Minnesota alone is home to over 10,000 lakes, but no matter which part of the U.S. you visit, you're bound to stumble across a famous lake town or two. A new study reveals the best lake towns in the U.S., whether you’re looking for a place to retire or a chance to escape big city life.
Using 2021 data from WalletHub, content platform Stacker looked at 46 U.S. towns with beaches featured on TripAdvisor and populations between 10,000 and 150,000 to find the best lake towns to live in. WalletHub's rankings were based on six key factors: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health and overall quality of life. Here are the towns that came out on top.
Traverse City, Michigan, takes the top spot as the best U.S. lake town. The city includes not only the beauty of the Lake Michigan shore but also vineyards, forests and skiable mountains. It’s a year-round playground with buzzing nightlife, antique and farmers markets and plenty of outdoor recreation activities.
At number two is Folsom, California. This town’s northern border is the shoreline of Folsom Lake and its western border is Lake Natoma. Folsom boasts top public schools, dining options and great weather plus concerts, fairs, galleries, boutique and outlet shopping and a zoo sanctuary.
The number three best lake town is Redmond, Washington, located 15 miles east of Seattle on the north edge of Lake Sammamish. Redmond is home to renowned international and STEM schools, and is known as the "Bicycle Capital of the Northwest.
Find the full list of the 46 best lake towns in the U.S. here.
Ten best lake towns in the U.S.
- Traverse City, Michigan
- Folsom, California
- Redmond, Washington
- Holland, Michigan
- Cornelius, North Carolina
- Kirkland, Washington
- Mercer Island, Washington
- Rocky River, Ohio
- Davidson, North Carolina
- Pewaukee, Wisconsin