Clients Looking for an Affordable and Outdoorsy Area? Head to State College

One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic is that more people spent additional time outside than in the past.

Discovering – or rediscovering – a love of the outdoors, as well as opportunities for remote work, has led many consumers to want to live somewhere with more outdoors options. However, these areas are not always affordable. Analyzing bike friendliness, the number of outdoors-related businesses and close to national parks, Realtor.com® rounded up the most affordable outdoorsy areas and State College landed in seventh.

“State College has a lot to offer if you like being outdoors,” said Kristin O’Brien, president of the Centre County Association of Realtors®. “In the summer, my husband and I can always find things to do. The State College area has many trails for all levels of hiking in and around town. Also, much of the region is bike-friendly from paths, bike lanes and rail trails for casual riding to mountain biking. Our creeks and streams attract fly fishing fans from around the world as the spot for trout.”

“Our state parks have boating, canoeing and kayaking spots for all water activities and with a short drive, we are near many more water fun locations like Raystown Lake,” added O’Brien. “We have multiple golf courses from nine holes to 36, both private and public. And a lot of our townships with higher populated areas have focused on installing parks and open spaces throughout their neighborhoods, so there is always a place to go outdoors with kids and pets.”

Being home to Penn State University offers the opportunity for attending outdoor college sport activities as well.

With a median home listing price of $340,000, State College is pricier than other areas in the commonwealth, but still quite affordable. However, O’Brien said the market continues to be a fast-paced one. “Our average sales price for the county so far in 2022 is $350,481, which is about 5% higher than last year. Our average number of days on market is 35, and our list to sold price is 101.07%. Our most active price point is between $200,000 to $400,000, but we have properties available below and above that, from one-bedroom apartment-style condos to million-dollar luxury homes. And we have many groups throughout the county working tirelessly to find ways to bring new affordable and attainable housing into the market.”