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I am convinced that market forces always drive the pricing up on places to live once people figure out that they are affordable and have a great selection of amenities. Many of you would say, Duh!, but do nice places to live always have to fall prey to affluence pricing effects? Nice places to live, in the ideal sense, have jobs and safe and clean environments around them and things to do for the leisure time, etc. Can you think of areas of the country still unspoiled by the masses of people "discovering" them and driving up real estate prices, local taxes and adding to all the congestion and social ills? One caveat, Texas does not count. I think that state is so huge that there is no way it can be congested.
I am convinced that market forces always drive the pricing up on places to live once people figure out that they are affordable and have a great selection of amenities. Many of you would say, Duh!, but do nice places to live always have to fall prey to affluence pricing effects? Nice places to live, in the ideal sense, have jobs and safe and clean environments around them and things to do for the leisure time, etc. Can you think of areas of the country still unspoiled by the masses of people "discovering" them and driving up real estate prices, local taxes and adding to all the congestion and social ills? One caveat, Texas does not count. I think that state is so huge that there is no way it can be congested.
Indianapolis, IN. Dispite Indianapolis being ranked the most affordable large city to live something like 15 straight years, people still arent coming there at a very high rate (compare to Raleigh or Charlotte,NC which have experienced 30% growth over the decade). Indianapolis has a tolerable crime rate for a city its size, tons of things to do including 2 major sports teams and a nationally known race track.
Many "second tier" cities will always be solid place to live, especially for people with highly portable skills.
I personally know people that are physicians and attorneys in places like Cedar Rapids IA or Springflield IL. People get sick and need to see doctors and need wills and real estate closings.
Much lower cost of living, but earnings are not far from the median for the same professions in Chicago.
Of course there are trade-offs. These cities are far too big to be considered "small town" and they politics and other forces that cities have. They do not have the variety of entertainment and such that Chicago does. Kids are more likely to move away after college.
Texas does not count. I think that state is so huge that there is no way it can be congested.
Maybe, but it does have pockets of places where the real estate market has been driven up (and sadly remain up) bc people with money move there in droves.
Rochester,NY... great family oriented suburbs with a very low cost of housing and living in general...
The job market however isn't great,but if you are in the education or health related fields, you have your pick.
Rochester is home to one of the best Children's museum's ; Strong Children's Museum,it is wonderful for families!
There is alot of culture,wonderful restaurants,Lake Ontario and The Finger Lakes Region not far away...
One drawback which local people seem to complain about is the taxes,and while yes,they are high,you can still find a beautiful home for under $200K,which is pretty much unheard of in many other places!
Charlotte and Raleigh vs Indianapolis. The NC cities have the advantage of warmer winters.
Yes - but Winters in IN are not that bad. I am a NC native and live in OH and I can tell you for a fact that Winter is not really a factor.
Columbus, OH is not a bad alternative either - major university (Ohio State), Columbus is the capital, and many white collar jobs.
Being that folks have flocked to cities in NC, and now those boom areas are having very high unemployment numbers. I have said it before, but there are more hardship stories coming from places like Charlotte and the Triangle than here in Columbus, OH.
I would think if you are trying to escape many of the tradional rust belt cities like Detroit that are rapidly declining in jobs, then places like Indianapolis, Columbus, St Louis, and many others would be great alternatives.
Yes - but Winters in IN are not that bad. I am a NC native and live in OH and I can tell you for a fact that Winter is not really a factor.
I beg to differ. Winters in Indy and north Indiana are not non-issues. They might not be North Dakota winters, but they definitively get your attention and change your lifestyle. Southern winters are not a factor, central-northern indiana winters are.
It is all a matter of opinion. Greensboro, NC, and Columbia, SC are this way, to me. High quality of life, stable cities, for a low price.
Some people would say these aren't great places to live because they aren't impeccably clean, they don't have much high-end retail, and they don't have a huge supply of high-paying jobs.
To this, I would say that these are typically characteristics of expensive cities.
I beg to differ. Winters in Indy and north Indiana are not non-issues. They might not be North Dakota winters, but they definitively get your attention and change your lifestyle. Southern winters are not a factor, central-northern indiana winters are.
Guess being a lifelong Southerner that NOW lives in Ohio doesn't qualify me for objectivity on the weather - interesting. My outdoor lifestyle is more active NOW because I am not in oppressive heat for the majority of the Summer and again Winter is a non-issue. I agree those that live further North and have to endure lake-effect related weather is alot more difficult, but that is NOT what we are talking about.
Again, I'll take the economy HERE in central OH in comparison the many horror stories I am hearing from friends and family in the South.
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