10 most fun, affordable U.S. cities: #3 Tempe and #4 Scottsdale

By Venessa Wong of Bloomberg Businessweek

Good times, low prices

It can be difficult to enjoy the wealth of dining and nightlife options in big cities such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco after housing and other expenses are paid. Fortunately, many areas outside of major metropolises offer both affordable homes and a variety of restaurants and bars, according to a new report from Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate. The company, with real-estate data company Onboard Informatics, evaluated 6,106 ZIP codes in which the median home price is within 20% of the state’s median home price. It then selected the 25 areas with the greatest number of bars and restaurants. The list of fun, affordable places includes tourist destinations, such as Honolulu and Myrtle Beach, S.C., which tend to have a greater number of restaurants and bars, as well as college towns, such as Wilmington, N.C., and Tempe, Ariz.  Read more