SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Urban farming activities like planting vegetables and raising chickens have been growing in popularity, but some cities have embraced the trend more than others. Today Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage, released a list of the best cities for urban farming based on the number of homes that have hit the market in the last year with ‘greenhouse,’ ‘garden’ and ‘chicken’ mentioned in the real estate listing.
According to the report, the top 10 U.S. cities for urban farming are:
1. Eugene, OR
2. Burlington, VT
3. Santa Rosa, CA
4. Greenville, SC
5. Orlando, FL
6. San Francisco, CA
7. Albuquerque, NM
8. Columbia, SC
9. Tampa, FL
10. Raleigh-Durham, NC
Eugene topped the list, with 20.5 percent of all home listings containing at least one keyword.
“It’s not uncommon for homeowners in Oregon to have chickens or honey bees,” said Matthew Brennan, a Redfin real estate agent in Portland. “The city of Portland allows homeowners to keep up to three animals, including chickens, ducks, doves, pigeons, pygmy goats and rabbits, without permits. Oregonians have a hankering for that sustainable lifestyle and Eugene is more affordable and has more space than Portland.”
The City of Eugene, like Portland, has played a big role in facilitating urban agriculture by allowing residents to keep more animals, like chickens and goats, on their property.
“The City of Eugene is proud of the land use standards related to keeping farm animals on property inside the city limits, known as the Urban Animal Keeping Standards,” said Kristie Brown, land use supervisor for the City of Eugene. “They allow an increase in the number of farm animals allowed, while addressing compatibility and neighborhood livability issues within the urban environment. The standards are intended to facilitate urban agriculture and support locally produced food for greater sustainability and livability.”
Madeline Bridge, a Redfin agent in Raleigh-Durham, which came in at number 10 on the list, has seen many positive effects of urban agriculture on her community.
“Anyone who walks around downtown will find green spaces and community gardens popping up in every nook and cranny between the old buildings,” she said. “Many homes on the market already have gardens and composting stations, but what really makes Raleigh-Durham unique is that many people are getting involved with shared gardens, which really seems to bring communities together.”
The full report complete with data, real estate agent quotes, images and a detailed methodology can be found on the Redfin blog: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2016/04/best-cities-for-urban-farming.html
Those interested in starting their own urban farms can find more information on how to do so on the Redfin blog as well: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2016/04/how-to-start-your-own-urban-garden.html
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About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the customer’s favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country’s #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the industry’s most accurate home-value estimate, the Redfin Estimate. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commission. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $31 billion in home sales, and saved customers more than $335 million in fees, and counting.
For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center.
