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We are a family with four children seeking a very affordable, yet still nice and safe place to live. Does any one know of a friendly place where homes are very inexpensive (around 150,000 or less) and schools are still good? My husband would be seeking a position as an automotive service advisor. There are not too many jobs in his field in places where homes are more affordable. Because of our budget, we are not too picky, in terms of weather and such. If we had a choice, we would choose a place in the country with beautiful scenery and outdoorsy things to do. I tend to like country living more than city living, but we do enjoy visits to zoos and museums every once in a while. If any one has any ideas, we sure would appreciate it.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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You could defiantly find something in that range in the Louisville KY area, including in nearby Oldham County, which has the best public schools in the state.
Some Oldham County pics
A second place to look would be Boone County in Northern Kentucky, across from Cincinnati.
You could defiantly find something in that range in the Louisville KY area, including in nearby Oldham County, which has the best public schools in the state.
You might like Rapid City. It has about 80,000 people, it's easy to find a nice 3 bedroom house for 125-175K, and there's plenty to with the Black Hills being so close.
Try Syracuse NY. You can get a really nice house for that price range here. i'm talking about a nice suburban area too. You can live pretty much anywhere in the area and be in a good school district. Here's some information:City of Syracuse
There are also other nice areas in Upstate NY like Ithaca, Saratoga Springs, Binghamton, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Orange County and Plattsburgh/Adirondacks.
I second Kentucky. It really is one of the best bargains in the country. KY have some of the lowest home prices and tax rates in the US, paired with some really nice towns and cities. There are also a number of quaint small cities in West Virginia that may be worth a look. And maybe Eastern TN, like around the Knoxville area?
These three states seem to have the best mix of affordability, low taxes, large towns / small cities, and good natural scenery.
According to The Tax Foundation, Kentucky is right in the middle for its over all tax burden, 25th in the country. New Jersey and New York are the two states with the highest tax burdens. Here are the bottom 10:
Of those states, Texas undoubtedly has the best economy. I would imagine that any small town within an hour or so of the major cities in Texas should have reasonable housing prices as well as good job opportunities.
Here in East Tennessee there are several places with decent job markets, low housing costs, good schools, and beautiful backdrops. (And, of course, low taxes.)
Dandridge, founded in 1783, about 30 minutes from Knoxville, located right on a big lake, and the only town in America named for George Washington's wife.
Lenoir City, on the western fringe of Knoxville's fast-growing suburbs and located on another huge lake:
Jonesborough, Tennessee's oldest town, located in the Tri Cities metro area of NE TN and SW VA. The 3 larger cities are Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport. The Tri Cities has a low unemployment rate and is absolutely gorgeous.
Those are beautiful pictures. I am definitely checking out Tennessee! Thanks to all who have replied. I am going to get busy doing research on those areas mentioned. I guess the main deciding factor will be where my husband can get the best job.
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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Nice pictures I agree with Syracuse and upstate NY in general. If you don't mind colder weather, that would be a good fit. The cost of living is very cheap. Except the taxes are high, but it balances out I think with the COL.
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I agree with Syracuse and upstate NY in general. If you don't mind colder weather, that would be a good fit. The cost of living is very cheap. Except the taxes are high, but it balances out I think with the COL.
