Triathlete’s 20 Best Places To Live

No. 6: San Francisco

Population: 824,525
Median Home Price: $780,102

Why it’s on our list: Typically big cities are not considered ideal places to live and train, but San Francisco is certainly proof to the contrary. Living in the vicinity of Golden Gate Park means immediate access to excellent road and trail loops for distance running, and by tacking on loops around Lake Merced, or through the coastal trail along Land’s End, or across the Golden Gate Bridge into the Marin headlands, one can fortify a log book with high-mileage training numbers. Biking is best done across the bridge and into Marin, and of the many popular swimming spots, local triathletes love to train in the salty, frigid waters of Aquatic Park at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf. The city has vibrant tri and running communities and, if you like food, restaurants to die for.

Live here if: You can’t imagine giving up the big city but want an outstanding place to train. Also, you don’t mind staggeringly high rent.

Don’t live here if: You want nothing to do with a big city or if there’s no way in hell you’re going to blow $2,000 per month on a one-bedroom, dishwasher-less apartment.

Click the numbers below to see the rest of the top 20.

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