Forbes Magazine ranks Minneapolis #1 for most affordable places to live well (St. Paul: house, transfer)

[Robert P Stewart]

Read it and weep, Minnesota-haters. (broken link)

I work with a lot of corporate relocation clients. When someone is transferred from another state to MN, I'm typically charged with finding them a home and getting them acquainted with the area in general. One of the most frequent comments I hear from the corporate relocation folks is this:

The second hardest part of their job is getting an employee to agree to move to Minnesota. The absolute hardest part is getting them to leave once they're there.

I know literally hundreds of employees who quit their job to find work locally when their job told them they had to move.

Quite a recommendation!

Robert

[Thinner_Me]

I tried pulling up that article to read (and then pass along), but my browser says that link does not exist. Something missing from the address??

[music7lover]

Can't access it either

[Robert P Stewart]

OK try this.

Sorry about that!

[K-Luv]

What pushed Minneapolis to the top? Last quarter, 61% of the area's home sold were available to the median household earner, according to NAHB/Wells Fargo, which puts the City of Lakes in 17th place of the 50 cities we measured. Minneapolis ranked just under the median in cost of living. Its quality of life ranking most distinguishes it; here the city ranked third, and came in ninth in arts and leisure offerings.

....Minneapolis' Midwestern neighbors Indianapolis and Cincinnati offer many of the same amenities, and rank second and third, respectively, as places to live well for less.


MPLS was also ranked number three most expensive place to heat your house:
3. Minneapolis

Average heating cost: $1,475.11
Residents using heating oil: 1.2%
Residents using natural gas: 82.2%
Residents using propane: 3.7%
Residents using electricity: 10.8%

Based on projected weather patterns and forecasts, Minneapolis residents are expected to use the most energy of any city measured to heat their homes during the winter. Fortunately, natural gas is relatively cheap and the vast majority of residents use it.

Robert, why did you label the link to Minnesota haters? Also, the entire article is about MINNEPOLIS-not Lakeville, not Hibbing, not Allentown, not St. Paul. Minneapolis is mos def the exception to the rest of the state.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

What pushed Minneapolis to the top? Last quarter, 61% of the area's home sold were available to the median household earner, according to NAHB/Wells Fargo, which puts the City of Lakes in 17th place of the 50 cities we measured. Minneapolis ranked just under the median in cost of living. Its quality of life ranking most distinguishes it; here the city ranked third, and came in ninth in arts and leisure offerings.

....Minneapolis' Midwestern neighbors Indianapolis and Cincinnati offer many of the same amenities, and rank second and third, respectively, as places to live well for less.


MPLS was also ranked number three most expensive place to heat your house:
3. Minneapolis

Average heating cost: $1,475.11
Residents using heating oil: 1.2%
Residents using natural gas: 82.2%
Residents using propane: 3.7%
Residents using electricity: 10.8%

Based on projected weather patterns and forecasts, Minneapolis residents are expected to use the most energy of any city measured to heat their homes during the winter. Fortunately, natural gas is relatively cheap and the vast majority of residents use it.

Robert, why did you label the link to Minnesota haters? Also, the entire article is about MINNEPOLIS-not Lakeville, not Hibbing, not Allentown, not St. Paul. Minneapolis is mos def the exception to the rest of the state.

Considering 1/2 the country doesn't even need a furnace it isn't hard to get into the top 10 when you live in the north. It is a lot less expensive to heat your home in the winter in MN then it is to cool your home in say Texas in the summer.

Also, this is about the Minneapolis METRO area " First, we looked at housing affordability in the country's 50 largest metros" from the article--not just Minneapolis proper.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Considering 1/2 the country doesn't even need a furnace it isn't hard to get into the top 10 when you live in the north.

I think that's an exaggeration. We certainly need one here in Atlanta -- the weather sometimes gets into the teens at night, and the house would get down into the 50's or even 40's otherwise.

I always find it amusing when I read in the Atlanta board that someone moved to Atlanta from south Florida and is moving back because they can't stand the cold weather here. It gets chilly sometimes, yes, but "cold"...? I don't think so.

[nick is rulz]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Also, this is about the Minneapolis METRO area " First, we looked at housing affordability in the country's 50 largest metros" from the article--not just Minneapolis proper.

no its not. It doesnt mention St Paul or anything else metro-wide.


Theres a separate article on Forbes for suburban areas:

ttp://www.forbes.com/realestate/2007/10/11/property-homes-suburbs-forbeslife-cx_mw_1011realestate.html

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

no its not. It doesnt mention St Paul or anything else metro-wide.


Theres a separate article on Forbes for suburban areas:

ttp://www.forbes.com/realestate/2007/10/11/property-homes-suburbs-forbeslife-cx_mw_1011realestate.html

Well, typically when someone says METRO, like they do in the quote I posted directly from the article they mean the area in and around the city, the metropolitan area. THey also mention companies that are not in Minneapolis proper which leads one to believe that they looked at other areas such as St. Paul and other areas.