When looking for a place to live, there are a lot of factors that people consider. One of such factors is the landscape. While some cities have beaches and others have mountains, it’s more difficult to find those with a combination of both. So, where are the best places to live in the US with beaches and mountains?
There are only a few cities in the US with great beaches and mountain ranges. They include Seattle in Washington, Honolulu in Hawaii, Anchorage in Alaska, Portland in Oregon, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco in California. These cities are great to live in and ideal for tourists.
However, all these cities are also expensive to live in, mostly due to their landscape, making them desirable. Here, we discuss places you can live in the US with mountains and beaches.
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1. Seattle
If you’re looking for a city with a great mountain range and shoreline, then the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia metro region is a perfect place. Seattle has about 200 miles of shoreline, making great beaches throughout the city. Some of the most popular beaches here include discovery park, Matthews Beach Park, a freshwater beach, Alki beach, Carkeek beach, and others.
The city also has two mountain ranges bordering it. There’s the Olympics on the west and Cascades on the east. A little off to the south is Mount Rainier. So this city is amazing regarding landscape and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
2. Portland
Portland, Oregon, is home to diverse landscapes, including several great beaches and mountains. Beaches include South Waterfront Park, Sauvie Island Beach, Collins Beach, Sellwood Riverfront Park, and Kelley Point Park, to name a few. Portland is a beach town due to its location with the Pacific Ocean on the west. In addition, the city has 67 named mountains, with the Blue Mountain peak being the highest. So if you enjoy swimming or hiking, this is the perfect city.
3. San Francisco
California has some of the best cities for mountains and beaches, and San Francisco is the perfect epitome of those cities. It’s quite close to several mountains such as Mount Diablo, Land’s End, Mount Tamalpais, Davidson Heights, and more. There are 45 named mountains altogether in the city. Of course, the city also has a plethora of beaches. The San Francisco Bay coastline is half the size of the California shoreline. There are more than enough beaches here, and they’re usually in pristine condition. Ocean Beach is the longest, but Baker beach has incredible views.
4. Oakland
Another California city blessed with both mountains and beaches is Oakland. There are a handful of beaches here; the closest is Crown Beach. Oakland is very close to San Francisco, so residents here can easily go to the beaches in San Francisco. There are also Alameda beach, lake temescal, Albany beach, etc., in the city. In terms of mountains, the city has several high points. The Chaparral peak is the highest of the peaks here, but the Grizzly peak is quite remarkable too.
5. Los Angeles
The San Gabriel mountains are here in Los Angeles. Within Los Angeles County, there are 264 named mountains, with the highest being Mount Saint Antonio which has an elevation of 10,069 feet. Of course, the beaches of Los Angeles are legendary. The city has some of the most popular beaches in the US. In fact, Los Angeles county might be the US city with the best variety of beaches.
Some of the best beaches here include Venice beach, paradise cove beach, carbon beach, Santa Monica state beach, Leo Carrillo state park, etc. While some of the beaches are not in Los Ángeles city itself, they’re within the county and, at best, only an hour’s drive away from the city. So, if you’re looking for a place that combines mountains and beaches perfectly, look no further.
6. San Diego
California has an incredible landscape reflecting the number of cities and towns with mountains and beaches. San Diego is another example. The city has the Laguna Mountains on its east. Due to its topography, most of the mountain peaks here are accessible, and you can get a good view of the city from them.
There are 259 named mountains in the city. Although Palomar Mountain’s high point is the most prominent, the highest is hot springs mountain. It also has 70 miles of shoreline along the pacific and has a total of six beaches. There are many incredible beaches here, such as black beach, La Jolla cove beach, Coronado beach, flat rock beach, etc.
7. Honolulu
The capital city of Hawaii is right next to the coast, with miles of beautiful beaches. A 30 minutes drive from anywhere in the city will land you on a beach of your choice. Popular beaches include Ala Moana Beach, Waikiki Beach, Kailua Beach, and more. The beaches here are great for water sports and other activities you may have in mind. Just as it has beaches, the city also has its fair share of mountains. Honolulu county has 141 named mountains. The mountainside of Honolulu is a backdrop to the Oahu mountain regions. Oahu has two major mountain ranges, which are the Koolau Range on the east and the Waianae Range on the west. The two are almost parallel. Although they are extinct volcanoes, there are still smaller volcanic mountains near the area.
8. Anchorage
Anchorage is home to the Kincaid beach and several smaller beaches. There are also goose lake beach, jewel lake beach, mirror lake beach, little Campbell beach, etc. Of course, Alaska’s remote city and most populous also has several mountain ranges. The Chugach Mountains are the most prominent, and several tourists and residents spend time here.
In Conclusion
In the US, many cities have beaches, and several other areas have mountains. But only a few combine the distinction of being a beach and mountain. The ones listed above are the most popular.