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New study: Americans voted San Diego 3rd most desirable, 10th most overrated

A new survey reveals Americans voted this city as one of the most desirable, yet also one of the top overrated cities.

SAN DIEGO — What's not to love about San Diego?

A new survey reveals Americans voted this city as one of the most desirable, yet also one of the top overrated cities.

People either love or hate California. Despite ranking as the second best state to live in, California is also considered the least desirable state with every 1 in 4 Californians saying it's one of the five worst in the U.S.

Clever, a real estate data company commissioned by Home Bay, surveyed 1,000 Americans.

They voted San Diego as the third most desirable city in the U.S., but also the 10th most overrated.

"It was overrated because of economic factors. It's desirable because of the 35 miles of coastline and beautiful, recreational activities you can do almost year-round," said Danetha Doe, Chief Economist at Clever Real Estate. 

So what else makes a city desirable?

According to nearly two-thirds of Americans, it’s an affordable cost of living followed by a high quality of life, low crime rates, nice weather and natural beauty.

"Beautiful locations and they are a great place to raise a family because of all the great recreational and cultural activities that you have access to and I think that's why you have the paradox of both desirable and overrated," said Doe.

A majority of Americans agree that high crime rates, expensive living costs, and high population density make a city overrated.

The Top 10 Most Desirable Cities, according to the survey:

  1. Virginia Beach
  2. Seattle
  3. San Diego
  4. Los Angeles
  5. San Francisco
  6. Phoenix
  7. Denver
  8. Miami
  9. Nashville
  10. Tampa

The Top 10 Most Overrated Cities also include:

  1. Los Angeles
  2. San Francisco
  3. New York
  4. Dallas
  5. Miami
  6. Las Vegas
  7. Seattle
  8. Washington, D.C.
  9. Houston 
  10. San Diego

To see the full study, click here.

According to the study, the top reasons Americans would move to a different city or state is a great job opportunity and lower cost of living.

RELATED: San Diego is ranked #1 most fun place to live in the U.S.

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