When your best friend has a proclivity for walks and squirrel-chasing, where you live matters.
For dog owners, good weather and room to play are essential to help keep the doggy zoomies at bay. But it can’t just be paradise in the middle of nowhere — it’s also important to have a sufficient number of pet stores, kennels, and veterinarians nearby to ensure care doesn’t get too complicated or expensive. And through it all, families need to address their human needs: a safe neighborhood, with good jobs and schools nearby.
To find these places, Money used our Best Places to Live data and analyzed 183,000 data points across nearly two thousand cities in the U.S., focusing on things like pet care facilities and parks within the city’s boundaries, the percent of people who live near those parks, and good weather. (You can check out the full methodology down below.)
Believe it or not, these places do exist! And they don’t need to cost you your life savings. Here are the 10 most cost-effective places to live if your family has a dog — and your dog is family.
1. Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Median Home Price: $446,000
Avg. High in July: 87° F
Avg. Low in January: 14° F
Number of pet care services: 67
Percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park: 85%
A quaint suburb in Colorado, Wheat Ridge is home to 32,000 residents and some very merry dogs.
The city shares a border with Denver — a capital city that’s so dog-friendly, it’s home to more dogs than children. A $10 Uber ride from Wheat Ridge brings you to over 300 dog-friendly hotels and restaurants in Denver, as noted on pet travel site, BringFido.
Back home in Wheat Ridge, dogs enjoy sizable yards thanks to ranch-style homes spread far apart, while their humans have access to 65 veterinarians, trainers, groomers, and kennels, all within a 9.5 square-mile area. That comes out to more pet care services per household than any other city on our list.
There’s also plenty of opportunity for dogs to socialize at Fruitdale Park, where dogs can run around off-leash in a two-acre fenced in grassy area. Most of the parks in the city are connected by the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt: a section of the 20-mile Clear Creek Trail, which runs from the foot of the Rockies to just north of Denver. It’s open to dogs, as well as hikers and bikers.
A majority of adults here live a fairly healthy lifestyle, which is just as good for dogs as it is for their humans. Like much of Colorado, Wheat Ridge does get cold, with an average low of 14 degrees in January. But with only 18 inches of rain a year and minimal humidity in the summers, going outside won’t be insufferable for your furry four-legged friend.
2. Downers Grove, Illinois
Median Home Price: $289,000
Avg. High in July: 87° F
Avg. Low in January: 14° F
Percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park: 85%
Number of pet care services: 50
If you and your pooch are looking for an affordable home in the suburbs of Chicago, search no further. Homes in Downers Grove, IL sold for a median $289,000 between January and March of 2020. And it’s certainly not for a lack of running ground.
During the day, you and your dog can take advantage of nearly 1,200 parks within 15 miles of the city’s boundaries, for a total of 2,800 square miles of parkland — more than any other city on our list. It has 50 pet care services, including Happy Dog Barkery on Main Street, where the dog-loving owners sell handmade natural treats, pet foods, and dog gifts. They deliver, but your dog can also join you in-store, where she might even be greeted by one of the adoptable dogs being fostered by the shop’s owners.
To recharge, head down the street to Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant or a little further up north to Brick House, and eat and drink with your dog in tow, thanks to patios and staff that welcome your four-legged friend with open arms and water bowls. A thirty-minute drive northeast gets you to the heart of Chicago, where your dog can enjoy more restaurants, tens of dog parks, and even get some retail therapy. At The Shops at North Bridge, dogs aren’t just welcome, they’re treated right: “Pet Comfort Stations” on the first and second floor offer waste bags, treats, and fresh water.
3. Rockville, Maryland
Median Home Price: $502,000
Avg. High in July: 85° F
Avg. Low in January: 24° F
Number of pet care services: 44
Percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park: 94%
Compared to some of our other dog-forward places, Rockville is a fairly big and wealthy city, home to 67,000 residents with a median household income of about $90,000. It’s also a dog’s dream come true, since she almost never has to leave your side.
About 90% of Rockville’s population lives in an area considered to have above average walkability when compared to the rest of the cities Money analyzed. The Carl Henn Millennium Trail — a dog-friendly paved walkway that makes a 10.7-mile loop around the city — probably helps with that. A wide variety of restaurants, ranging from barbecue to Spanish tapas, allow dogs on their premises, according to Yelp. And a whopping 94% of the population has to walk 10 minutes or less to get to a park.
It’s also easy to escape the city and enjoy the great outdoors, given Rockville sits within 15 miles of over 30 state and national parks. One of the closest is the 6,300-acre Seneca State Park: It’s 15 minutes away from the city by car and costs $3 a person if you’re a Maryland resident (or $5 if you’re from out-of-state). Your dogs can join you on 50 miles of hiking trails or splash around to their heart’s content in some of Seneca Creek State Park’s swimming holes.
4. Helena, Montana
Median Home Price: $149,000
Avg. High in July: 83° F
Avg. Low in January: 10° F
Number of pet care services: 56
Percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park: 88%
As the state capital of Big Sky Country, Helena has the wide open spaces that dogs love and the amenities you’ll need, all at an affordable cost.
The city has 56 veterinarians, groomers, kennels, and trainers serving over 30,000 residents — that’s second only to our number one place in terms of amenities per household. Montana also has a 0% sales tax rate, which only makes buying those extra treats and toys extra satisfying. And in the first quarter of 2020, the homes here sold for a median $149,000, which is well below the national median ($266,000).
The average commute time, meanwhile, is only about 14 minutes, which means residents have plenty of time to spend with their four-legged friends outside of work hours and errands.
And there’s no shortage of activities to do with them.
Dogs are welcome in many of Montana’s state parks, and can enjoy most of the restaurants, breweries, and cafes with outdoor areas. After a burger and a beer downtown, you can take your dog to Paw Park, where there are benches, a separate area for big and small dogs, and a total of two acres to run around off-leash. It’s also surrounded by trails for some quality one-on-one time.
5. Tigard, Oregon
Median Home Price: $441,000
Avg. High in July: 79° F
Avg. Low in January: 34° F
Number of pet care services: 63
Percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park: 70%
Where else can you find a craft beer tasting room attached to a room of adoptable dogs?
Tigard is a suburb of Portland and an outdoorsy Oregon town through and through. It has 16 miles of paved trails and 550 acres of park and open spaces. Most of the parks are open to dogs as long as they’re on a leash, but Tigard also has three off-leash dog parks: Summerlake within Summerlake City Park, Ash Avenue, and (the largest) Potso.
At Fido’s Tap House, you’ll be greeted by a sign that reads, “Eat. Drink. Adopt!” Enjoy 40 rotating craft beers, wines, and ciders or grab a pizza for $12 to $18 — and then hop into the next room to play with rescue pups just waiting to be adopted. Five minutes away, in downtown Tigard, the streets are walkable and filled with even more dog-friendly restaurants and venues, like Max’s Fanno Creek Brew Pub.
Homes here sold for a median $441,000 in the first quarter of 2020, but a 0% state sales tax rate certainly helps with the daily expenses.
For five more of the most dog-friendly cities in the US, visit Money.com
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