I grew up in rural Wisconsin and have lived in Minnesota most of my adult life. When I think of the kinds of lake-side properties that are available in these two states, I can't help but think that this topic should be split into multiple videos with different criteria. When it comes to living in the colder northern regions, I think there is a big difference between living on a pond or wooded lake and living on one of the Great Lakes. Lake Superior is very cold and has ocean-like weather; it dominates the nearby environment.
@@MrJrnaramore, I prefer living in the Twin Cities, but I don't care much for flat terrain to the west. I am partial to Driftless region of western Wisconsin.
I am from Texas moved up here to MN. 7 years ago up near Walker I went down to Minneapolis about three weeks ago first time in three years I had been to a city in that amount of time and after being in the clean air north up here I couldn't believe how bad it stinks in the city. No wonder everyone wears a frown and is angry.
Would honestly love to see an episode specifically for that "Walmart greeter with student loans and a video poker addiction" level of affordability/ best options etc
Dude! Your videos are amazing, I’m from Mississippi, and one of my favorite things and part of the reason I watch your videos is just to see you slam Mississippi. This one when’s the trophy for sure… (Made me spit out my sweettea all over the Dawg)
@@vhanchon I lived there many years, went to school there 8feet of snow is common. less as you go south toward the cities grand rapids and Detroit. And that is most of the year.
Not sure what you consider a “lake town”, but if it just has to be a town that’s on a lake or within a 5-10 minute drive to a beach or boat launch, probably about 75% of all towns in Michigan would qualify. I presume there’s a lot of places in Minnesota and Wisconsin like that also.
I wouldnt wanna live in a lake town if it DIDNT have cold winters. Living in Minnesota, one of the best things we offer is 10,000 frozen lakes perfect for winter activities that you cant get further south.
I cant believe you actually said something positive about Oklahoma. I love Sulphur. It is a great small town. I live in OKC(not my favorite). Sulphur is a pretty little town here in OK. Trust me we dont have that many.
Enjoyed this video Briggs!! Just want to say that I live just a couple of hours south of Lake Placid - it is indeed very beautiful, but it also should carry the warning you gave for the lake town in Michigan - Lake Placid is not for the faint of heart in the winter - it gets extremely cold!!! Summer and especially fall, absolutely gorgeous!!
I am currently looking in the Lake Placid area and it is very expensive but Saranac Lake is a good deal cheaper and with more options whereas Lake Placid is very upscale due to tourism. It is only 10 minutes away as well. Many of the surrounding towns of lake placid are better if your goal is to avoid more people and pay less!
Love the channel. I also grew up in Lake Placid, NY. It is not affordable. They are having a housing crisis right now. People are buying houses and turning them into AirBnB. I moved to North Carolina from their 15 years ago. But I would say thanks for showing different footage of the town from the other video that you featured Lake Placid.
As for Wolfeboro, NH, many of the homes are now owned by what we call "Massholes", who sold their former affordable homes there to move here. Lot's of them enjoyed their summers here through the years (we call it 'The Invasion') and now they've done an awesome job of pricing NH residents out of the area. But a more affordable area is around Newfound Lake. The cleanest lake in NH. For now
I wouldn’t have revealed that location in NH. If we do get any Mass transplants here in AZ, then they are most likely less affluent. We get invaded by Californians Chicagoooooans, and maybe some people from Minnesooooooooota. I’ve been to Boston before, and I was definitely struck with a less than friendly vibe. NH people were much nicer, which is why if I ever make it back east, then I will take my business along the NH coast or ski in places like Loon or Waterville Valley.
So, you guys know that for people to buy a home in your area, someone has to sell them one. Those are your culprits right there. Also, if you want to keep people out, create big, nasty HOA’s and make sure the local realtors have to get a form signed buy all potential buyers saying they were given the HOA rules and they were explained to them by the Realtor before they were even shown a property. Make sure the buyers and Realtors both have to sign it.
I think an important consideration would be water quality of the lakes, I see these lakes being surrounded by Farmland and I can't help but think how much farm run off gets into those lakes?
That's a good point. I only know about Ohio, but Grand Lake Saint Mary's was closed to swimming for some time due to algal toxins, which of course are fed by agriculture. This summer I was on Indian Lake, another large lake about 30 miles away, and it has been rendered almost unusable by algae. Invasive mussel species play a role, but so does farming.
@@bjs301 Michigan has wonderful lakes throughout the state, but most the best lakes are in the Northern half of the state where Farmland is minimal, and a lot of the crappier lakes are downstate where Farmland is more common.
You missed … Door County, Wisconsin a peninsula with Lake Michigan along its eastern shore and Green Bay to the west. It’s dotted with small towns around the perimeter: Sturgeon Bay, Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim, Bailey’s Harbor, etc … Get it! Got it! Good 👍🏻 In August 2022, Door County home prices were down 22.5% compared to last year, selling for a median price of $335K Some call Door County the “Cape Cod of the Midwest”. I’ve been to Cape Cod, and I’d call it the “Door County of the east coast” (but more expensive). IMHO, better than the Dells, Marquette, Ashland et al
This video just made me once again realize the blessings I have living on a lake in New England, with 4 seasons and year around beautiful views. However, I’m always excited to run off to Florida for Xmas break!! 🌞
Best part about the north are the lakes are much nicer. Midwest, west and NE have the nicest lakes. Nothing more useless than living on a lake in FL with gators and snakes everywhere. Not to mention the flat.
I live 90 min from FL beaches and visit several times a year. FL now is becoming more conservative and views visitors from the NE and West Coast with skepticism. Do leave the blue politics at home, FL definitely is where woke goes to die along with other Gulf Coast beach towns. Southern hospitality is becoming Southern hostility because of this.
Hey Briggs i would say take a look at Oconto,WI that’s an amazing place to live and visit. There’s not really many people but nature and outdoors there are amazing, plus you have the Green Bay right next to you!
One of my friend's client's mentioned Oconto as a place to consider if I decide to move out of CA. I've been thinking of Madison and Milwaukee but also considering Traverse City and Ann Arbor
Highland Lake is the 2nd largest natural lake in CT. My uncles' family has a cottage there. I remember picnics and boating when I was a kid. I live 10 mins from it
My parents owned a waterfront home on Amston Lake in Ct from 1945 till 1965. I spent the first 12 years of my life there. Cottages go for about a half million there now.
I love Sulphur Oklahoma!!! We used to go camping at Chickasaw National park every year when I was growing up. Beautiful tranquil place with wonderful people. So glad Sulphur made your list!
I watch your videos all the time and throughly enjoy them. Your humor is great, in my opinion also i was a Radio Announcer in OKC, OK, I don’t know if anyone has ever told you, but you have a great Radio voice as well. Have a great day and be kind to people! 😊
As someone living in Oklahoma, Sulphur is a nice little town. The Chickasaw National Forest is beautiful. The also have an amazing B&B called Echo Canyon and a nice winery called The Rusty Nail.
Little Niagara was one of my favorite places to visit and swim with my kids when they were younger. The local water is sulphur based, hence the name. Many people, myself included, enjoy drinking the water there. The local park has a place to fill water bottles. It is a nice little town. Rural Oklahoma is not for everyone, but I enjoyed growing up in Southern Oklahoma near Lake Texoma.
Great and informative video as usual, Mr. Briggs. Are you aware of Lakeside which sits on Tenmile Lake just north of Coos Bay/North Bend? It's a small town and the lake really beautiful.
There's a nice lake in East Tennessee called Watts Bar Lake! The major town's would be Kingston Rockwood and Spring City. It's part of the TVA system of Lakes. Best places are on either side of the lake running down to the Ten Mile Area More rustic. Plenty of Marina's for Outdoor activities A nice place!
As someone who wants to own a house on Lake Superior someday, it was cool to see 2 cities on this list (Marquette and Ashland) both be towns on Lake Superior. I've been to Marquette many times, I love it there. Would definitely like to check out Ashland.
Surprised Lake Geneva WI wasn't on this list. I've lived in Lake Geneva for close to 30 years, and when it comes to WI lake towns neither the Wisconsin Dells or Ashland come to mind.There's at least two to three dozen WI lake towns I'd pick over those two.
Of course! But he was talking affordability! I’m blessed to live in the Chippewa Valley in west central WI, about two hours from Minneapolis, where I once lived. We have rivers, streams, small typical beautiful WI style lakes within an hour of here, and very large Lake Wissota. I would say that none of the very nice housing on these bodies of water is affordable, including newish rental housing in downtown Eau Claire. I do have have co-worker who lives in Justin Vernon ‘s (Bon Iver) former apartment with great river views, but he sold his house, opting for an easier lifestyle to be able to do it! Sadly, real estate prices here are going the way of Minnesota! At least we still have great police forces around here!
This past summer I visited Wolfeboro, NH. for a day. It is nice. Ate at a great restaurant called Morrisey's Porch. Wolfeboro is also the terminus for a Lake Winnipesauke cruise ship that travels to and from Weirs Beach, been operating for decades. The main touristy section of town is rather small. Frankly I'm surprised there weren't more New England towns on this list. I say New England is the best region of the country and there are many, many lakes and rivers up here. Briggs could make a couple videos like this on just New England.
I am always curious about the elevation of places. Airports are probably the easiest places to find elevation published. I would like it if you would begin including average elevations of the towns you mention.
Wisconsin does have a lot of nice lake towns and I would have never guessed you would have mentioned Wisconsin Dells or Ashland. I would have thought Oshkosh, Neenah, Fond du Lac, Waupaca, Shawano, or Sheboygan
21 years ago I bought a house on Sugar Lake in a town called Rushville, Missouri for $58000. The other side of the lake was called “Louis & Clark”Village.
Hot Springs, Arkansas, a city that is also a National Park has 3 beautiful lakes and housing is still cheap on the water. You can find lake front homes under 700k.
@@mattwatts4672 I grew up in Arkansas. It’s one of the most beautiful and overlooked states in the country along with Utah and New Mexico. I’d recommend buying real estate in any of them for a good 10-20 year return. California is on the downswing. Not a good place to live if you want a high quality of life or to build housing equity.
@Big Dick Black If you’ve actually been to California you know that’s bs. A key sign of quality of life is if more people are coming then leaving. Right now there are much more people leaving California. Mainly due to unaffordable housing and a spike in crime.
Maybe you should break these videos down into regions of the US. Cuz it feels like you were mostly looking at North Eastern towns and there are so many more all over the country that would fit in this category. I'd be highly interested to see towns closer to me... Especially ones without such harsh winters.
Average = mean. Mean is easy to skew if you have some crazy outliers. Median is the number in the middle; sort 'em all and keep eliminating the top and bottom until you're down to 1 or 2 remaining. If 1, that's your median. If 2, average them. Median is less likely to be skewed by outliers. For incomes or prices, you want the median, NOT the mean, 'cuz you don't want it skewed by outliers.
Great Video, Briggs !!! I had Closed Caption on during this video and the person typing spelled the one lake in NE Pennsylvania this way: "Lake wall and Paul pack." (LOL). For the record, the correct spelling is Lake Wallenpaupack. (Gorgeous area !!!)
Surprised Lake Ronkonkoma, NY didn't make the cut. Anyway, I can bet the top 5 lakefront properties are located at the following: 1) Lake Tahoe 2)Lake Washington 3)Lake Minnetonka 4)Lake Chelan 5) Lake George
Who says I don't want a trailer, especially in the south with the warm weather. Now there's an idea! How about a video about the best cities with trailer living?😄
Beautiful lakes, and even BETTER wineries! I always say the summer is the BEST 2 weeks of the year. Lol It is so tranquil there. We try to get back up there at once a year. Just in case you're wondering...I left after I got out of the service and haven't resettled there is because I went where the jobs were.
Wow, the median home price is 428k?? I remember when it was 300k+ last year & that was a jump. I checked my condo & one in my neighborhood, not updated, is listed for 180k. I paid 72k for it in mid-2018, and then put around 19k in remodeling. I can tell you my salary didn't jump the same percentage each year. It's ridiculous. I have no problem saying it isn't worth 180k imo lol
Love the channel! You should look at whitmore lake Mi. Lake can go for quite a bit but I’m on a smaller lake right in the area called lake Monahan and I bought my house for below 200K
I bought a property from a deceased relative estate. Right on Lake Huron for 60k with 5 acres of woodlands. Has a main house off the back road and a little hunting cabin in the woods. I use it as my getaway home as I live in the big city for work. Best part about the area is there is hardly any people.
@@ryanvandy1615 I'll give it to lake Michigan though. The beaches are much nicer. However, since I'm on the tip of the thumb, we get the beautiful ocean like sunsets facing west. Incredible. In my town, there are 1200 people. I wouldn't have any other way. Only one way in by road and water. Once we barricade that, we should be able to hold off the zombies until we run out of ammo.
I suspect that the current price of housing in Eau Claire and the surrounding areas would exceed criteria for this list. Although, I would say that Eau Claire could still be an attractive option if you were working from home and trying to move from a larger metro area.
Grew up in Upstate NY. In the Hudson valley area. In high school me and some friends used to go up to Lake Placid for spring break. Great area for trout fishing.
You should talk more about Humboldt County from fortuna all the way up to Trinidad there are some really awesome small town vibes up there! I lived in Arcata for a few years and it was great!
Interesting how 9 out of 10 have winters that freeze glycols. I think it shows most folks prefer warmer winters lol. Great places in terms of quality though. Some of the home prices are crazy low for being so close to a lake or river.
I want to sell my home or rent it out. move back to Wisconsin yeah it's been 30 years since I lived there time to go home Iam thinking. My home in Nw Arkansas is always going to be $$$ and = I can afford big lake / river home in Wisconsin lol.
I have relatives in Ashland. That town's great. There's also a really cool hotel that's almost literally on the beach with rooms facing the lake, that's my favorite hotel.
Mountain Home Arkansas should have been on the list. It's got two lakes, and a few rivers to enjoy. And property is cheap. Not much of a night life though.
Based on my childhood memories, Sulphur OK also smells of sulfur/bad egg. The water is supposed to be therapeutic, but, wow it takes a braver heart than I have to drink it.
I'm from the Iowa Great Lakes area and I can tell you this guy needs to up his housing prices. Spirit Lake has very few houses for sale, the houses on the lakes very from 250,000 to 5 to 10 million, the 250,000 are going to be 3 season cabins. Oh, the taxes are hefty too. Beautiful place, lots of fun things to do, not cheap.
Spirit Lake, Iowa! -- Briggs, you say that like you know the place! On June 14th -- Flag Day!, Every single house or building in Spirit Lake, hangs out the American Flag and it looks very beautiful, like a parade of flags down every Street, gently blowing in the wind. And the noon whistle goes off at noon every day. That's right when I was born. They have a more beautiful homes than in the pictures you showed, all though I've heard they haven't properly taken care of the area and all those lakes. The entire area and all those lakes were gorgeous when I was a kid.
Love Lake Placid. For homes on the water think about towns on the St. Lawrence River. The River is so wide it’s better than a lake because you can take your boat hundreds if not thousands of miles from Duluth to Quebec
124 lakes in my county alone. I can be to one in 5 minutes and all of them within 30 minutes in all directions. Much cheaper to live away from the waters edge on small acreages here in Michigan.
Frostproof Florida which has a charming downtown surrounded by 2 large beautiful large lakes great for bass fishing,an off the beaten path winter gem especially for snowbirds.There is also a Lake Placid Florida just down the road!
If you want to visit my state in January and walk on one of Connecticut’s lakes go ahead. Sometimes they freeze up, always in January or February. Not half the year. Even if they do freeze up, do you _really_ want to walk on them? I don’t even think Lake Superior is frozen half the year.
I’ve visited Ashland, Wi many times and found it charming. Duluth didn’t seem like the best neighbor, but we never spent long in Duluth, so we might have been misled.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Door County Wisconsin. There are towns on the Lake Michigan side that are not expensive. The Green bay side is expensive. Of course it's hella cold there for 9 months of the year.
Hey now! Connecticut is stunning....once you drive past Fairfield county. I grew up in CT but moved to WI for a more relaxed and less expensive lifestyle. That's sadly no longer the case. House has become outrageously expensive.😥
Ashland, WI! I have lived in and revered WI for over 3 decades. I have never been to Ashland, but I know it is way up north. Winter must be "hell on earth". I camped near there in the summer, just beautiful.
Nice choices. But people should also checkout Idaho and Montana. Finding a reasonably priced house close to water is easy. Very safe. And taxes and prices are low.
I bought my first house for $42K. A little small, but 3 bedrooms, two car garage, big patio with a roof, corner house with a small yard. Where I live now, that same type of house will cost $600k or more. Absolutely ridiculous.
