What may be a well-kept secret isn’t anymore — one of the hottest neighborhoods in the state, no, the entire United States, is in Arlington.

Seriously.

A recent Realtor.com report looked at the most sought-after neighborhoods in the U.S., and — surprise — Arlington’s 76018 ZIP code was the eighth-most sought-after neighborhood in the country.

“These are the kind of places where the average buyers don’t need to auction off their first-born child to have enough money to become a homeowner,” Realtor.com said. “Most offer median prices well below the national median list price of $316,000. But buyers had better be quick, because homes in these ZIP codes are selling much faster than the national median of 56 days on the market.”

And that’s true of 76018, too. We took a gander at how many homes were available in the median price for the zip of $215,050, and found a mere 41 listings in the $200,000 to $300,000 range — and several were already under contract.

And that makes sense, because the median days on market for the ZIP code is 20.

But what makes Arlington so hot? It’s nearly equidistant from Dallas and Fort Worth, making it ideal if you work in either city, want to hit a concert, go shopping, etc. It’s close to plenty of entertainment, thanks to AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Park, and the new ballpark, when it opens, as well as Six Flags.

But perhaps the biggest kicker is affordability. Even though home prices rose 7.5 percent year over year in this part of Arlington, they’re still a bargain, especially when put side-by-side with Dallas (median $495,000 within the city limits) and Fort Worth ($272,000). In Arlington, you can get a move-in ready, three-bedroom home starting at $200,000.

“People are looking for more affordable places to live,” said Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale. “Last year we saw people moving to far-out suburbs of major cities. This year, we’re seeing people move to smaller metro areas, which are even less expensive. And they still get access to city life — just not in the biggest cities.”

Curious to see what exactly that median will get you? Here are two examples.

For $210,000, there's a three-bedroom, two-bath house at 6303 Plainview Dr., with about 1,579 square feet of living space on a 7,275-square-foot lot. It’s benefited from a recent remodel and boasts an open floor plan, new granite in the kitchen and bathrooms, and upgrades throughout, said Realtor Aaron Jistel with Listing Spark.

For $200,000 on the nose, there's a three-bedroom, two-bath at 5600 Congressional Dr., listed by Dennis Tuttle with Keller Williams Realty Arlington. With 1,340 square feet (with an open floor plan in the common areas) on a 6,229-square-foot corner lot, this home next to Cravens Park backs up to a greenbelt, too, and has a covered patio.

Other neighborhoods in the top 10 included: Grand Rapids, Michigan’s 49505; Omaha, Nebraska’s 68144; Boise, Idaho’s 83704; Shawnee, Kansas’s 66203; Rochester, New York’s 14609; Livonia, Michigan’s 48154; Melrose, Massachusetts’s 02176; Goffstown, New Hampshire’s 03045; and Colorado Springs, Colorado’s 80916.

Want to read more? Click here.

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A version of this story originally was published on CandysDirt.com.

This home at 6303 Plainview Dr., on the market for $210,000, is in Arlington's hot 76018 ZIP code.

  

Photo courtesy of Realtor.com

This home at 6303 Plainview Dr., on the market for $210,000, is in Arlington's hot 76018 ZIP code.