No. 6. Seattle, Wash.
Population: 3,225,464
Median home price: $380,200
Number of public courses: 62
Median green fee: $45

THE GOLF: Fun fact: Seattle's iconic, 605-foot-high Space Needle was designed to look like a tee. OK, we made that up, but given the area's golf goods, it could be true. Two greats are Washington National and the Coal Creek course at the Golf Club at Newcastle. The recent debut of the tough-but-fun Chambers Bay, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design near the Puget Sound, helps make the home of Starbucks good to the last (penalty) drop.

THE REST: While often cloudy, Seattle is actually drier than most big cities, averaging four inches less rain per year than New York. Sunny or gray, the Emerald City is a looker, from the Olympic Mountains to the waters of the Puget Sound. Another welcome site is Pike Place, the oldest farmer's market in the country, which offers fresh produce, fishmongers and even antiques.

You can see forever — or at least all the way to downtown Seattle — from the 17th green on the Coal Creek course.

Credit: Rob Perry