5 Great Smaller Towns for Lovers of Live Music

Denver

Median list price: $245,000

Denver, which ranks 16th on Travel + Leisure's list, has had a vibrant music scene ever since folk singers Judy Collins and John Denver (real name: Henry John Deutschendorf) got their starts there in the 1960s.

Today, clubs such as Red Rocks, the Paramount Theatre and the Fillmore continue the Mile High City's live-music tradition.

Up-and-coming pop bands include the Fray and the Flobots, while classical-music fans enjoy the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. The 14-piece Denver Brass ensemble also plays everything from Broadway tunes to Latin rhythms.

As for real estate, Denver-area homes carry a $245,000 median list price on Realtor.com -- up 6.6% from a year ago. There are some 12,900 local homes listed for sale on the site, from an $18,000 foreclosed two-bedroom condo to a $20 million, 741-acre ranch in Sedalia, some 20 miles outside the city.