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The 60 Best Work-From-Home Cities — PCMag

Looking to leave your cramped, expensive living space and work from home permanently? We’ve done the research, and these are the US and Canadian cities that provide the best balance of affordability, livability, and connectivity.

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Looking to leave your cramped, expensive living space and work from home permanently? We’ve done the research, and these are the US and Canadian cities that provide the best balance of affordability, livability, and connectivity.

If you can work anywhere, though, where should you go? We gathered data from Ookla Speedtest, BestPlaces.net, and BroadbandNow to find 50 US and 10 Canadian towns and cities with affordable housing, great gigabit internet connections, and remote-friendly lifestyles. Our list contains big cities, suburbs, and small towns, all with median house prices under $500,000—and even some under $100,000. San Francisco, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver didn’t make the list. [Note: Ookla Speedtest and PCMag are both owned by J2.]

METHODOLOGY: HOW WE RATED TOWNS​

We started with a few lists. One list, from Ookla Speedtest, had cities where the experts at Speedtest found common or frequent home gigabit internet usage in their crowdsourced database. Just having gigabit available wasn’t enough to qualify; Ookla required evidence that a significant number of households were receiving and using true gigabit speeds. I folded in our 25 best cities and small towns for remote working from preliminary stories we wrote last year, along with a few other places suggested by our editors. I removed places that weren’t actually towns: military bases, for instance, and church communities.

BestPlaces.net ranks US cities and towns based on amenities and attractive factors. Its data includes median home values, whether the city is near a coastline or mountains, and coffee shops, parks, and non-chain restaurants in the area.

BroadbandNow is the nation’s best website for comparing broadband prices. It gave us the names of gigabit home broadband providers in each town and their lowest monthly fees.

The US Census American Community Survey measures many aspects of American living. The 2018 5-year ACS tables provided the median home size, percentage of home-based workers, and percentage of people in the arts, education, and healthcare. If the Census did not have data for a place, we took the data for the five-digit ZIP code assigned to that place.

Here’s why we chose the criteria we used. First, we included only those cities with median home values below $500,000. If you want to find a beautiful, expensive house in cities on our list, you can; we just wanted to make sure they also have affordable housing.

We then put the whole thing into an Excel blender. The points were added up and the locations were ranked on their total scores.

Some “municipalities” are, for all intents and purposes, just neighborhoods in a larger city that for some reason kept their technical independence. We excluded any such location whose larger neighbor was not also on the list.

If two places on the list were within 50 miles of each other, we consolidated or eliminated adjacent places. That gave us some more geographic diversity and prevented the list from being cluttered by a cluster of similar small municipalities near one another.

USA​

1. CHATTANOOGA, TN

• Lowest cost for gigabit broadband: $60
• Provider: AT&T Fiber
• Median home price: $186,500
• Median home size: 5.2 rooms
• Coffee shops per 100K: 27
• Parks per 100K: 14
• Non-chain restaurants: 74%
• Workers in arts and education: 8.4%
• Health care practitioners: 4.5%
• Workers at home: 4.7%

The American South boasts many grand old cities with rich histories, but Chattanooga is number one on our list. It’s also known as Gig City: Chattanooga was the first US city to roll out a citywide gigabit network, and it’s become a major tech hub since then. But it’s also on top thanks to its low cost of living and array of family-friendly attractions. The city is home to the Tennessee Aquarium, the Bluff View Art District, and the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a popular community known for its restaurants and live music.

2. BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS, CA

• Population: 5,389
• Lowest cost for gigabit broadband: $60
• Provider: Race Communications
• Median home price: $357,800
• Median home size: 6 rooms
• Coffee shops per 100K: 18
• Parks per 100K: 15
• Non-chain restaurants: 74%
• Workers in arts and education: 10.1%
• Health care practitioners: 7.7%
• Workers at home: 12.8%

If you’re looking to make a mountain retreat your new home, consider Bear Valley Springs, a private, gated community nestled in the Tehachapi Mountains. According to Wikipedia, this town offers pleasantly cooler weather than surrounding places during the summer; you’ll definitely see snow in the winter. You can also take a look at nearby Stallion Springs and Golden Hills for remote-working arrangements. The population is just under 5,400, and many residents are retirees.

3. PAWLET, VT

• Population: 1,344
• Lowest cost for gigabit broadband: $70
• Provider: Vermont Telephone Company
• Median home price: $221,500
• Median home size: 6 rooms
• Coffee shops per 100K: 32
• Parks per 100K: 22
• Non-chain restaurants: 90%
• Workers in arts and education: 16.4%
• Health care practitioners: 2.5%
• Workers at home: 11.1%

The gorgeous Taconic Mountains in Vermont are hiding a gem of a country town called Pawlet, which offers incredible mountain views and quiet country living. Its population is just 1,344 people, so you’re certain to get to know your neighbors fast. The town is home to 22 parks and 32 coffee shops, and most of the restaurants are independently owned. Also consider nearby Springfield and Mount Holly, highly rated southern Vermont towns serviced by Vermont Telephone Company (VTel) for broadband connectivity.

4. KAYSVILLE, UT

• Population: 30,328
• Lowest cost for gigabit broadband: $55
• Provider: Veracity Networks
• Median home price: $441,600
• Median home size: 8.2 rooms
• Coffee shops per 100K: 17
• Parks per 100K: 18
• Non-chain restaurants: 69%
• Workers in arts and education: 10.3%
• Health care practitioners: 3.8%
• Workers at home: 7.5%

Known as “Utah’s Hometown,” Kaysville is home to over 30,000 people. You get fantastic mountain views and proximity to Salt Lake City in case you need to experience some city life. The nearby towns of Centerville and Morgan are also great places to live. Kaysville is part of the Ogden-Clearfield metro area, and the massive Hill Air Force Base is a major employer in the area. Median home sizes are a generous 8.2 rooms, and the prices reflect this; the average home cost is $441,600.

5. JONESBOROUGH, TN

• Population: 5,275
• Lowest cost for gigabit broadband: $60
• Provider: AT&T Fiber
• Median home price: $198,400
• Median home size: 5.5 rooms
• Coffee shops per 100K: 21
• Parks per 100K: 13
• Non-chain restaurants: 71%
• Workers in arts and education: 14.4%
• Health care practitioners: 3.7%
• Workers at home: 8.7%

A picturesque mountain town filled with local shops, eateries, and other small businesses, Jonesborough calls itself the “storytelling capital of America.” It’s home to both the National Storytelling Festival and the International Storytelling Center, letting it punch far above its weight in terms of culture and quirk. “Tennessee’s oldest town,” founded before it achieved statehood, has a beautifully preserved downtown, with antique shops, independent coffee shops, a farmer’s market, and a distillery. It’s rich with handsome homes and Appalachian culture.

6. PETOSKEY, MI
7. TURTLE CREEK, PA
8. BEMIDJI, MN
9. SPRINGFIELD, VT
10. EASTPOINTE, MI
11. PHILADELPHIA, PA
12. LENEXA, KS
13. MIAMI LAKES, FL
14. FORT COLLINS, CO
15. SAINT PAUL, TX
16. NILES, MI
17. TAOS, NM
18. REEDSBURG, WI
19. PRINCETON, MO
20. DAYTONA BEACH, FL
21. THE WOODLANDS, TX
22. PRICE, UT
23. RANGELY, CO
24. DIAMONDHEAD, MS
25. MADISON, MS
26. CHARLESTON, WV
27. FAIRBURN, GA
28. THOMASBORO, IL
29. CUMBERLAND, MD
30. WEIRTON, WV
31. PITTSBURG, KS
32. NATCHEZ, MS
33. OSWEGO, IL
34. MACON, GA
35. STOCK ISLAND, FL
36. MILLSBORO, DE
37. PHOENIX, AZ
38. HICKMAN, NE
39. MORRISVILLE, NC
40. MONTOUR FALLS, NY
41. HALEYVILLE, AL
42. RANDALLSTOWN, MD
43. TERRE HAUTE, IN
44. TAYLORVILLE, IL
45. BARTLESVILLE, OK
46. SHALLOTTE, NC
47. KENSINGTON PARK, FL
48. BROOKLYN PARK, MN
49. ARLINGTON, WA
50. BEACHWOOD, NJ

Canada's best:

In Canada, Atlantic Canada provides the best value for your loonie. The Francophone town of Dieppe, New Brunswick, just across the river from Moncton, scores at the top of our Canadian list, with several suburban parts of Halifax (2) coming just behind. Their strength is the combination of much lower real estate prices than Canada’s major centers and the availability of Bell’s superior 1.5Gbps Fibe Internet.

 

[haxan7]

I’m currently in the process of buying a house in one of those cities to work remotely from there. Good to see my choice made the list.

 

[teezzy]

Petoskey, here I cum

 

[Dream-Knife]

Small towns with good internet. RIP urban decay.

 

[AJUMP23]

High speed internet in rural areas could help drive the population to rural areas again. I just got att fiber to my house in a rural area after moving out there. Keep growing that infrastructure.

 

[p_xavier]

I lived DT Montreal and didn't even had access to a GB internet connection like in my rural town.