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Old 05-29-2010, 07:50 PM
 
164 posts, read 365,171 times
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Which say top 10 or so cities would you say are the most bang for your buck?
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Old 05-29-2010, 07:56 PM
 
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Off the bat, probably not NYC or SF.
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Old 05-29-2010, 08:02 PM
 
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Baltimore
New Orleans
Detroit
Philly/camden
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Cleveland
Chicago
Wilmington, DE

They're may be some I left out, the ones listed above are just off the top of my head
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Old 05-29-2010, 08:09 PM
 
Location: roaming gnome
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major cities, philly, chicago... medium size, pittsburgh, cleveland. after that, you still pay the buck, but not much bang.
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Old 05-29-2010, 09:38 PM
 
Location: Youngstown, Oh.
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Generally, most of the rust-belt cities still have a lot of their grandeur from past, but their current status makes them cheap to live in.

Youngstown has the infrastructure and amenities for a city of 170,000 people, but only has about 73,000. We have one of the best metropolitan park systems in the U.S. Home | Mill Creek MetroParks, we have many great museums and performing arts centers, (The Butler Institute of American Art :: De Yor Performing Arts Center :: The Official Henry H. Stambaugh Auditorium Website ) and the cost of housing in the city is insanely cheap because the public schools are in bad shape, and Youngstown's crime rate is high. (though it's almost always drug or gang related, or between people who know each other) Even if you prefer to live in the suburbs, the housing is still relatively cheap, (though more expensive and not as nice as what can be had in the city) and the Youngstown MSA is actually safer than the national average. http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/2009...e2009_Rank.pdf

My current house has Mill Creek Park in the back yard, and I will soon be buying a second house with a 34 acre city park, Wick Park Historic District - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, in the front yard. Each house is worth about $40k, in move-in condition, and are in safe neighborhoods. In what other cities (even rust belt cities) can you get that much bang for your buck?
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Old 05-29-2010, 09:53 PM
 
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Atlanta, Dallas, Houston.
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Old 05-29-2010, 10:27 PM
 
Location: St Paul, MN - NJ's Gold Coast
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This is based on where I wouldn't mind living--- (Cities 75K+)

1. Syracuse/Buffalo, NY
2. Grand Rapids, MI
3. Cleveland, OH
4. Pittsburgh, PA
5. Albany, NY
6. Charlotte, NC
7. Newark, NJ
8. Baltimore, MD
9. Providence, RI
10. Philadelphia, PA

There's bigger bangs for your buck, just not in cities where I'd live.
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Old 05-29-2010, 11:53 PM
 
Location: Newark nj
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Newark NJ all the way !!!
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Old 05-30-2010, 10:20 AM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
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Chicago imo is the most underpriced city/metro for all the things that you get in return. Don't get me wrong-its not cheap, but I would think that it would be more expensive all things considered-its Downtown Area is second only to NYC, its arts and culture is top tier, its waterfront is exquisite, its job market is huge and diverse and so on.
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Old 05-30-2010, 03:05 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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Here's my choice, if you want natural scenery, great access to Canada, love snow, and love living in a city that's big but not too big then Buffalo.

Here is why:

- Want to use the Light Rail system? Sure go ahead, it's free of cost in the downtown area.
- Want to fly to another city? Sure go ahead, one of the most inexpensive airports in the country, people from Canada use this airport to travel at times.
- Want to save money when you shop? Sure, Buffalo is a great option for that. People from Canada come to take advantage of the shopping there.
- Want big city amenities? Buffalo is the place for you.
- Want a nice house but don't want to pay too much for it? Buffalo is generally one of the most inexpensive cities in this category, only beaten by St. Louis on the list.
- Want a city that has a culture and vibe of it's own? Buffalo's history is rich, richer than most cities across the country. Look up why it's called "Queen City" and you'll see why. Look up the Erie Canal.
- Want a city that has multicultural food for a good cost? Buffalo once again is the place for that, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, you name it, they have it.
- Want a city where you can go to great art galleries and museums? Buffalo for that too.
- Want a city that has it's own unique Pizza style? Buffalo, the location between NYC and Chicago has influenced it's own style of pizza, it's in between thin and thick.
- Want a city that's got great proximity to natural scenery? Buffalo, Niagara Falls is simply fantastic.
- Want a city that's in the US and really close to big Canada populations? Buffalo is, and the flight from there to anywhere in the big Canadian cities of Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, and Ottawa are convenient.
- Want a city with a great lake front? Buffalo's location on Erie.
- Want a city that has professional sports? NFL & NHL call Buffalo home.

The downside is the job market though, even though unemployment rate is at 4.9% a lot of the job sectors are hard to get a job in. But, if you've got the skill, then Buffalo is a great option if you want to stay on the inexpensive side.

Another plus side is it's location, this city sits near the largest Canadian cities, and between the Northeast and Midwest regions in the USA. That's a very convenient location. And that IMHO folks is why I nominate Buffalo for the best city in this "bang for your buck" thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 18Montclair View Post
Chicago imo is the most underpriced city/metro for all the things that you get in return. Don't get me wrong-its not cheap, but I would think that it would be more expensive all things considered-its Downtown Area is second only to NYC, its arts and culture is top tier, its waterfront is exquisite, its job market is huge and diverse and so on.
I agree, for the cities in the top 10 largest cities/metros, Chicago has the most to offer for your dollar.

Last edited by DANNYY; 05-30-2010 at 03:40 PM..
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