Romantic comedies might lead singles to believe if they're looking to partner up and settle down, big metro areas like New York are the place to be. According to a recent report conducted by Realtor.com, they're wrong. 
 
 The real estate website looked at cities around the country to find those with a high percentage of single-owned homes, median home prices that are relatively affordable for people earning the median income in the area and where the unemployment rate is near or less than the national average. 
 
 The analysis found that singles' best bets for love and real estate may actually be in smaller metro areas, such as Atlanta, Indianapolis and Denver. 
 
 These cities may be not be huge, but they still offer plenty of attractions and activities for a great first date, the study suggests. You might want to take your potential soul mate out ice skating in Minneapolis, on an art tour in Indianapolis or to the symphony in Raleigh. 
 
 So where should you go to look for a significant other and a new home? Here are 10 of the best cities for singles. ||||| Looking for love and a home? Demanding, aren’t we? Well, realtor.com® has some ideas about where you can find both. 
 
 Sure, the Internet is littered with lists of the U.S. cities where you’re most likely to find a date. But that’s keeping things pretty simplistic. After all, if you’re looking to settle down with a mate, you’d better do it where the two of you have decent job prospects and can afford a house to live in. Otherwise, well, we’re not sure you crazy kids are going to make this thing work. 
 
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 And we’re not saying you have to be part of a couple to buy a home, either. Married couples make up 67% of home buyers today, according to the National Association of Realtors®. (Thirty years ago, it was 81%.) Increasingly, single women (15%), single men (9%), and unmarried couples (7%) are opting to make a long-term commitment to real estate. But whether you’re happy to be a lone homesteader or you want to share a home with someone special, you’ll probably feel more at ease in a place where it doesn’t feel like you’re the only one without a partner. 
 
 So realtor.com’s crack economic data team set out to find cities that attract singles with low unemployment, affordable housing, and—of course—awesomely fun things to do if you should have a date. 
 
 “These markets are not simply places with a high number of singles; in fact, the raw share of singles in these markets combined is about the same as the U.S. average,” says Javier Vivas, a realtor.com economic research analyst. 
 
 “What really distinguishes this set are the more favorable conditions singles face when it comes to homeownership,” Vivas adds. “Some of those right ingredients include solid job creation, rational price appreciation, and varied amounts of affordable inventory.” 
 
 Those favorable conditions include: 
 
 20% to 50% more single-owned households than the U.S. overall 
 
 Median list prices that are affordable for people making the median income 
 
 Unemployment that is near or less than the national rate of 5% 
 
 A strong population of singles, with fun date options ranging from outdoor activities to restaurants to cooking classes 
 
 Skating rink at The Depot thedepotminneapolis.com thedepotminneapolis.com Skating rink at The Depot thedepotminneapolis.com 
 
 Percentage of singles: 28% 
 
 Unemployment rate: 3.2% 
 
 Median list price: $268,000 
 
 Hot dates: Brave the (sometimes ungodly) weather and go ice skating at The Depot, or stay warm and try a cooking class at Kitchen in the Market. 
 
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 The Indianapolis City Market indycm.com indycm.com The Indianapolis City Market indycm.com 
 
 Percentage of singles: 27% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 4% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $148,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Join an IDADA first Friday art tour, or browse the huge Indianapolis City Market. 
 
 
 
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 The North Carolina Symphony ncsymphony.org ncsymphony.org The North Carolina Symphony ncsymphony.org 
 
 Percentage of singles: 26% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 4.9% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $274,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Attend a concert at North Carolina Symphony, or enjoy dinner at West End Wine Bar. Feel free to make frequent Panthers jokes, since the losing Super Bowl team is from the other Carolina. 
 
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 Oak Mountain State Park facebook.com/OakMountainSP facebook.com/OakMountainSP Oak Mountain State Park facebook.com/OakMountainSP 
 
 Percentage of singles: 28% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 5.5% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $170,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: See a show at the Alabama Theater, or hike Oak Mountain. 
 
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 Sharp Mountain Vineyards sharpmountainvineyards.com sharpmountainvineyards.com Sharp Mountain Vineyards sharpmountainvineyards.com 
 
 Percentage of singles: 26% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 5.3% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $234,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Go wine tasting at Sharp Mountain Vineyards, or enjoy the art stroll at Castleberry Hill. 
 
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 Butterfly Pavilion butterflies.org butterflies.org Butterfly Pavilion butterflies.org 
 
 Percentage of singles: 30% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 3.3% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $490,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Watch butterflies take flight at the Butterfly Pavilion, or enjoy a drink at Chain Reaction Brewery. Buy his-and-her Peyton Manning jerseys. 
 
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 The Salud! Cooking School facebook.com/SaludGreenHills facebook.com/SaludGreenHills The Salud! Cooking School facebook.com/SaludGreenHills 
 
 Percentage of singles: 27% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 4.5% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $298,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Take a class at The Salud! Cooking School, or stargaze at Chamberlain Observatory. 
 
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 Saint Louis Art Museum slam.org slam.org Saint Louis Art Museum slam.org 
 
 Percentage of singles: 29% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 4.7% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $154,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Check out an exhibit at SLAM, or stroll around the Saint Louis Zoo. 
 
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 Albin Polesak Museum and Sculpture Gardens facebook.com/PolasekMuseum facebook.com/PolasekMuseum Albin Polesak Museum and Sculpture Gardens facebook.com/PolasekMuseum 
 
 Percentage of singles: 24% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 4.5% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $244,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Picnic at Albin Polesak Sculpture Gardens, or attend a workshop at International Hot Glass. 
 
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 Wigle Whiskey products facebook.com/wiglewhiskey facebook.com/wiglewhiskey Wigle Whiskey products facebook.com/wiglewhiskey 
 
 Percentage of singles: 33% 
 
 
 
 Unemployment rate: 4.9% 
 
 
 
 Median list price: $144,000 
 
 
 
 Hot dates: Enjoy a drink at Wigle Whiskey, or bowl at Arsenal Lanes.
– Realtor.com has come up with a unique twist on the usual "best cities" format. This one ranks the top cities for singles who are looking to meet a soulmate but who are also looking to buy a home in the meantime. Factors including affordability, things to do, and the city's percentage of singles come into play. The upshot? Forget huge metropolises, where the price of a home is out of reach. Think smaller, suggests CBS News: Take your date out "ice skating in Minneapolis, on an art tour in Indianapolis or to the symphony in Raleigh." Here's the top 10: Minneapolis Indianapolis Raleigh, NC Birmingham, Ala. Atlanta Denver Nashville St. Louis Orlando, Fla. Pittsburgh