5 Places With Good Jobs and Cheap Housing

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1

Pittsburgh is #2. You guys should head a little south for a visit.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-Places-With-Good-Jobs-And-investopedia-2472407409.html

Finding an area with good jobs and cheap housing is difficult in today’s economy, but not impossible. For years, both coasts have boasted employment growth, while the Midwest remained stagnate. The Southwest, with its moderate climate, grew faster than any section of the country. The fast growth, however, has left a glutted housing market, and fewer opportunities for new jobs.

One of the best areas for very affordable homes is Deerfield Beach, Florida. But for those still working, the job market is not as inviting, as most employment opportunities are in the service sector.

For the best job opportunities, Bethesda, Maryland has seen a job explosion in recent years. It has one of the highest median family incomes in the nation. There are many opportunities for jobs here, but housing can be very expensive - especially considering it is less than an hour’s commute to Washington, D.C.

Combining several lists: the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Forbes, CNN, and Sperling’s Best Places, these are the top five cities for both job opportunities and affordable housing.

  1. Indianapolis, Indiana
    This Hoosier city scored high on every list. The city boasts 10 sports teams, an a amazing city park system, including Canal Walk, and one of the nation’s top museums, Indianapolis Children’s Museum.

Labeled both the Amateur Sports Capital of the World and the Racing Capital of the World, Indianapolis has one of the lowest costs of living for a major metro area at nearly 18% less than the national average.

The median price for a home here is $120,000. Surrounded by thriving suburbs offering easy commutes into the city, as well as a variety of city living options, you can find great housing at a good price.

The job outlook is very optimistic, with jobs in management from the numerous corporate headquarters to scientific and tech jobs. The jobless rate in Indianapolis is less than 8% - that’s nearly 3-5% below the national average.

  1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    This city surprises many people, as Pittsburgh is in the heart of the “rust belt,” and known for its steel mills. Genuine hard work by the local government, businesses and the community has kept this vibrant city alive and thriving. Over the last 10 years, nearly 1,600 technology companies have located here, including a Google campus. Neighborhood revitalization projects offer incentives to homebuyers, and old industrial neighborhoods are now filled with small businesses. It is also the headquarters to several financial institutions.

Ranked #1 as America’s Most Livable City by Rand McNally in 2007, Forbes in 2010 and The Economist in 2011, Pittsburgh, is one of the best places in the United States for good jobs, a great community and very affordable housing.

  1. Omaha, Nebraska
    Corn may be king of agriculture, but Warren Buffett is king of finance and he resides in Omaha and that attracts big business. A smaller Midwest city, Omaha offers charming neighborhoods in a variety of price ranges, good employment prospects at dozens of Fortune 500 companies, as well as a low cost of living.

  2. Columbus, Ohio
    Ohio’s capital and largest city offers an enviable arts and theatre community, including the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) (a nationally recognized museum), the Ohio State University (the largest in the nation), and it was ranked the number ten city by Relocate America in 2010. Great job prospects in the high-tech, agricultural and chemical industries, some of the best housing prices in the state, and a very affordable cost of living make Columbus look very inviting.

  3. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
    A college town, Austin was ranked as the third-fastest growing city in the United States in 2006. An extremely diverse city, boasting a mix of professors, musicians, high-tech workers and a large gay community, Austin’s slogan is “Keep Austin Weird.” For the influx of high-tech corporations over the last decade, it has also acquired the nickname the “Silicon Hills.” Nationally known for its music, it has a preserved its small local business base, has a vibrant and noted arts community, affordable housing and a low cost of living.

The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for good job prospects combined with affordable housing, think the Midwest, as it is coming back vibrant and strong.

2

Buffalo has cheap housing but no jobs, lol.

3

i wouldn’t want to live in any of those places

4

^^ You’re still in North Carolina right?

5

depends on what jobs youre after imo. technology/design and healthcare markets are pretty big here. i think wny is a great area with a ton of potential. theres just too many people that don’t realize it.

6

Fixed :slight_smile:

There are positives and negatives to living anywhere.

7

healthcare and tech is growing quickly

i work in healthcare now, i like it

8

yep

---------- Post added at 01:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 PM ----------

I work IT in a hospital. Winning?

I should take back my original statement though, I bet Austin wouldn’t be a bad place to live. I despise these lists though. I sometimes hop on the city-data forums for the raleigh durham area, and those people are obsessed with posting these stupid lists and bragging about them. They are usually one-sided opinions, which hold almost no water. Do we really think that anyone is going to leave the city they’re in to go live in one of these cities based on a magazine article?

9

Three of my friends just took teaching jobs down in Bethesda, MD. They were so excited and bragged about how they landed amazing jobs and what not, but they didn’t realize how expensive it was to live there. Especially considering the starting salary for teachers is horrible, they will never own a home in that area.

10

Isnt housing cheap all over the states though?

11

it’s all relative, but no. try buying a house in L.A.

12

Define cheap?

And not even close… what I owned in Buffalo for the $100k price range I’d be paying easily double here in SLC. Hell the house I’m renting here is the equivalent to a “Ryan” home which hasn’t been taken care of and it’s valued at 200k; and it’s about the same sqft, 1 bedroom less, 1/3rd the property, and in worse shape than the house I had in Buffalo.

Hell, my sister/brother-in-law just bought a house in Sherman Oaks CA, that house if it were in Clarance or Williamsville would run 300-400k; she paid 1.6 MILLION for it.

13

I know what you mean by like location… and how the value will raise… but im sure u can always get something cheap in any city right…

funny theblue… u say LA… my parents just bought a house in LA because it was sooo cheap they couldnt resist…

mayb only cause our money is more and economy what not… but its relative to americans in america and not to canadians buying inside the states…

14

LOL you have to be trolling right?

15

no, im serious! LOL shouldnt it just be like top 5 locations for job… cuz you can FIND cheap housing anywhere really… jobs… not so much…
cuz my parents bought the place in LA cheap. (relative to what it should be… yes technically it was a high price… but for what it USED to be worth… its cheap!.. its gone down in price by alot) < what i mean…

but u can take part of it as trollin :wink:

16

lol wrd

I will say as far as most places I have lived in the states price is always dictated by neighborhood and location so each city might have affordable areas and suburbs and the more desirable areas are really expensive. The neighborhood I lived in when I lived in Seattle was like 250k for a 500sq ft studio apt. 400k+ for a small 2br townhouse no off street parking and anything I would call a home was 750k+. But there were places many would call “Seattle” but were really 20-30min outside the city or in the hooooooooood that were much more affordable. I’m no expert but id gather that is how most places work.

Unless you are talking rust belt where everything is pretty cheap ha.

17

yes yes i agree with you there…
but…whats the rust belt… LOL

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i’ve heard for many years that Pittsburgh’s government has done a great job converting the economy from steel to a more diverse and metropolitan one. kudos to them. Hamilton needs to do that in a bad way.

in general housing in the US is way way down in the past couple years. Buffalo is at least half the cost of anywhere within 35 minute of downtown Toronto, maybe less. But yes it is ALL relative.

20

I did 4 years in PGH, most of it in the DT area or the immediate surroundings. I liked it, a lot. Columbus is a city with a lot going on, I was just there and did Comfest. Between OSU and the downtown area, it’s constantly getting fresh cash infusions. Austin is just a crazy town, appeals to my artsy-fartsy side.

Deerfield Beach sounds like a good choice once I cash out of this whole “working man” gig.