems like a lot, huh? Don’t worry, here’s the step-by-step process.
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The first step is to create a layout, with or without a designer
If you plan on changing the layout your kitchen, the first thing you should do is hire a designer to work with you in identifying the best layout. Believe it or not, there’s a website for that. Head to ASID (the American Society of Interior Designers) to find one for hire near you!
From there, the designer will provide scaled blueprints that you will need to move onto the next steps. This step is technically optional, but it turned out to be the best thing I did during my remodel process!
Collect bids from contractors
The next step in the process is collecting bids from contractors you are interested in hiring to complete your project.
Usually, bids come at no cost, so I encourage you to get several bids so you have a more accurate idea of what the project will cost you in the end. Before you decide on the contractor you wish to work with, be sure to check out this contract hiring guide and make sure you outline all of the details before you commit (and pay!).
What Specific Decisions Will I Have To Make?
To be perfectly honest, the amount of decisions you need to make as you prep for a kitchen renovation is overwhelming. But preparing for them in advance makes each task a lot more manageable.
Outside of the obvious questions regarding color and style, there are a lot of other things you will need to consider and purchase. Here is a list to keep handy:
Cabinet hardware
Cabinet door design
The material of the cabinet (which impacts cost)
The material of the countertop (which, again, impacts cost)
Box cabinets or special order cabinetry
Backsplash style, size, material
Appliances (style, brand, cost, color, “extras”)
Open shelving or closed cabinetry
Flooring materials and costs
Window treatments
Light fixtures
Extra organization (there are options built-into your cabinetry)
Installation of the cabinetry
Size of the cabinets (depth, width, and height)
Drawers vs. cabinets
Timeline
Can lights or fan
Material of sink
Plumping changes
Electrical changes
Be smart when shopping for materials
Once you hire the contractor, they will be a great resource for pointing you in the right directions for your materials, specifically for cabinets and countertops.
Sometimes contractors can get these products at a discounted rate if you shop at the retailers they recommend. Talk to them about this option before you decide on where you want to purchase your big-ticket items.
And if they don’t have any recommendations, you can always shop at big box hardware stores.
Protip: You will need to bring your exact measurements from your designer (or contractor) when you go out to physically shop, as well as have an idea of what design you want the kitchen to have. Of course, the salesperson can also help you make these decisions, but this is your kitchen, after all!
Finished buying? Your timeline begins now
After you make the cabinet and countertop order, your contractor will work with you to create a timeline of the projects that need to be done before the cabinets arrive, which will include:
Demolition
Electrical work
Plumbing work
Remember, cabinets can take up to eight weeks to arrive, and possibly longer if they are custom. Getting to work before the cabinets arrive will ensure they are ready to install quickly after they get to your front door.
Your contractor (or you) will get to work
It’s time to get to work! If you have contractors, they will work to demo your current kitchen, then work even harder to put the new and improved one back together. If you did get a contractor, this is the easy part for you because, at this point, the work is out of your hands. Most all of your hard work should have already occurred during the front end of this project.
Hope you don’t mind living without a proper kitchen for a while. Be patient and your new kitchen will be ready soon enough for you to enjoy!
How long will a kitchen renovation take?
Every kitchen renovation will vary in terms of timing, depending on the scope of work and the size of the space. But traditionally, a kitchen renovation can run on average 4-8 weeks. Living without a kitchen for that long can be a large inconvenience, but I am here to reassure you that if we can manage it, so can you!
My best advice to handle this chaos is to set up a temporary kitchen prior to demoing your current kitchen. We have our fridge, microwave, and crockpot working overtime! Plus, we meal prep at our parent’s house to make healthy food for the week (so you don’t have months and months of takeout).
Is It All Really Worth It?
Now being on the other side of it, it was absolutely worth it!
According to HGTV, a kitchen remodel is projected to give you a 70% return on your investment, while statistics from Today’s Homeowner reports that this number could be as high as 91% of a return on this investment! So as much as this intimidating task may seem overwhelming at first and chaotic to live through, coming out the other side will be worth it in the long run. You are adding significant value to your home by making these updates now and getting a gorgeous kitchen to enjoy at the same time.
Of course, there is a lot more information you can devour as you prepare for your upcoming kitchen remodel, but I hope this beginner’s guide gave you an overview of what to expect. Seeing the bigger picture from the start will provide you peace of mind to tackle each step with confidence, and maybe even a little bit of excitement!
As DIY bloggers, we frequently get questions from our readers about things they see in our homes. But by far the most asked question is, “What is that paint color in your house?” (more…)
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Even though home prices have been falling for the 
