California is well known for its red-hot real estate market: the average home in the state is now valued at more than $1 million.
However, despite these impressive real estate prices, there is still affordable real estate in the Golden State if you know where to look.
In fact, there are nine cities where you can buy homes for just $150,000 or less, Los Angeles Times reports. The only downside is that you may have to venture a little off the beaten path.
Some of the cheapest properties in the state are located near the Oregon border, in towns such as Dorris, Macdoel and Tutelake. Each houses less than 1,000 people and is located amid agricultural landscapes.
Another example is Trona, a town steeped in history and nestled in the desert, which longtime resident Ann Epperly told the LA Times remains a sanctuary for those looking to escape city life.
There are nine cities where you can buy homes for just $150,000 or less, the LA Times reports. The only downside is that you may have to venture a little off the beaten path.
One example is Trona, a town steeped in history and nestled in the desert, which longtime resident Ann Epperly told the LA Times remains a sanctuary for those looking to escape city life.
Five cities spread across Southern California offer similarly low median home values, including: Boron, Yermo, Hinkley, Johannesburg and Trona.
“It’s been going downhill, but it seems like it’s coming back a little bit,” Epperly, 80, told the LA Times while describing Trona.
He explained how the once bustling city was built on mining and the production of borax, an ingredient in glass products such as car windshields.
But despite its decline over the years, Trona still has value for those seeking tranquility and a place away from the urban lifestyle.
And living “off the beaten path” has its benefits, he told the outlet.
“It’s quiet, you don’t hear the hustle and bustle of so many people” and “cars run over you,” he added.
However, Epperly highlighted the need for revitalization to support the city’s growth since Trona’s decline as a commercial center.
“It used to be downtown years ago,” he recalled.
Now, “it’s just a small town with a big plant,” he said, referring to a nearby mineral plant. “We need some stores here.”
Tourists are also beginning to discover the beauty of these desert landscapes, which brings hopes of economic revival (in the photo: gas station in Trona)
For those willing to venture off the beaten path, some of the state’s lowest median home values, reaching $114,000, are located near the Oregon border in Dorris, Macdoel and Tutelake.
Cities like Trona face other challenges: infrastructure and services are often lacking, and there are no essential services for miles around.
The nearest hospital and Walmart are 40 kilometers away. But Epperly said he loves the people of Trona and the freedom of “riding horses all over town.”
Despite the challenges, people seeking refuge in crowded urban landscapes has led cities like Trona to see an increase in demand.
Tourists are also beginning to discover the beauty of these desert landscapes, bringing hopes of economic revival, Epperly said.
“I think Los Angeles has found Trona,” he told the Times.
Real estate agent Sonney Berri highlighted the recent surge in interest, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the challenges, people seeking refuge in crowded urban landscapes has led cities like Trona to see an increase in demand (pictured: Trona facility, which extracts boron products).
Each houses less than 1,000 people and is located amid agricultural landscapes. Pictured: Homes in Tutelake CA
Trona, a “desolate area that was very prosperous in the ’50s and ’60s,” was filled with abandoned houses after the plants closed decades ago,” Berri, 49, told the LA Times.
Now, “people are fixing them and improving the community,” he added.
Trona’s heyday dates back to the early 20th century, when it prospered as a business town, bustling with businesses and activities.
Similarly, towns like Hinkley, which inspired the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Erin Brockovich’, over a lawsuit over groundwater contamination that caused illness and death in the area, they have also maintained a lower median home price.
Five other cities spread across Southern California offer similarly low median home values, including: Boron, Yermo, Hinkley, Johannesburg and Trona.
They are surrounded by desert and were developed during the mining industry.
The villages may require a trip away from the urban bustle of the city, but for those willing to compromise, they also offer charm and affordability.
The city of Boro is named after the element found in borax.
California alone has 210 “million-dollar cities,” the most of any U.S. state and an increase of 12 from last year. Pictured: A home in San Francisco for sale for $1.49 million
A house in Los Angeles for sale for $1.49 million on Zillow
Herlong, a military town named after a World War II-era captain and home to a military storage facility, situated along the Nevada border, is another town with a low median home value.
This hidden gem may have flown under the radar since its heyday, but it is rich in character and surrounded by beautiful countryside.
The trend comes as home prices across the United States – particularly in states like California – continue to rise, pushing homeowners to flee to more affordable cities.
The United States has a record number of “million-dollar cities,” where the median home price now exceeds six figures, new data shows.
In total, 550 U.S. cities have a median property price of $1 million or more, 59 more than this time last year.
Data from real estate portal Zillow highlights just how hot the US real estate scene remains after years of steady growth.
California alone has 210 “million-dollar cities,” the most of any U.S. state and an increase of 12 from last year.
They were followed by New York, New Jersey and Florida, which have 66, 49 and 32 respectively.
Affordable real estate is hard to find in Cali’s city hotspots, to the point that wealthy citizens are increasingly fleeing further inland, to a city nicknamed “the armpit” of the Golden State.
Affordable real estate is hard to find in the city’s hot spots of Cali, to the point that wealthy citizens are increasingly fleeing further inland, to a city nicknamed “the armpit” of the Golden State.
As expensive cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco are ravaged by crime, homelessness and drug crises, there is no stopping the influx of newcomers seeking to escape the “rat race.”
Home prices have doubled in less than ten years in 68 of America’s 100 largest cities, a sobering new study shows.
And in some major American cities, the cost of the average property has doubled in just five years.
Buyers in Irvine, California, the most expensive housing market in the study, have seen median home prices double from an already high $750,000 to $1.5 million in just seven years.