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Saranac Lake in all its sunrise glory(Photo: SaranacLake.com/Roost)
We’ve found the most affordable mountain towns in the nation. (You’re welcome.)
La Grande, Oregon
Population:13,158Median home price (*all prices listed according to Zillow):$264,539
When you’re passing through on I-84, La Grande looks like just another eastern Oregon ag town. But the wild and scenic Grand Ronde River drops out of the Blue Mountains to the northeast, andAnthony Lakes Ski Area, which claims to have the driest powder in the state, is 45 miles southwest. La Grande is home to Eastern Oregon University, and it has a thriving local art scene, supported in part by the nonprofitArt Center East. Road biking abounds, and there’s a growing network of mountain-biking trails, including those in theMount Emily Recreation Area.
Rangeley, Maine
Population:1,045Median home price:$396,890
Saddleback Ski Areareopened in 2020, after five years of closure due to tumultuous ownership, and the change reinvigorated the outdoor scene in northern Maine. Fishermen have been pulling trophy fish out of the streams and small ponds around Rangeley since the 1860s, moose and loons abound, and theAppalachian Trailis nearby. There’s been a recent state-sponsored push for sustainable forestry, so the town’s economy isn’t tied solely to seasonal recreation.
Thomas and Davis, West Virginia
Population:1,218Median home price:$95,243
In the Bible, Canaan is the promised land, and theCanaan Valley of West Virginia, home to the neighboring towns ofDavisand Thomas, might be just that. Nearly 70 percent of the valley is encompassed by theCanaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and the parts that aren’t protected offer more than 100 miles of bike trails, three ski areas, rivers, an excellent nordic center with over 15 miles of trails, and possibly the best bluegrass bar in the country, the Purple Fiddle in downtown Thomas. Add these two to your bucket list for most affordable mountain towns in the U.S., and you won’t regret it.
Reno, Nevada
Population:268,815Median home price:$541,423
Reno hasn’t exactly been affordable for a while. Property values have been rising—and outdoor opportunities increasing—since 2012, with an influx of Californians. But if you want to live in a mountain city instead of a mountain town, theBiggest Little City in the Worldis your best bet. The tech- and pandemic-induced boom is slowing, and prices are cooling off. Reno has all the upside of a lot of smaller mountain burgs, like a whitewater park and the nearby ski resorts of Lake Tahoe, with the amenities of a larger city.
Anaconda, Montana
Population:9,491Median home price:$229,488
Anaconda was a copper-mining community for more than a century until the early 1980s; its still standing smelter stack, just to the south and taller than the Washington Monument, is a testament to that longtime industry. But the town is capitalizing on recreation in the greater area to distance itself from its extractive past. And there’s a lot to work with, like the 2,200-acreDiscovery Ski Area, to the west; the nearbyContinental Divide Trail; and fishing in the Big Hole River, to the south. The town itself is home to a new wine store and bike shop, not to mention a growing number of young families.
Boone, North Carolina
Population:18,036Median home price:$446,781
Pick your season and Boone, the biggest town in the North Carolina high country, will have something for you. Spring runoff on the New and Watuga Rivers; arguably the best skiing in the Southeast, with three resorts within 45 minutes; and a range of multi-season mountain-biking trails, including those atRocky Knob Bike Park. Bonus: it doesn’t have the crowds or the price tag of other outdoor meccas in the region, like Asheville.
Saranac Lake, New York
Population:4,825Median home price:$275,022
There are a handful of Adirondack communities that could be considered dream towns, but Saranac Lake rises to the top for its charm and trail access, notably a network that feeds into six mountains surrounding the lake. In the summer, the water is full of boats, and in the winter you can ski Mount Pisgah or take a short drive to Whiteface. Saranac Lake is blissfully mellow, and you’re only ten minutes from Lake Placid if you want a splashier but affordable mountain town with more going on.
Heather Hansmanis the author ofPowder Day: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow. She alsowrites about environmental issues and the tricky relationships between places and people for Outside. One time, she won a bag of pasta in an Italian big mountain competition. She lives in Southwest Colorado, where she likes to go uphill slow and downhill fast.