Hollywood has long had a vision of what a great American town looks like. From It’s a Wonderful Life to Pleasantville, the cities emblazoned in our minds as nurturing spots to settle down and raise families all have a triad of things in common: single-family homes, low crime, and great schools.

With the median home price creeping to $420,000 this spring, more Americans wondering where they can get a slice of that dream, so we crunched the numbers to see where it’s still in reach.

We looked for American cities where people want to move but that also have a median home price under the national median, with A or B-grade crime and schools. In total, 16 cities meet that criteria. If you’re looking for that ideal combination of affordable homes, safe streets, and educational excellence, consider these all-American towns. And who knows? Your new digs may even come with a block party and a picket fence.

Big Takeaways:

• Broken Arrow, OK, with a median home price of $275,192, is the lowest-priced town in America where you’ll find low crime and great schools.
• 15 of the 16 are in the South. The only outlier? That’s Ankeny, IA.
• With 4 cities on the list, Texas proves it can keep home costs and crime low and still help local kids become a future Aggie or Longhorn. 3 are near Houston.
• New Braunfels, TX, and Clayton, NC, are the most popular — both have more than 2 in-moves for every exit.
• 2 cities get an A+ for education: #6 Edmond, OK, and #7 Katy, TX.

How we found which family-friendly cities people are moving to this year, under $420k

With housing up 60% over the past ten years, even when adjusting for inflation, fewer Americans can hope to achieve the so-called American Dream. In fact, a recent analysis of real estate prices found that just 15.5% of homes for sale were affordable to the average American household, and the average age of a first-time home-buyer has risen from 29 in 1981 to 36 today. Where are young families (and families-to-be) to go? We wanted to know.

We started with a list of the 188 most desired cities to move to in 2024, all with 1.25 new residents searching to move in for every one who wants to leave. This helped us uncover the places in America people want to move to right now.