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Study: Columbia, Crofton, Laurel Among Hottest Zip Codes To Live In Baltimore Area

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) — A new study shows Columbia, Crofton and Laurel are among the hottest zip codes to live in the Baltimore region.

The contributing factors include lower unemployment rates and relatively affordable prices for homes.

Millennials are leading the way when it comes to home buying, choosing places with strong economies and convenient amenities.

The real estate listings website, Realtor.com, analyzed 32,000 zip codes across the country to determine where homes were selling out the quickest, and why.

"We find they are relatively affordable, not necessarily lower priced than U.S. prices on average, but they are more affordable than the surrounding counties and metro areas we find them in so they are pockets of opportunity and millennials are taking advantage," said Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com

In Maryland- Columbia, Crofton and Laurel were ranked the hottest in the Baltimore region.

"It's both close to both of our workplaces, and convenient to shopping and everything you need is about five to ten minutes from our house," said Kelly Bachman, a Columbia homeowner.

In addition to providing affordable homes, the hottest zip codes also have a lower unemployment rate and millennials with higher incomes.

"People want some stability in their life to establish and put down some roots and have a place to call home," said Andy Bachman.

Columbia is consistently ranked one of the top places to live in the U.S.

"Big on our outdoor amenities, our 95 miles of paved pathways, we have 23 outdoor pools, we are really into the quality of life when it comes to what we offer our residents," said Milton Matthews, Columbia Association President.

Columbia continues to expand every year, focusing on their residents' needs, especially millennials.

"We have a big community meeting coming up on October 18 where we are going to ask the millennial population and anyone else who wants to come out and the early results of our surveys and hear their workgroup ideas on how we can improve Columbia right now," said Jessica Bellah, Columbia Association Community Planner.

A generation that could be shaping the housing market and future consumer trends.

The top three zip codes in the nation are in the states of Michigan, Colorado and Texas.

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