Something that has lingered for many people in the aftermath of the pandemic is the desire to live in airy spaces where they can live, work, play and have a sense of privacy. With the normalization of remote work for a significant segment of the workforce, chasing big homes is gaining even more traction across the US.
But getting access to spacious living might be challenging these days. Sizes of both residential lots and houses have been on a downward slope during the last decade, whereas prices have been trending up.
Zooming in on city-level data, the story becomes more nuanced. With significant regional variations. Living large is becoming less attainable in land-strapped environments like Philadelphia, PA, or expensive hotspots like California’s coastal hubs.
However, as you move away from the coasts, your chances of finding a big home with some nice outdoor space for entertaining improve substantially. In fact, according to a recent study by Storage Cafe, of the 50 largest US cities, the South reigns supreme for spacious living.
To determine the most attractive urban destinations for Americans in search of both generous homes and expansive backyards, Storage Cafe ranked all 50 cities based on a combined metric of the median size of homes and the median size of the lots they’re sitting on.
Seven southern cities made the top 10 of hotspots for spacious living, including Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA, and Charlotte, NC, which occupy the first three spots in the ranking.
Here’s a closer look at the places where you can enjoy plenty of home space both indoors and outdoors without letting go of an urban lifestyle.
Raleigh in North Carolina leads the nation for generous space at home
Alongside Texas and Florida, North Carolina ranks high on migration radars for people across the country, and for good reason. The job market is strong, the schools are great and the cost of living in all the state’s major cities is still lower compared to other urban hubs. Raleigh in particular also offers great prospects for those in search of spacious living.
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The median size of a single family home in Raleigh is a generous 1,947 square feet and residential lots cover roughly 10,500 square feet. To put things into perspective, that’s approximately one-fifth of a football field. It may come as no surprise then that Raleigh emerged as the country’s best city for those in search of spacious living. A home in Raleigh takes up less than 18% of the lot, which means people are left with a sizeable backyard that allows them to garden, play catch with the kids, or entertain.
Contrary to the national trend, homes in Raleigh gained square footage in recent years. The largest homes were built during the past decade (2013 to 2022), when the median size of a new home was over 2,400 square feet, 23% larger than the city’s median home overall. Residential lots for these new homes, on the other hand, at 7,000 square feet, decreased by one third compared to the median backyard in Raleigh in general.
Other southern cities with large lawn sizes
Charlotte is the second North Carolina city that cracks the top 10 US of capitals for home space. It offers great perks for those who value space both indoors and outdoors. The size of a standard home in Charlotte hovers around 1,900 square feet and lots are over 10,600 square feet, resulting in a lot occupancy of a little under 18%.
Staying in the South, Atlanta, GA, takes second place in our general ranking of cities offering spacious abodes, with building lots of over 11,500 square feet and median homes at 1,953 square feet.
Atlanta’s single family homes expanded over the past decade, registering a hefty median size of 2,500 square feet. Building lots, on the other hand, lost significant space and are almost 50% smaller than the city’s overall median lot size. Faced with a massive influx of newcomers, available land is in fact harder to come by in Atlanta whereas real estate prices keep rising. Home value in Atlanta now stands at $425,898, up 17% from ten years ago.
Another southern hotspot, Nashville, TN, ranks fifth overall for home space. Boasting the largest median lot size among the country’s 50 biggest cities – roughly 11,813 square feet – Music City is great not only for live entertainment but for backyard fun as well.
Jacksonville leads Florida’s home and backyard space race
Jacksonville, Florida, is usually known, and much appreciated, for its great weather and gorgeous beaches. Space is also added to that list of benefits as the city’s housing market comes with a lot of room to breathe at home. Jacksonville ranks 7th in our ranking of the best cities for living large.
The median home in Jacksonville is about 1,818 square feet, built on median lots of slightly over 9,100 square feet. This means that homes in Jacksonville generally take up about 20% of their lot. The 2013-to-2022 period saw significantly larger homes being built, at 2,274 square feet – but building lots started to dwindle.
Miami, in the meantime, is less friendly in terms of backyard space, with lot sizes at around 6,900 sq. ft. But interiors can be generous at a median of 2,009 sq. ft.