Welcome back to World According to Briggs. Today, we're diving into which cities Americans want to move to in 2025 and 2026. We ran a little survey and asked people to pick one of the 120 largest cities in the US that they'd want to move to, that they'd be happy with buying some real estate, you know, nice home, talk to a realtor, paying for an overpriced apartment, and calling the local coffee shop your spot. Out of the 30, I personally agreed with 22 of them. The other eight, let's just say we don't see eye to eye. But like last year, what really surprised me is a handful of cities didn't even get a single vote. Shout out to you, Grand Junction in Birmingham, Alabama. But don't worry, your mom still thinks you're special. All right, that's enough rambling. Let's take a look at the top 30 states Americans want to move to in 2025 and 2026. Got it? Get it? Good. Let's take a look. [Music] Number 30, Huntsville, Alabama. Rocket Science, barbecue, and cheap housing. Pick two. Surprise, you get all three. Huntsville is like if a science lab and a Cracker Barrel had a baby, thanks to NASA and the Redstone Arsenal. There are real careers here, people, not just Dollar General and Waffle House. Plus, the cost living won't make your wallet cry itself to sleep, and the real estate isn't bad either for a desirable place to live. Huntsville, in my opinion, should have been further up on this list, maybe in the top 10. Huntsville is a nice place to live. It's breaking all the stereotypes of Alabama, and it got 26 votes. [Music] 29, Sou Falls, South Dakota. Yes, it's cold. Yes, it's flat. But if you're into strong job growth, practically non-existent traffic, and a community that still waves hello when they see you, Sou Falls is a hidden gem. It's like Fargo with less murders and more coffee shops. How could you go wrong? Sou Falls got 28 votes. [Music] 28. Knoxville, Tennessee. College town meets outdoor adventure hub. Knoxville gives you the Smokies, SEC football, and real estate prices that make Californians weep with joy. They've got a great food scene, low taxes, and people who say you all without irony. Plus, there's always something to do. You got Pigeon Ford and Gatlinburg not too far away. Head out to Dollywood. They got some pretty nice roller coasters these days. I want to try them out. I haven't yet, but I will. Knottville got 28 votes. [Music] 27. Belleview, Washington. Seattle's cleaner, calmer, betterd dressed sibling. That's Belle. If Seattle's the artsy, overcaffeinated college roommate who never quite recovered from Burning Man, Belleview is the one who stayed in school, took a tech job, bought a Tesla, and still makes it to Pilates. The city is loaded with money mostly, but it's also loaded with opportunity and people who know how to parallel park a Prius. Thanks to its proximity to Microsoft, Amazon, enough startups to make your head spin, Belleview has one of the strongest local economies in the Pacific Northwest. It's like Silicon Valley, but with trees, better coffee, and people who still make eye contact. Housing isn't cheap. Let's be honest, it's painful here. But you're paying for pristine neighborhoods, insanely well-rated public schools, and a city that somehow feels urban and peaceful. Want high-rise living with mountain views? Done. Prefer leafy suburbs where the HOA sends friendly reminders and calligraphy? Also available. Belleview got 30 votes. [Music] 26. Virginia Beach, Virginia. Want to live near the ocean but not go broke or lose your mind in tourist chaos every weekend? Virginia Beach might be your best bet. It's got sand, the waves, and enough nightife to feel alive without feeling trapped in a college spring break on some show on MTV back in 2006. Remember those things? Freaking horrible. I watched a couple of them when I was younger. couldn't stand them. Maybe I was just too old at the time. I still remember MTV when they played music videos. What really sets Virginia Beach apart is its balance. Military presence keeps the economy stable, while nearby Norfolk and Ches Peak bring in jobs in healthcare, shipping, and aerospace. Meanwhile, you can kayak in the morning and still hit Target by afternoon. And guess what? Unlike a lot of coastal towns, the schools don't suck here. And the crime stats, actually, they're pretty good. Locals are friendly, the seafood is legit, and there's a weirdly strong yoga scene for a place where residents wear camo on weekdays. Whether you're raising a family or just trying to be within driving distance of both Washington DC and North Carolina barbecue, Virginia Beach makes a strong case for planting roots. Virginia Beach got 31 votes. [Music] 25 Santa Clarita, California. Who saw this one coming? Not exactly the first name that pops up when someone says best places to live in California, but maybe it should. Santa Clarita is the quiet achiever of Southern California. Close enough to LA to chase that Hollywood dream, but far enough away to avoid stepping over someone filming a Tik Tok dance scene in the middle of a grocery store or running into a homeless person at the worst possible time. Happens more often than you think. Is the real estate cheap? Not exactly. This is California, after all. But compared to the madness in Los Angeles proper, Santa Clarita feels downright reasonable. You get more space, fewer sirens, and the kind of neighborhoods where people still talk to each other and make friends with the family across the street. Crime, it's pretty low. Schools, some of the best in the state. And if you've got kids, this place is basically suburbia on steroids. There are parks, trails, sports leagues, and more family-friendly activities than you could shake a juice box at. It's so wholesome your neighbors might lend you sugar and then ask you how your kid's science project is going, but don't mistake it for boring. Santa Clarita has got Six Flags Magic Mountain for adrenaline junkies. You also got motorcycle riding, you know, out in the desert and stuff like that, that area. We used to go out there all the time when I was a kid. I know some of the places are no longer there to take your motorcycle out in the desert, but it was great. And I'm sure they still got some places. But Magic Mountain is insane. Used to go up there on the weekends all the time. It's some of the best roller coasters you'll find in the country. But Santa Clarita is the type of place where you can chase that LA career dream, then go home to a calm culde-sac that even the kids lemonade stand etiquette is impeccable. Santa Clarita got 33 votes. [Music] 24. Fort Collins, Colorado. The cooler, slightly nerdier cousin of Boulder. Minus the smuggness and it's got better beer. Fort Collins has mountains, bike paths, and a downtown that feels like a Hallmark movie without a script that sucks. Fort Collins got 33 boats. [Music] 23. De Moine, Iowa. Affordable housing, a decent food scene, and one of the most shockingly stable job markets in the Midwest. De Moines proves that you don't have to live in a coastal city to have a nice life with actual savings. De Moines got 35 votes. [Music] 22. Greenville, South Carolina. Charming, clean, and criminally underrated. Greenville looks like it was designed by someone who actually cares about sidewalks and downtown walkability. Bonus, you're not far from mountains or the beach. Greenville is one of these places that's been showing up more and more on these lists over the last few years. Been doing these videos eight years. Never heard of them. Well, I've heard of it, but they never made lists till about three years ago. Since then, not just my channel, other channels, other outlets that release lists, they always seem to show up in the best city lists. It's weird. Greenville got 36 votes. [Music] 21. Reno, Nevada. Vegas's slightly more responsible cousin. Reno's gotten a facelift in the past decade or so with tech jobs and crime stats slowly going down. They got a long way to go, but they're slowly going down. And yes, you're still just a short drive from Lake Tahoe, which is a nice perk when the city itself starts feeling like well uh like Reno. It's not a bad place. I was just there last March for Cookie Con. Yeah, my wife goes to cookie conventions. Who saw that one coming? Reno got 37 votes. [Music] 20. Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gig speed internet with mountain views. Chattanooga is for people that want the outdoors without giving up Wi-Fi. Plus, it's affordable and loaded with character. And yes, the choo choo is still there. Chattanooga is another one's been showing up recently. It's a little rough around the edges still, but it's on its way. Chattanooga got 39 votes. [Music] 19. Cedar Park, Texas. Just outside of Austin, but with better parking and fewer trust fund DJs, Cedar Park is one of the fastest growing spots in Texas. And unlike Austin, it hasn't completely priced out normal people yet. You know, Austin's hit its peak, and a lot of people are moving out. It's just become overpriced. It's just a little weird down there. I mean, it's still popular, but just not as much as it used to be. So, a lot of people are moving to places like Cedar Park, which is nice. I was there like 3 years ago when I went to San Antonio. If you've watched that video, I actually went out there to film the whole Riverwalk in San Antonio and stuff like that. I chose the only week a year they actually drain the river walk. So I get there, it was just mud and those uh scooters that you could rent, people tossed in the It was sad, but yeah, pretty funny though. Cedar Park got 39 votes. [Music] 18. Lincoln, Nebraska. College town vibes, booming healthcare industry, and a crime rate that's somehow not terrifying. Lincoln isn't flashy, but if you're into calm, practical, and livable, this is what you're looking for. Lincoln's a nice place to live. It's the Midwest, so you know it's a better place than most to raise your kids or just live in general. It's a nice place. Lincoln got 42 votes. [Music] 17. Asheville, North Carolina. Now, in case you don't know, we've talked about it recently, but Asheville got hit headon with part of a hurricane a couple years back, maybe last year, and they're still trying to recover. So, it's saying a lot that people voted for this town, even though they're in recovery mode right now. They're doing great work. They're great people in Asheville. So, it makes sense. They're very proud of their town. They got a good amount of votes for a place that was just devastated a year ago. So, bravo Asheville. Here you are. It's got the mountains, the breweries, and the artsy crowd, and just enough weird to keep it interesting. Asheville is where hippies and hikers unite and somehow coexist with retirees who just wanted mountain views and a chill farmers market. I like Asheville. I'd probably move there in a heartbeat if I was single or something like that. It's my type of place. A little weird. Sort of like Portland and Austin for that matter. But Asheville got 45 votes. [Music] 16. Lexington, Kentucky. More than just horses and bourbon, though those don't hurt. Lexington is affordable, beautiful, and has a growing tech and healthcare scene. It's also home to the kind of people who still bring you soup when you're sick. Now, that's one of those things that was very common in the United States back in the day. And as we've become colder and dist from each other, it's not a thing. Will you go to some of these southern towns? It's still a thing. I'm sure you could find it everywhere, but that's kind of just part of the culture, being kind to your neighbors, especially when they're down on their luck. It's it's an interesting thing I've always noticed about the South. Sure, things are changing and we're not like we used to be, but that's how it was in the 1950s. If you were sick, your neighbor was going to make sure you're fed. If your wife died, they were bringing you food for days. It's how it is. It's nice. We need to get back to that, I think, in a lot of ways. But Lexington, Kentucky got 46 votes. [Music] Number 15, Madison, Wisconsin. College Town Energy meets grown-up infrastructure. And somehow it works. Madison isn't just where Wisconsin goes to get a degree. It's where the students grow up, graduate, and sometimes don't leave. Why? Because this midsize capital city punches well above its weight class in livability. Yeah. Wisconsin's got this weird thing that they have the lowest percentage of students who leave the state after graduation. I forget the exact number. Read it like 5 years ago, but it was astronomically higher than everyone else. It was like 60% stay versus other states where it's only like 32. It's something weird like that. Let's start off with the setting. Wedge between two scenic lakes, Madison has waterfront views that other colleges can only dream about. Add in 200 plus miles of biking trails and parks that actually get used and you've got a place that doesn't just talk about the outdoor living, it lives it. The downtown scene is anchored by the stately Capital Dome, a bustling farmers market, and enough locally roasted coffee to caffeinate a small nation. And yes, the foodie scene legit cheese curds, that's like a gateway drug here. There's a catch. Winter Madison winters are not for the faint of heart or for people who think light jacket weather starts about 50 degrees. But for folks who can handle a little ice and a little snow, the payoff is a tight-knit bikable beerloving, brainy city that ranks consistently high among quality of life lists. If you want a place with Midwest manners, progressive politics, and actual seasons, this is your spot. Madison got 49 votes. [Music] 14. St. George, Utah. Desert beauty without the Vegas sleas. St. George is growing fast thanks to retirees and remote workers fleeing big cities. It's clean, it's scenic, and still cheaper than Salt Lake. Just bring sunscreen and gallons of water. Now, the cool thing about St. George, you could live in Utah where it's a lot nicer. But Mosquite, Nevada, where you could gamble, they got some casinos there, small ones, but they got a little place where you can gamble. That's only like 45 minutes away. So, it's like the best of both worlds. And if you know any retirees, they love themselves some gambling. I don't know what it is. They're either playing bingo or the slot machines. Go buy any of those things in a casino and you will see a bunch of retirees or, you know, the senior citizen crowd. I was at a casino one time and I saw a lady try and get her senior discount on a hand of blackjack. Yeah, you go there, you listen them order their drinks, they want a prune daquiri, so it's horrible. St. George got 49 votes. [Music] 13. Carl'sbad, California. The beach town for people who want coastal California vibes without LA headaches. Carl'sbad has ocean views, a strong job market, and a downtown that doesn't look like it was abandoned during a zombie apocalypse. Yes, it's expensive. It's California, after all. But you actually get what you pay for here. Safety, good schools, and daily sunsets that look like screen savers. Bonus, it's one of the rare SoCal towns where you can actually walk somewhere without getting honked at or anything like that or yelled at or the middle finger. Decent people down here. They're beach people. Carl's bad got 51 votes. [Music] Number 12, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Furniture capital of the world. Bet you didn't know that. But Grand Rapids is more than your grandpa's chair. It's got breweries, a thriving art scene, and affordable homes that don't look like they're part of a horror movie set. Recent years, they've been bringing back the Rapids. The Rapids were gone for a long time. How they got their name. They got 52 votes. [Music] Number 11, Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart's headquarters. Yes. But it's also got an exploding tech scene, a sleek, modern downtown, and bike trails that will rival anywhere in the West. Bentonville is like a startup pretending to be a small town, and it kind of works. Now, this is the home and the headquarters of Walmart and it's pretty much takes over the whole town and that's where most the people work or something like that. You know, they work somewhere that has something to do with the headquarters. Now, this is part of Arkansas that is different from the rest of Arkansas. It's the northwest corner. We've talked about it before where it is definitely not like the rest of Arkansas. You got Bentonville, you got Rogers, you got Fagville there, too. You're right on the Missouri border and it's almost like a city out west but in Arkansas. It's weird. You know, it's got a lot of tech stuff going on there, a lot of jobs. Bentonville got 54 votes. [Music] Number 10, Round Rock, Texas. Part of the Austin metro area, but way more manageable, I guess you could say. Round Rock offers good schools, tons of jobs, and enough barbecue joints to make you question your cholesterol levels. No state income tax is just the cherry on top. Now, everyone knows that Austin was really, really popular for a lot of years and and it it really is still to this day. But a little of its shine has kind of worn off. It just got way blown out. So, a lot of people that want to stay in that area are moving out to a few different suburbs they have around there. And this is a pretty good one. Round Rock. I was there a few years ago. Went to San Antonio, drove up to Austin, drove around. Nice neighborhood. I liked it. Nice town, I should say. Round Rock got 54 votes. [Music] Nine. Franklin, Tennessee. Historic charm and modern convenience. Franklin is Nashville adjacent without the bachelorette party chaos. Yeah, there's this thing about Nashville and their bachelorette parties. You go there on a weekend, I promise you, you're going to see a whole gaggle of girls wearing pink feather boas the same color or one of them's got a sash on that says bachelorette, you know, or some little funny thing that goes along with it. Not single for long or something like that. It's always ridiculous. And those girls, they just get out of control. And I've seen a few really sad situations with them. Not sad like someone took advantage of them, like they did it to themselves type thing, like throwing up on the side of the sidewalk. That's always good. I walked down a street one day and there was a whole gaggle of those girls and yes, they all had boas, different colors. I remember that distinctly. And the one girl that had the sash, she was leaned over on the side of the road just throwing up and the girls were still drinking. It was it was incredible moment. I did tried to take a picture. Hey, don't do that. And I walked away. Anyway, it's walkable, polished, and expensive, but still worth it if you could swing the mortgage. It is a little expensive compared to Nashville, but Franklin got 55 votes. [Music] Number eight, Kerry, North Carolina. Now, this one kind of shocks me cuz honestly, I think it should be in the top five, but it is respectable. I don't think North Carolina's gotten enough towns on this list, but this is what the 3,000 plus people said we should be moving to. So, we got to follow follow the survey. They got tech jobs, great schools, and low crime. It's basically suburbia done right. Kerry sits just outside of Raleigh and has become one of the go-to spots for families and professionals looking to escape the chaos without giving up opportunity. It's part of North Carolina's famed research triangle, which means job seekers in tech, bio, and higher education have plenty to smile about. Throw in some of the best public schools in the state, well-maintained neighborhoods, and enough green space to exhaust even the most energetic golden retriever, and it starts to make sense why Kerry consistently ranks among the safest, most livable towns in the south. It's a really nice place. Now, is it the most exciting place on Earth? No. Carrie isn't going to win any awards for night life, cutting edge fashion, or spontaneous street festivals. But here, the thing is, most of the people who move to Kerry aren't looking for that. They're looking for peace of mind, peace and quiet, anything else that has to do with peace. They're looking for a place where you don't have to triple check your locked doors. You wonder if your new school is good enough. And Carrie delivers on all that. So, it's not something you got to worry about. It's clean, quiet, and comfortable with just enough restaurants, breweries, and parks to keep life enjoyable without tipping into chaos. It's the kind of place where boring is actually code for you can finally relax. Carrie, North Carolina, got 57 votes. [Music] Number seven, Colorado Springs, Colorado. It's not Denver, and that's the whole point. mountains, military jobs, and housing that are barely but still within reach. Plus, if you like hiking until you question your life choices, this is the town for you. Now, Colorado Springs sits right outside of Fort Carson, which is an army post, and they have a lot of infantry there. That's how I ended up there once. And it's a nice town. I mean, even though the military has a habit of turning the locals against you because we do a lot of stupid stuff when we've been drinking and things like that, but then they kind of put up with it because it gives them a lot of jobs and a lot of, you know, their families, they work on the base or whatever. And they also know that there's like a hotline that they can call and rat you out for doing some stupid stuff in town. So, yeah, they just got to call your like commander and all hell breaks loose. It's horrible. But yeah, Colorado Springs is a nice place. It's definitely not like Denver and it's definitely not like some of the more rural places. This is like one of those towns sort of like Austin is the one liberal town in Texas or city I should say. Colorado Springs bucks all the rules of most of Colorado which it's very right leaning I guess you could say. That's how they are. They like it that way. Colorado Springs got 59 votes. [Music] Number six, Georgetown, Texas. Another Austin Escape Pod. Georgetown feels like a postcard town with a Costco nearby. It's clean, classic, and surprisingly progressive for central Texas. Old meets new, and they really don't yell at each other much. They get along. Yeah, like I was saying earlier, this is another one of those places where people that are kind of done with Austin, they move out to the suburbs. This is a good choice if that's what you want to do. I'd do it. Actually, I don't think I would. Gets too hot in Texas for me. Don't like it. Anyway, Georgetown, Texas got 61 votes. [Music] Number five, Raleigh, North Carolina. Jobs, schools, green spaces, and enough college energy to keep you young. Raleigh is like a city that read a self-help book and actually followed through. Growing fast, but still grounded. Yeah, Raleigh is a nice place to live. They got killer healthcare in this area. You know, low crime, relatively speaking. I know people know there's crime. There's crime everywhere, okay? But relatively speaking, their crime isn't that bad. And their home prices, they're high, but they're in a city that's desirable. So, when you compare to other cities that are growing and desirable, it's pretty cheap. Raleigh got 67 votes. [Music] Number four, Tampa, Florida. No longer the underdog, Tampa has become a Florida favorite. without the chaos of Miami or the theme park crowds of Orlando. Great waterfront areas and shockingly affordable for now. Now, this whole metro area is a great place to live. Tampa, most people think it's called Tampa Bay, which is weird. It's actually called Tampa and it sits on Tampa Bay, and that's because of the football team, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But this is where you're going to find Clear Water, where you're going to find St. Petersburg or St. Pete's. Sarasota's just down the road. It's a nice place to live if you're retired or you just like the sun and the beach. Not a bad place to live at all. There plenty of stuff to do here. They have a pirate festival every year that looks insane. I need to go to it one of these days. I don't know if I'll dress like a pirate, though. I don't want to be a pirate. Maybe I just need a puffy shirt and that'll turn me around. Tampa got 69 votes. [Music] Number three, Gilbert, Arizona. If you like sunshine and new construction, Gilbert's your place. Clean, safe, and suburban in all the best ways. It's like the model home version of Arizona living. Gilbert is in the Phoenix metro area, so you know it's going to be hot. It's just south of Mesa and just north of Chandler. They're right next to each other. And this is not a bad place to live if you don't mind the heat. You know, some people can't handle the snow and the cold. Some people can't handle that heat. Gilbert, Arizona got 73 votes. I did not see that one coming. Did not at all. They're number three. Number one's going to blow you away. I promise. Number two, Boise, Idaho. Boise is one of those places people used to forget existed until everyone with a remote job and a mountain bike decided it was the promised land. Tucked against the foothills of the Rockies, Boise looks like a postcard and feels like your neighbor's backyard barbecue. Life here moves at a refreshingly human pace. It's got just enough city stuff, coffee shops, decent hospitals, and tech startups trying really hard to be the next Silicon Valley. But it still holds on to that small town feel where strangers wave, kids ride bikes without adult supervision, and the biggest traffic jam is caused by geese. That happens here a lot, too, especially in the suburbs of Portland. Geese everywhere, and everyone stops for them and waits. Sometimes they take their time. They take their sweet time if you ask me. I've been late for work before because of freaking geese. Anyway, and while Boise's housing prices have shot up faster than a snowboarder on a Red Bull bender, it's still more affordable than most of the West Coast cities people fled from. Outdoor life here is a big deal. Floating the Boise River, hiking the ridge to river trail system, or pretending you ski more than once a year at Bogus Basin. People here are friendly in the leave me alone, but let's talk about the weather for 10 minutes kind of way. It's clean, it's safe, and the city still shuts down when the Broncos have a home game. And that's the local college football team. If you're into nature, normality, and not getting stabbed on your way to the grocery store, Boise might be just the kind of place you've been looking for. Boise got 82 votes. That's almost 10 past number three. Anyway, all right. If this is your first time to this channel and you really want to help the channel, hit that subscribe button, give this video a big thumbs up and leave me a comment. Tell me what you thought. All right, on to number one. [Music] And number one, Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Midwest underrated MVP. I am blown away just like the rest of you are. Fort Wayne is good and I've been talking nice about it for a couple years, but here they are. Over 3,000 people said this is number one. Well, not all 3,000, but you get what I'm saying. Fort Wayne is like that friend who always shows up on time, brings their own snacks, and somehow owns a fully paidoff house. It may not be flashy or trending on TikTok, but what it lacks in clout, it makes up for an actual livability. And in 2025, that's like a rare superpower. Now, let's talk the numbers. The average home value here is right around $250,000. That's not bad. It's not a typo. That's a house, four walls, a roof, everything for less than a couple Teslas. Just kidding. Not that bad, but pretty close. You can rent a two-bedroom apartment here for under $1,000, which is less than what some people pay for a parking spot in Los Angeles or New York City. And unlike cities where you need to make six figures to own a house, that's not the case in Fort Wayne. You just need a good job. The job market here is quietly strong, especially in healthcare, manufacturing, and education. This city isn't booming. It's stable, which honestly it's a little bit better. Not as many people are moving in to snatch up all the jobs. They're just slowly filing in. And I think that's why Fort Wayne is one of the strongest cities to move to in 2025, 2026. Beyond the budget friendly lifestyle, Fort Wayne also knows how to keep things pleasant. The schools are surprisingly solid for a city its size, especially in the suburban pockets like Southwest Allen County. The neighborhoods clean, the traffic manageable, the crime better than you'd expect to find in a city with a population of just over 250,000 residents. And when you want something to do, Fort Wayne doesn't disappoint. You've got over 80 public parks, 100 plus miles of connected trails, and a zoo that is way better than it has any right to be in this small of a city. And not one, but three rivers, because two just wasn't enough, apparently. Yeah, three rivers. Fort Wayne is one of those cities that lets you live your life instead of just survive it. You can actually afford a night out, put your kids in gymnastics without taking out a second mortgage, and maybe, just maybe, save for retirement without panic sweats. It's the kind of practical, underrated city that coastal folks laugh at right before they move here, realizing, huh, this actually isn't that bad. Fort Wayne got 87 votes. That is not bad. All right, which one would you have moved to? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you're thinking about moving to one of these, there's a link for Home and Money, like I've talked about before. They can get your real estate agent anywhere in the country. Everybody, have a great day. Be nice to each other.