What are the top 7 most affordable LGBTQ+-friendly cities for outdoor activities

What are the top 7 most affordable LGBTQ+-friendly cities for outdoor activities? Find out here on this episode. Then download your FREE Queer Money Kickstarter, a 9-step Guide to Kickstart Your Journey to Financial Independence.

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What are the top 7 most affordable LGBTQ+-friendly cities for outdoor activities?

On this Queer Money®, we’re sharing the top 7 most affordable LGBTQ+-friendly cities for outdoor activities on our affordable, LGBTQ+-friendly city series. 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, came in at #7. There are many outdoor activities. Philadelphia has over 20 gardens and arboretums, including the Andalusia Historic House. It also has over 400 miles of trails and 20 parks, including Franklin Square. 40 day trips to historical, outdoor activities to do. The best of them all is it is the place to pretend to be Rocky Balboa.

Chicago, Illinois, came in at #6. Chicago is known as the city in the garden. You can enjoy Lincoln, Washington, and Humbolt parks. Chicago has beaches to enjoy, such as North Avenue, 12th Street, and Montrose Avenue. There is also Lake Michigan, where you can play kickball, have parties, and play volleyball. In the wintertime, you can go to the ice skating rink at Millennium Park. You can also go boating, kayaking, running, or for a walk or dining on the Chicago River Walk. If you dare, you can go swimming in Lake Michigan.

Seattle, Washington, came in at #5. Seattle was listed as the best place to live for outdoor activities per Niche.com. Seattle has 6,480 acres of parkland, which is 12.3% of its total area. The majority – 99% – of residents live within 10 minutes of a public park. Seattle has one of the highest annual park investments per capita in the US. A well-known area to hike is Hike Discovery Park, in Mt Si or Mt Rainier. Seattle has an area to Bike Burke-Gilman. You can ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island or Bremerton. You can ski at Stevens Pass or Crystal Mountain Resort.

Portland, Oregon, came in at #4. The Pacific Coast is a mere 90-minute drive west, and the Cascade Mountains are just 60 minutes to the east. Portland was named #1 for bike commuting per Move.org in 2019,  #1 for cycling per the Travel Channel in 2018, and #9 for camping per Apartment Guide in 2020. Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear, Leatherman Tool Group, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Nautilus, Danner Boots/LaCrosse Footwear, Leupold + Stevens, Keen, and Benchmade all call Greater Portland home.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, came in at #3. Milwaukee has one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes, over a hundred miles of multi-use trails, and year-round outdoor recreation facilities. Milwaukee has the beaches of Lake Michigan, known as the “Third Coast”.  It has 1,400 acres of beaches and parkland adjacent to the water, including Bradford Beach, located downtown, which is one of Travel Channel’s top 11 city beaches. You can take a stroll on the Milwaukee River Walk or hike Grant Park or Lake Park. Milwaukee is also home to more top-100 public golf courses than any other state.

It is worth noting that in all of the 150 cities looked we used Niche.com as a major source of data for outdoor activities. We double-weighted the outdoor activities ranking, and we still included the cost of living, incomes, and HRC MEI. For all the information, you can grab the spreadsheets at QueerMoneyPodcast.com/cities.

We have five honorable mentions: Boston at #12, New York City at #19, Albuquerque at #21, which is one of the sun belt cities in the top 20, Irvine at #16, and Tampa at #19.

Cleveland, Ohio, came in at #2. It is home to the beautiful Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Cultural Gardens. The area has more than 60 golf courses, including the rolling fairways of Big Met and Sleepy Hollow. Cleveland has 8 lakefront parks, 18 nature reserves, and over 100 hiking trails in the award-winning Cleveland Metroparks system. It also has 40+ breweries scattered across the region, many with outdoor patios.

Worcester, Massachusetts, came in at #1.  Worcester has Wachusett Mountain and is open year-round, perfect for hiking in the fall and skiing in the winter. Worcester is also home to the Purgatory Chasm State Reservation. The Massachusettes Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook is the largest urban wildlife sanctuary in New England and offers visitors trails and diverse habitats to enjoy. You can enjoy the trails of The Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor or the Last Green Valley Heritage Corridor in Worcester. It is also home to 60 city parks and 30 walking trails. Worcester offers Regatta Point Community Sailing & Rowing for rowing for kids and adults. Worcester is also home to Webster Lake, aka Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. Worcester has the Swift River Reservation in Petersham, Quinebaug Woods in Holland,  and Cormier Woods in Uxbridge. 

If you’d like to see the data for this growing series, get the dynamic list of Affordable LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities in the U.S. here or click the link in your podcast player for a growing analysis.

For the resources and to connect with our guests, get the show notes at: https://queermoneypodcast.com/subscribe. 

 

 

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