11 Northern US Towns Perfect For A Fresh Start

In Berlin, New Hampshire, the typical home is worth about $131,000, a small slice of what homes cost across the rest of the state. Towns like it dot the northern edge of the country, where long winters keep the crowds away and summers bring lakes, forests, and long evening light. Each has homes below its state's median price, according to the Census Bureau, along with a hospital nearby. Real jobs or a college keep them working, and community traditions make newcomers feel welcome. Add big outdoors at every turn, and the case for a new beginning gets even stronger.

Butte, Montana

Butte was once called "the Richest Hill on Earth" for the copper mined beneath it, and its Uptown district, packed with brick buildings and old mine headframes, is one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the country. Homes sell for a median of about $258,000, a real bargain by Montana standards. St. James Healthcare provides hospital care, and Montana Technological University offers engineering and science programs. Visitors can explore the World Museum of Mining, peer into the vast Berkeley Pit from a viewing stand, and look up at Our Lady of the Rockies, a giant statue on the ridge above town.

Jamestown, North Dakota

Jamestown sits along the James River on Interstate 94, and homes there run about $200,000 at the median, comfortably under the going rate across North Dakota. Jamestown Regional Medical Center provides care, and the University of Jamestown brings students and events to town. The town's best-known landmark is Dakota Thunder, a 26-foot-tall concrete buffalo that towers over Frontier Village, and the nearby National Buffalo Museum keeps a live bison herd. Jamestown Reservoir and Pipestem Lake, just north of town, offer fishing, boating, and camping.

Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji sits on the shore of Lake Bemidji in Minnesota's north woods, and a typical home costs about $198,000, far less than in the Twin Cities suburbs or much of the rest of the state. Sanford Bemidji Medical Center is the region's main hospital, and Bemidji State University adds jobs, arts, and athletics. Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox have stood on the lakeshore since the 1930s. About 30 miles south, Itasca State Park protects the headwaters of the Mississippi River, where visitors can walk across the river on stepping stones.

Ely, Minnesota

Ely is the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a vast network of lakes and forests along the Canadian border whose future is often debated, as in what happens to the Boundary Waters if a nearby mine opens. Homes here have a median value of about $157,000, making Ely one of the most affordable gateways to the north woods. Essentia Health provides hospital care in town, and Vermilion Community College offers programs in natural resources and outdoor studies. The International Wolf Center introduces visitors to the gray wolves that live in the surrounding forest, and the Dorothy Molter Museum honors a woman who lived for decades on a remote island in the wilderness, selling homemade root beer to passing canoeists.

Ashland, Wisconsin

Ashland sits on Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior, and its median home value of about $176,000 is easy on the budget compared with most of Wisconsin. Memorial Medical Center provides care, and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College has a campus in town. Ashland calls itself the Mural Capital of Wisconsin, with large historical murals painted on buildings throughout downtown. A paved waterfront trail follows the bay, and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, with its sea caves and lighthouses, is a short drive away.

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Sault Ste. Marie, founded in 1668, is the oldest city in Michigan, and homes there carry a median value of about $139,000, some of the lowest prices among the state's larger towns. MyMichigan Medical Center Sault provides hospital care, and Lake Superior State University brings students to town. The city's star attraction is the Soo Locks, where giant freighters are raised and lowered between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, and visitors can watch from a viewing platform just a few feet away. Thousands of vessels make the passage, as shown in how many ships pass through the Soo Locks every year. The International Bridge connects the city to its Canadian twin, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Watertown, New York

Watertown, in northern New York, has a median home value of about $159,000, a sliver of what buyers pay downstate. Nearby Fort Drum, home of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, is the region's largest employer, and Samaritan Medical Center provides care. Jefferson Community College offers degrees and job training. Thompson Park, designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted, includes the New York State Zoo, and the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River is about a half-hour drive away.

Plattsburgh, New York

Plattsburgh sits on the western shore of Lake Champlain, with the Adirondack Mountains rising to the west, and its median home value of about $196,000 keeps it well within reach for many buyers. Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital provides care, and SUNY Plattsburgh adds jobs and culture. The town played a key role in the War of 1812, when American forces won the Battle of Plattsburgh on the lake in 1814. Today, the lakeshore offers beaches, bike paths, and sailing, and the hiking trails of the Adirondacks are a short drive away.

Rutland, Vermont

Rutland, once the heart of Vermont's marble industry, has a median home value of about $186,000, one of the better deals in a state known for pricey real estate. Rutland Regional Medical Center is one of the state's largest hospitals, and the Killington and Pico ski areas are a short drive east, providing jobs and winter fun. The Vermont Farmers Market runs year-round downtown, and nearby Proctor is home to the Vermont Marble Museum. The surrounding Green Mountains offer hiking, fall foliage, and access to the Appalachian Trail.

Berlin, New Hampshire

Berlin, a former paper mill city on the Androscoggin River, has a median home value of about $131,000, the biggest bargain on this list compared with prices elsewhere in New Hampshire. Androscoggin Valley Hospital provides care. The city has reinvented itself as an outdoor recreation hub. Jericho Mountain State Park offers miles of ATV and snowmobile trails, and the White Mountains, including Mount Washington, are a short drive south. The Northern Forest Heritage Park tells the story of the logging and river-driving days that built the city.

Presque Isle, Maine

Presque Isle is the commercial center of Aroostook County, Maine's potato country, and its median home value of about $147,000 stretches a dollar much further than the coast or southern Maine. Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital provides care, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle offers degrees and job training. The Nordic Heritage Center has miles of groomed cross-country ski and biking trails and has hosted international biathlon events. Aroostook State Park, Maine's first state park, offers hiking, swimming, and camping just south of town.

Starting Over Up North

These 11 towns show that a fresh start in the northern United States can come with affordable homes and big outdoor rewards. Each offers a hospital nearby, real work or a college, and communities used to looking out for one another through long winters. Before you move, visit in January as well as July, check heating costs and internet options, and make sure you are ready for plenty of snow.