The Castro. Greenwich Village. Chelsea. America’s most historic LGBTQ neighborhoods have plenty of name recognition, but lesser-known gayborhoods are in almost every city in the country. And living in them is not all Pride parades and rainbow-clad bars (although there are plenty of those, too). From Salt Lake City to suburban Atlanta, we take an inside look at everyday life in these five fascinating gayborhoods.

Good music is easy to find in Boston’s South End. See available homes here.

South End, Boston

Boston’s South End was once a jazz stronghold—now it’s a gay one.

With its collection of immaculately preserved Victorian row houses (the largest in the nation), handsome public parks, and sought-after restaurants, the South End is considered one of Boston’s most desirable neighborhoods. It’s also the gayest: According to the 2010 census, it was the city’s most popular neighborhood for same-sex male couples.

In the mid-19th century, the area was a haven for wealthy urbanites. When they fled for the suburbs in the early 20th century, the neighborhood became a home for African Americans, who brought jazz to the South End. Between 1915 and 1917, the top black musicians’ union in the country had its offices in the South End. Wally’s Cafe, one of the last remaining jazz clubs in the area, keeps the neighborhood’s musical legacy alive today.

Outside of jazz, there are many other beloved nightlife spots to be found—including the Boston Eagle, a long-running gay bar. These buzzy spots keep South End’s commercial district running late into the night, mostly with young professionals. But many of the leafy side streets are whisper-quiet. “While a lot of people like to say the South End is gentrifying, it’s not all for the worst,” says Jeffrey Borst, a retiree who has lived in the neighborhood for 12 years. “More families are moving in, and the food scene is better than ever. You don’t need to go to other neighborhoods for good food anymore.”

The centrally-located and increasingly swanky South End is among Boston’s pricier areas. The median home sales price is $905,000. (Elsewhere in Boston it’s $620,000.) Median rent lands at $5,350. The good news is the South End has plenty available to buy or rent.

Avondale Estates Georgia is as quaint a town as they come. See available homes here.

Avondale Estates, Georgia

 Avondale Estates is home to the Georgia General Assembly’s first openly gay representative—and she’s still serving after 17 years.

This tight-knit community is only eight miles east of Atlanta, though it can feel more like England. Named after Shakespeare’s birthplace, Avondale Estates is full of tree-lined streets, small-town charm and an impressive collection of Tudor Revival architecture. Even the downtown looks straight out of the English countryside (complete with the Towne Cinema).

Avondale Estates not only has the state’s highest population of same-sex couples, it’s also had a gay representative, Karla Drenner, since 2001. She was the first openly gay person elected to the Georgia General Assembly and is now one of only four LGBTQ representatives.

The well-behaved suburb offers a flourishing food and arts scene—every fall is the annual AutumnFest, which brings together local artisans and food (including an apple pie contest). Because of the many families that call the Estates home—it’s home to a popular magnet school—expect to see lots of strollers on the streets, and plenty of family-friendly dining and entertainment options. “We really hit the jackpot,” one resident says in a Trulia school review.

Avondale Estates—while still affordable, compared to other parts of metro Atlanta—is seeing substantial growth in home value. The median sales price for homes is $322,500, up from $292,900 the year before. The median rent is $1,947, but the market for rentals can be scarce.

Want to live in Salt Lake City’s Marmalade District? Knowing how to preserve fruit will come in handy. See available homes here.

Marmalade District, Salt Lake City

The Marmalade District was named after fruit preserves, so of course its first gay bar was called “Club Jam.”

Salt Lake City—or Utah for that matter—probably isn’t the first place people think of when they think of LGBTQ enclaves. But the city’s historic Marmalade District, located just north of downtown and west of the Capitol Building, has been drawing LGBTQ individuals for at least a decade—and they’ve helped shaped Salt Lake City into a welcoming place for all kinds of people.

The neighborhood was the original home of the Utah Pride Center, but many locals credit the 2007 opening of Club Jam, the neighborhood’s first gay bar, for sowing the seeds of inclusivity.

Speaking of seeds, the neighborhood was named after the fruit trees planted by early settlers, and every year the neighborhood council hosts the Marmalade Jam Fest, which features a fruit preservation competition.

The Marmalade District is quiet, residential, and picturesque. “Many parks, historic sites, cultural opportunities nearby,” one resident says on Trulia’s What Locals Say. “Ensign Peak is a couple of miles to the north, and is one of my favorite spots with stunning views of the entire south and western valley.”

The Marmalade District is considered part of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. It’s among the city’s priciest areas—the average listing price is $720,566. (The average listing price in all of Salt Lake City is $432,629.) In Marmalade, in particular, many of the homes are historic and highly coveted. The eclectic mix of homes feature examples of Carpenter, Gothic, and Italianate architecture.

Andersonville is a gayborhood with more than its fair share of pickled herring and knäckebröd. See available homes here.

Andersonville, Chicago

Andersonville has a Scandinavian past and an LGBTQ present. 

The Boystown neighborhood may get all the credit—what with being the nation’s first officially recognized gay village and all—but nearby Andersonville, about seven miles north of downtown Chicago, is a gayborhood unlike any other. Swedish farmers first settled the area in the mid-19th century, and the neighborhood still has a strong Scandinavian identity, anchored by the Swedish American Museum and an assortment of Swedish bakeries and restaurants.

The community of about 110,000 has long been considered a lesbian enclave—it’s sometimes referred to as “Girlstown.” Many locals point to the opening of the feminist and LGBTQ-oriented Women and Children First bookstore in the early ’90s for the initial influx of lesbians to the neighborhood, and it’s still a neighborhood institution.

Thanks to Andersonville’s well-regarded public schools, more families are starting to call the neighborhood home. But young, single adults can still find a bustling downtown area with beloved, locally-owned shops and bars. “We don’t like to leave on the weekends,” Karen Krider says, who’s lived in the neighborhood with her family for six years. “It’s a small town not far from the big city, and a quiet, lovely place to return to each night.”

You can also find great value for your dollar in Andersonville. The median home price is $275,000. The median rent is around $3,850, and there are lots of properties to be found.

When the neighborhood is named after a park, you know it’s going to be pretty. See available homes here.

Washington Square West, Philadelphia

Washington Square West’s rainbow-hued street signs make it one of four LGBT districts in North America to be visibly marked.

Though it was first coined “The Gayborhood” by a local newspaper writer in 1992, Philadelphia’s Washington Square West had long been the city’s epicenter of LGBTQ activity. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, it was the center of Philadelphia’s gay bathhouse culture. In 2007, the city officially recognized the area as a gay village and added gay pride rainbow flag symbols to street signs throughout the neighborhood.

Washington Square West is within walking distance of all the city’s major commercial districts—but there are lots of local shops and restaurants, too, including many with outdoor seating, like Talula’s Garden.

“This neighborhood is central to everything,” one resident says on Trulia’s What Locals Say reviews. “I can’t think of a neighborhood with a better location.” The area buzzes with pedestrian traffic during the day, and its many bars keep it hopping late into the night. But the stately Washington Square offers a peaceful escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. On warm days, kids can be seen playing in the square’s fountain.

In Washington Square West, the average home price is $414,250, and the median rent falls around $2,600.

What’s living in San Francisco like? Maybe you think you know, from visiting or movies. But San Francisco is a big, diverse place with a bunch of distinct neighborhoods, and living in one can be very different from life across town.

Whether you’re looking to buy a house or rent an apartment in San Francisco, you’ll want to know all about your potential new neighborhood. Sure, you can find out about businesses and parks with a few keystrokes, but there are some things you just can’t Google. Like if that park gets sketchy after dark, or if the neighbors are likely to throw a block party to welcome you to town.

These are things only locals know. We used Trulia’s new What Locals Say feature to get an insider peek at five San Francisco neighborhoods. Here’s how it works: Millions of locals dish about where they live, and their reviews are included on Trulia listings. Digging through their feedback, we found a San Francisco neighborhood where people actually see wildlife regularly, and (maybe even rarer) another where locals swear parking is a breeze. Now you can say you know what’s like to live here.

If you live in Noe Valley, people imagine your weekends involve catching up on PTA gossip over organic wine. Located east of San Francisco’s Twin Peaks and west of the Mission District, this neighborhood is a magnet for families.

With low crime and this rolling-hills view near Dolores Heights, it’s no wonder Noe Valley locals plan on staying a while.

If you live in SoMa, a neighborhood located between the Financial District and Mission Bay, people think you’re living in a loft and working for a startup. Oh, and that you’re probably under 30.

SoMa has nightlife, walkable destinations, and even a few green spaces, like this mini-park near Brannan and 6th Streets.

Located between the gorgeous Presidio and Golden Gate parks, Inner Richmond is known for its beautiful views and vibrant culinary scene. If you live here, your friends likely ask you for local food recommendations.

On Inner Richmond‘s Balboa St. you’ll find a Russian bakery, Chicago-style pizza, sushi, and Indonesian food on the same block.

If you live in Mission Bay, you might be seen as a pioneer, leading the charge in a new area of the city where development is ramping up. And residents who live in this waterfront neighborhood right next to SoMa are known for being happy to stop and give tourists directions.

Life is surprisingly chill in the developing Mission Bay neighborhood—especially atop the UCSF Bakar Fitness Center’s roof deck.

If you live in Bernal Heights, located south of Mission District and southeast of Noe Valley, people assume your wardrobe is heavy on fleece items featuring Eddie Bauer, REI, or Patagonia logos.

Bernal Heights residents love their greens, from grass to trees. Even this home on Folsom St. at Precita pays tribute to nature.

How can you find out what locals love about the neighborhood you have your eye on? What Locals Say is now live on property listings throughout Trulia. More than seven million locals have shared insights into their neighborhoods already, and an average of 100,000 reviews are being added every day. This unique feature helps Trulia users learn so much more than what’s in a home—it explains what it’s like to live there.

Ready to see what locals near you have to say? Search for your neighborhood and find out.

AT A GLANCE

• Trulia teamed up with the jobs site Indeed to find out where salaries are highest once you adjust for cost of living.
• In each city, we looked at how the economy is doing and where the biggest job opportunities are.
• To help you figure out the best places to live in these cities, we used Trulia’s search data to point the way to the neighborhoods locals love.

When you’re looking for a new job, your potential salary is only part of the story of what life will be like. That great new paycheck may not be so great after all if it barely pays for a roof over your head.

Trulia teamed up with the jobs site Indeed to take a closer look at the U.S. cities with the highest salaries, once you adjust for cost of living. It turns out that the cities at the top of the list are not the big metropolises you may expect. These mid-sized cities with a low cost of living are places where you can have a good job, a good life, and a good home even if you make a heck of a lot less than a Wall Street or Silicon Valley paycheck.

As a headstart for people looking to relocate for a job, we looked into what the big opportunities are in four of these cities and dug into Trulia’s data to find out which neighborhood or suburb in each gets the most searches by locals—in other words, by the people who know the area best. If you’re up for relocating, consider it a sweet spot for starting your home search.

Birmingham has an average salary that, adjusted for cost of living, is higher than in San Francisco or New York City.

Birmingham, Alabama

Average salary: $76,886  •  Adjusted for cost of living: $86,196

Where to work

Long known as “The Pittsburgh of the South” because of its iron and steel industry, Birmingham has diversified to become a leader in banking, insurance, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and the arts. And, once you adjust for cost of living, the average salary here is $10,000 more than in San Francisco and a good $17,000 more than in New York City.

Birmingham’s growth doesn’t match the pace of Southern economic powerhouses like Atlanta, Raleigh, and Nashville, but it is Alabama’s largest city and a bright spot in the state’s economy, accounting for about 30 percent of its domestic product.

The three largest employers in town are the University of Alabama at Birmingham (23,000 employees), Regions Financial Corp. (7,100), and Honda (4,800). Mercedes-Benz U.S., U.S. Steel, and Wells Fargo are also major employers.

The city is home to the Southern Research Institute, a nonprofit where more than 400 scientists and engineers work on drug discovery and development, engineering, energy, and the environment. This gives the institute the distinction of simultaneously working to cure cancer, put people on Mars, and clean the planet’s air and water.

Where to live: Irondale

Birmingham locals search Trulia for homes in the 35210 zip code, which includes the suburb of Irondale, more than any other local zip code. Affordability may be one reason: Median home prices here are $147,000, well below the metro area’s $195,000 median and not even half of Atlanta’s median of $300,000. The average rent in Irondale is $1,249 a month.

Local agent Gusty Gulas says Irondale is popular for its new construction and for homes with larger lots, which can be hard to find. “First-time home buyers come for the affordability and location,” says Gulas. “Others relocate here from nearby districts with a higher tax rate.” Convenience is another draw: Irondale is just 15 minutes from downtown and the airport.

Gulas says that his clients are especially enthusiastic about Grants Mill Crossing and Grants Mill Valley, two neighboring new-home developments, as well as Crestline Gardens and Crestline Holiday Gardens, two older, closer-in Irondale developments.

Employment is strong in St. Louis, and the city’s average salary, adjusted for cost of living, is higher than in Chicago and Detroit.

St. Louis, Missouri

Average salary: $76,567  •  Adjusted for cost of living: $84,511

Where to work

Home to ten Fortune 500 companies and 2.8 million people, St. Louis has a strong regional economy and an average salary that, adjusted for cost of living, is $8,000 higher than Chicago’s and $3,000 higher than in the affordable city of Detroit. The employment rate in St. Louis grew in 2017 and is stronger than the national average. The greatest growth has been in St. Louis’s construction, manufacturing, and leisure and hospitality industries.

Among the big companies headquartered here are healthcare players Express Scripts Holding and Centene, manufacturers such as Emerson Electric and Graybar Electric, financial powerhouses Reinsurance Group of America and Jones Financial, as well as Monsanto. Budweiser is still a big name in town and employs more than 4,000 people, and McDonnell Douglas has a workforce of 14,000.

Where to live: Bethalto, Illinois

St. Louis locals search for homes in the 62010 zip code, centered on the village of Bethalto, Illinois, more than any other local area. This town of 10,000 people lies across the Mississippi and over the state line, but is just 35 minutes from downtown.

“I love the smaller hometown feel of Bethalto,” says local real-estate agent Angie Daniels. “Neighbors look out for each other, and people care about their properties. You get a sense of pride and community.” The town itself is mostly residential, but there’s plenty of shopping and dining in Edwardsville, a 15-minute drive away.

Giving the lay of the land of Bethalto’s real estate, Daniels notes, “There are a few newer subdivisions—Patriot’s Crossing, Schreiber Farms, and Woodcrest, as well as the more established Whispering Oaks. For buyers looking for larger yards or a more rural setting, Heartland Meadows and Bethalto Lakes have two-plus-acre lots.”

The border town of El Paso has a growing economy and an adjusted average salary that’s higher than in Dallas-Fort Worth.

El Paso, Texas

Average salary: $75,457  •  Adjusted for cost of living: $84,498

Where to work

Government is big business in El Paso, a border town of 850,000 residents, most of whom are Hispanic and many of whom are bilingual.

The sprawling Fort Bliss Army base, which employs 47,000, including 13,000 civilian workers, is by far the largest employer in the region. It also supports at least another 18,000 jobs in the area. Retail, recreation, food services, transportation, and logistics are also important in this region, which locals refer to as “The Borderplex.”

In 2018, El Paso’s economy is projected to grow 2 percent, as compared to the state’s overall projected growth rate of 3 percent. The city isn’t counted among Texas’s economic hotspots, but it’s more affordable. Its average salary, once adjusted for cost of living, is about $7,000 higher than the average in Dallas-Fort Worth.

After two private healthcare providers, the largest non-government employer in the area is Automatic Data Processing—and it’s expanding. Three years ago, the HR/payroll company moved into a new 150,000-square-foot building, and it has been adding almost 300 new employees a year.

Another big player is T&T Staff Management, which has more than 5,000 workers placed in positions around the area that range from minimum-wage service jobs to high-level professional roles.

Where to live: the Upper Valley

The Upper Valley is a long, narrow strip of land on El Paso’s west side that hugs the Rio Grande River and Texas’s border with New Mexico. It’s known for its green, country feel and views of the Franklin Mountains. “The other big selling point of the Upper Valley is community,” says local realtor Rene Botello. “You’re safe moving here. You’re going to know your neighbors.”

It’s also convenient. The Upper Valley parallels I-10, for an easy commute into downtown. Some of its neighborhoods, like Riverbend, are just 15 minutes from the center of town and hold a wide mix of homes, from this $1,675,000 eight-bedroom mansion to this $118,000 three-bedroom ranch. A bit further out, homes in established neighborhoods such as The Willows and Country Club generally command higher prices. Rentals in the Upper Valley tend to range from about $1,000 to $2,700.

The Central Valley city of Fresno has an average adjusted salary that’s higher than in both San Francisco and LA.

Fresno, California

Average salary: $82,236  •  Adjusted for cost of living: $84,604

Where to work

Fresno may lack the sizzle of Hollywood or San Francisco, but at $236,100, the median price for a house here is about one-fifth as much as in the Bay Area. Plus, Fresno locals can finish their commute before a Los Angeles driver has even inched onto the freeway. And, jobs-wise, this Central Valley city of one million people has more going for it than the agriculture it’s always been known for.

“Fresno is swiftly becoming a place for tech start-ups,” says Fresno native and local real estate agent Jason Farris. Some of the local software companies making waves are Aplos Software, OnFarm, and Bflow Solutions.

Farming, of course, remains big business, and Fresno also has plenty of healthcare and manufacturing jobs. Within an hour from three national parks—Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia—Fresno has seen its hotel business increase, and leisure and hospitality employment has grown along with it. Logistics is also big business in Fresno, and many companies, including the Gap, base their warehouse operations here to take advantage of Fresno’s midway point between the state’s big population centers. This year, Amazon is hiring to staff a soon-to-open fulfillment center that will eventually employ as many as 2,500 people.

Where to live: Woodward Park 

Fresno locals focus their Trulia searches on Woodward Park, an upscale neighborhood nine miles north of downtown, where the median house price is $342,250, more than $100,000 higher than the overall city’s median. Woodward Park has a large shopping district, plenty of restaurants, and a public park of the same name. Outdoorsy options are good, with hiking, horseback riding, and biking along the banks of the San Joaquin River, and the location is a draw.

“The Woodward Park area is convenient to Fresno, but homeowners here also get the benefit of sending their children to the award-winning schools in nearby Clovis,” says Farris.

There are plenty of rentals available in Woodward Park, as well as properties selling in the $200,000s and $300,000s, most with large lots. The neighborhood also holds some surprises, like this $1.2 million four-bedroom.

METHODOLOGY: Trulia identified the ZIP code in each of these metro areas that had the most home searches by locals of that metro area from December 2016 to December 2017.

Which of these cities would you move to for a great job? Tell us in the comments.