Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Most Affordable Places To Live Well (Ten Most Affordable Cities)
Forbes ^ | 6 November 2007 | Matt Wolsey

Posted on 11/10/2007 4:58:04 PM PST by shrinkermd

Triple-digit monthly parking fees, $12 movie tickets, clogged intersections and weekly grocery bills that rival some mortgage payments. Welcome to life in the Big Apple. And Los Angeles. And Chicago.

But, it's possible to enjoy such amenities without the hassles. Step one? Look for more affordable spots that offer a similar or better quality of life, and where the dollar goes far.

The Cities are:


(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: affordable; cities; topten
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 201-220221-240241-260261-272 last
To: Fiji Hill
I assumed that the reference was to Pittsburg, Calif., on the banks of the Sacramento River, which seems to be a pleasant place to live.

It's not. Lower-middle class blacks fleeing Oakland's and Richmond's crime wave moved there in large numbers in the 1990's...and their teenage kids brought the crime wave with them. Pittsburg/Bay Point and (increasingly) Antioch are kind of the armpit of eastern Contra Costa County, even though many of the surrounding areas are quite upscale.

On another note, I took a walk through downtown St. Louis, MO on a Sunday morning last fall...I've never seen a more deserted city. Everything was closed, and once I left the area near the Arch, there wasn't a soul to be seen. It doesn't really seem to be a city at all - just a place where a bunch of semi-tall buildings get used on weekdays. ;)

261 posted on 11/14/2007 11:51:09 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves ("Wise men don't need to debate; men who need to debate are not wise." -- Tao Te Ching)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 168 | View Replies]

To: MinnesotaLibertarian

Three little inner-city transplants tried to break into my house Monday night while I was at my Mother’s for her 90th birthday. Luckily, my neighbor was paying attention and chased them.

They’ll be back, and I’ll have something for them.


262 posted on 11/14/2007 12:17:49 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo (Carry Daily, Apply Sparingly.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 260 | View Replies]

To: MinnesotaLibertarian
all the beaches are crowded and there’s a ton of rules saying what you can and can’t do in the water.

That's why I would never live in NJ, ocean or no ocean.

I will live by the ocean where it is not crowded, even if it means going to Alaska or Canada.

I prefer the cold to being landlocked or mobbed.

263 posted on 11/14/2007 1:04:14 PM PST by Age of Reason
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 258 | View Replies]

To: ButThreeLeftsDo

I’ve never had my place broken into in St. Paul. How do you know these would-be burglars are from the Minneapolis or St. Paul? Sounds like crime is worse where you live than where I live.


264 posted on 11/14/2007 1:22:38 PM PST by MinnesotaLibertarian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 262 | View Replies]

To: MinnesotaLibertarian

Well, you do tend to heat up a bit playing hockey even at -40. I’ve been x-c skiing below zero and the problem is to not let yourself sweat your clothes soggy. Yes, you get plenty toasty playing outside.

It’s a different story inside sitting in a chair reading. In Cleveland where it only goes to -20, the furnace runs quite a bit. It it went to -40, it would run a lot more to maintain the same temp. I know a lot of the houses up there are super-insulated, though. But it probably still costs more to keep the house so you don’t have to wear a parka in the living room all winter. That’s what I meant.

I might be fine, but my wife has about a 2 degree temperature range. If the house temp goes outside of that range, I catch much grief.


265 posted on 11/14/2007 1:49:21 PM PST by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 250 | View Replies]

To: ASOC
I have been on the East Coast - don’t like big cities, period. And it seems that Pittsburgh seems to be one of the leaders in the “most murdurous city in the USA” sweeps so far this year. Nothing agaist you or those that choose to live in “the Pitt” - just not for this small town guy.

Pretty obvious to me that you are confusing Pittsburgh with Philadelphia. (Common mistake) They are 300 miles apart by road and several light years apart in terms of livability. Philly has become a hell hole of crime and official corruption. Pittsburgh is paradise by comparison. and IMHO, there is nothing wrong with the State of Pennsylvania that giving Philly to New Jersey couldn't fix.

One way to keep them straight is to remember that Pittsburgh has a football team that actually WINS Super Bowls. Philly just gets there once every 30 years or so and then chokes. ;~))

Pittsburgh has some problems like anyplace else, but it is actually a very nice place to live and raise a family. There is a lot to be said for it and one of those things is that it for the most part does even not feel like you are in a "big city". It is really a collection of small towns butted up against each other and people generally do have that 'small town' attitude about themselves and their communities.

266 posted on 11/14/2007 2:12:31 PM PST by Ditto (Global Warming: The 21st Century's Snake Oil)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 166 | View Replies]

To: MinnesotaLibertarian

We’re well aware of where our new neighbors have come from. We didn’t have this problem three years ago.


267 posted on 11/14/2007 2:48:18 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo (Carry Daily, Apply Sparingly.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 264 | View Replies]

To: Ditto

LOL

Thanks - from Alaska, they seem right next door to each other.

And why inflict more **** on NJ? They have enough trouble as it is...

I’ll keep an eye on the football games this year, ya never know...


268 posted on 11/14/2007 5:10:45 PM PST by ASOC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 266 | View Replies]

To: ASOC
Screw Jersey -— they deserve Philly. It would fit right in. ;~))

If you get to the East again, ping me. Pittsburgh is a town you’ll enjoy if you have the opportunity and I’d be glad to show you around.

It ain’t the smokey run-down mill town of Hollywood legend. It’s very different than that image.

269 posted on 11/14/2007 6:10:20 PM PST by Ditto (Global Warming: The 21st Century's Snake Oil)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 268 | View Replies]

To: MinnesotaLibertarian
I dunno...slid my way thru that 94, 494, 94, 494 slop using my California dodgeball tactics; left a whole bunch of cars with funny-looking loon license plates in "the ditch" in the rearview mirror.

Seriously - it's hard for us to think about Uffdaville when, like this morning, it's clear/calm/65 at dawn, with a forecast of upper 80's in mid-November (it actually exceeded the forecast by a degree or two)

California may be the most liberal state this side of yours, but at least we can tune politics out sometimes during the winter by just going outside and enjoying something other than a "snowbank chilled beer"***

***(got a kick out of that term when back there for a winter funeral....brother in law "warmed" some beer" by stuffing the Cold Spring Lager in a reachable drift just outside of the door....)

270 posted on 11/14/2007 6:59:20 PM PST by ErnBatavia (...forward this to your 10 very best friends....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 247 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Jeeves
It sounds as though the Italian fishermen of Pittsburg, Calif. have moved on.

Your description of St. Louis reminds me of East Berlin, which I visited a couple of times before the wall came down.

271 posted on 11/15/2007 6:31:13 AM PST by Fiji Hill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 261 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

Well, this is very interesting. Columbus and Pittsburgh? Aren’t those areas affected by....bitterness?


272 posted on 04/15/2008 7:49:55 PM PDT by JavaJumpy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 201-220221-240241-260261-272 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson