Variety of hometowns claim newest Olympians

In just a few days, more than 10,000 competitors from 204 countries will gather in London to kick off the 2012 Olympics. For the first time in history, the U.S. is sending more female athletes than male athletes to the Olympics.

According to data from the Team USA website, 269 women and 261 men from nearly as many cities and towns are heading to London to represent the red, white and blue. We’re taking a look at a few of those Olympians’ hometowns.

Michael Phelps, a phenomenon since childhood, began swimming at age 7 in Towson, Md., a northwest suburb of Baltimore. Phelps’ small childhood community is home to around 50,000 people and has current median home values of $270,000, higher than the national median of $148,000.

Although she’s competing in track and field, Lolo Jones may be better known for her supermodel looks. Although she attended high school in Des Moines, Iowa, she headed to Louisiana for college and now resides in Baton Rouge. Her hometown is Iowa’s capital and the median home value of $96,400 has decreased by 5 percent year-over-year.