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I am specifically asking people who live in a smaller sized city or town (population 100,000 or less) who make $50,000 a year or more what you do for a living.
I am especially interested in people who live in a moderate cost of living area (midwest, southwest, southeast - Not NYC or the east coast of PNW). Areas where you can buy a decent house for under $200,000 and can live well on $50,000 per year.
Also, for those of you who are kind enough to participate, I'd like to know HOW you got your job, i.e. from a jobs board such as Monster, or just sending in a blind resume or as a referral/recommendation from someone you know.
I live in a small metro area in Tennessee and I work for one of the largest telecommunications companies in the US. I found, and applied for, my job directly from their website. It was posted on job boards, such as Monster, but when I was looking for a position I didn't tend to rely on them much.
I started as a Systems Administrator but am now in management. I think my situation is fairly unique only because my company happened to have a large datacenter in the area and not enough qualified applicants who have been exposed to Enterprise-level administration and technologies.
I do not believe I would have had nearly the same opportunities (or salary) as I've had if I were working for a local company.
I am a certified layout technician and what I do is design fire sprinkler systems using specialized software that requires 5 to 10 years training to become proficient and licensed.
The town I live and work in has a population less than 5,000 then there are two towns 25 miles apart in opposite directions that have a population of 58,000 and 16,000. Kind of rural I would estimate the total population within a 50 mile radius to be less than 125,000. While licensed in four states our general work area is a 150 mile radius.
West Lee County Brick home with almost 2200 sq. ft. with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. Open floor plan with handscraped hardwood floors in the foyer, hall and dining room. Huge great room with recessed lighting, specialty ceilings, custom built-in bookcases, and gorgeous fireplace as a focal point. The kitchen is absolutely gorgeous and has tons of cabinet and countertop space. Oversized raised bar, spacious pantry, stainless…
I am a certified layout technician and what I do is design fire sprinkler systems using specialized software that requires 5 to 10 years training to become proficient and licensed.
The town I live and work in has a population less than 5,000 then there are two towns 25 miles apart in opposite directions that have a population of 58,000 and 16,000. Kind of rural I would estimate the total population within a 50 mile radius to be less than 125,000. While licensed in four states our general work area is a 150 mile radius.
Actually, both of those houses are very nice for the price. But there isn't a house on the planet that I would be willing to go into debt for 30 years for. I'd rather live in a paid for shipping container.
Why is buying a house is a criteria? If you have a family, many homes purchased with a "household income of $50,000" are based on families with at least 2 incomes. $25,000 a year for a working father & mother is certainly attainable. You don't need to buy a house if you are single. Just rent a decent studio or 1 bedroom, save your money, invest modestly, contribute to a retirement plan... etc. etc. etc. A house cost more than just the monthly mortgage payments so you aren't really "saving" money because you don't pay "rent".
Why is buying a house is a criteria? If you have a family, many homes purchased with a "household income of $50,000" are based on families with at least 2 incomes. $25,000 a year for a working father & mother is certainly attainable. You don't need to buy a house if you are single. Just rent a decent studio or 1 bedroom, save your money, invest modestly, contribute to a retirement plan... etc. etc. etc. A house cost more than just the monthly mortgage payments so you aren't really "saving" money because you don't pay "rent".
You're saying that single people don't need to buy a house? So we don't need to build equity, have a stable place to live or have any pet larger than a cat? Not to mention that fact of always having people surrounding you with all of their noise? Some of us single people so just fine with a house and couldn't stand to live in apartments, and enjoy the peace and quiet a house affords.
You're saying that single people don't need to buy a house? So we don't need to build equity, have a stable place to live or have any pet larger than a cat? Not to mention that fact of always having people surrounding you with all of their noise? Some of us single people so just fine with a house and couldn't stand to live in apartments, and enjoy the peace and quiet a house affords.
Correct, they don't need to buy a house.
A house cost more than just the monthly mortgage payments so you aren't really "saving" money because you don't pay "rent". In most cases, after 30 years of saving / investing money / contributing to retirement plan that would otherwise be used on mortgage / house maintenance / property taxes, you can easily end up with a lot more in liquid / investments / retirement savings than what the house will be worth.
Many lose their homes because they can no longer afford their mortgages or property taxes. Right now, there are still many who have homes worth less that what they owe. Those houses are financial burdens. Your liquid & retirement savings are never financial burdens.
Financial Stability does not come with having a house mortgage... having money gives you that stability. With plenty of money in savings / retirement, you can still buy a house anytime you want.
If you "want" a house, that is fine (if you can really afford it) but a house "want" is not a "need" for a single person.
A house cost more than just the monthly mortgage payments so you aren't really "saving" money because you don't pay "rent". In most cases, after 30 years of saving / investing money / contributing to retirement plan that would otherwise be used on mortgage / house maintenance / property taxes, you can easily end up with a lot more in liquid / investments / retirement savings than what the house will be worth.
Many lose their homes because they can no longer afford their mortgages or property taxes. Right now, there are still many who have homes worth less that what they owe. Those houses are financial burdens. Your liquid & retirement savings are never financial burdens.
Financial Stability does not come with having a house mortgage... having money gives you that stability. With plenty of money in savings / retirement, you can still buy a house anytime you want.
If you "want" a house, that is fine (if you can really afford it) but a house "want" is not a "need" for a single person.
Another thing, the equity in your home should never be considered a good investment. It will generally appreciate to keep up with inflation (~ 2%-3% annually), not anywhere close to the annual return you can expect with money put in stock index funds (historically 8%-10% annual growth).
Sure, you "throw money away" with rent for an apartment, but with a house you "throw money away" with mowing a lawn every week, a higher electric bill, mortgage interest, property taxes, homeowner's insurance, repairs, and the opportunity cost of not being able to invest your money in vehicles that provide much better returns. There are a lot of hidden costs that people really don't consider with homes.
Plus, the biggest drawback with a house is you are stuck there until you can sell it!! What if you need to move for a job? You can't because you are tied down to that property!
I definitely agree with you. Buy a house because you want to (mainly because you want to raise a family in it), not strictly for financial reasons.
OP, You didn't mention California, so...here's my 2 cents....
I used to live in Visalia (in the central San Joaquin Valley of California); now in Sacramento. The population was just at 100,000. I lived there from 1974-2005, which included high school & college. I got my RN at the local jr college. I had all types of RN jobs in the area for 30 years. The highest pay was the mid-50's. I owned 2 different houses, both which cost me under $100k. I'm pretty sure the COL is very close to the same. I've always networked in my profession, and tried to not burn any bridges. Most of my jobs were from ads that I answered. It was always fun to run into someone I had worked with previously. These days, I hear about most job openings from Linkedin, although I'm very happy in my current position and haven't been looking.
If you can deal with the weather, the CV of California is the most affordable.
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