[shrinkermd]

The chief criteria used in the selection were: housing affordability, cost of living index and best cultural, arts and sports.

[goldstategop]

Don't forget safety. High crime can diminish one's enjoyment of the pleasures of city life.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Mears]

Sorry,but I’m staying in the Northeast.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

North Dallas is always on the list. The only thing growing faster than the weeds are the homes (and the SOLD signs).

[frankjr]

There’s a reason those places are cheap...no one wants to live there.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Nice list...and a reminder that the unaffordable cities are that way for a very good reason. ;)

[the invisib1e hand]

ok, so, where’s the thread about the correlation between homicides and cost of living?

[Normal4me]

The top ten places I have no desire whatsoever to ever visit.

[ops33]

Thank God, Oklahoma City hasn’t been “discovered” yet!

[devane617]

I live in the north Dallas burbs and believe it is the best bargin in the country. Nice place to live, good schools, conservative (at least in my town), etc.

[mamelukesabre]

I did this research 10 years ago. None of those cities were on my list of cheapest places to live. The ones I remember were:

Vermilion SD
Brownsville TX
someplace in north Carolina, I forget
someplace in Louisiana, I forget
somplace in Wisconsin I think

The reason these places were so cheap to live in were, a) no jobs available, b) very low taxes(or nonexistent), and c)everyone’s trying to leave so housing costs are ridiculously low.

[toothfairy86]

As long as you don’t work or live “in the city”, the Pittsburgh area has a lot to offer. Otherwise, it has high taxes, high parking fees, and roads and bridges that are perpetually under construction.

[P8riot]

Atlanta? My sister lives in Duluth, GA (an Atlanta suburb) and works in Atlanta, she has a four hour round trip commute each day. No freakin’ way.

[VOA]

For the forum...
“cross-reference” to the top murder rate metropolises:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1923960/posts

[PennsylvaniaMom]

As a lifelong resident of the ‘Burgh it bugs me when Pittsburgh is misspelled. Please add the ‘h.’

[big'ol_freeper]

I can’t imagine anything more depressing than living in a city....any city. No thanks.

[Dreagon]

The trick to Houston is to live somewhere like Spring (North Houston). All the amenities, less of the problems that big cities have.

[CodeMasterPhilzar]

I've lived in Minnesota, and I wouldn't put Minneapolis on the list. It is the land of 10,000 lakes - and 10,000 taxes. Also, I'm no wimp - I lived there 12 years. But the winters are just brutal. Summers are hot, humid (did I say 10,000 lakes) and you can't go outside in the summer without bug dope. Blech.

I've also lived in Pittsburgh (note, 'h' on the end). As I understand it from relatives still living there - PA has become a joke as far as political corruption. Hard to enjoy life when you feel you're getting shafted every time you turn around. Although if you're weighting sports high, it is hard to beat Pittsburgh - go Steelers! ;-)

[Syncro]

Sounds good.

Everyone move there.

[Beagle8U]

“The chief criteria used in the selection were: housing affordability, cost of living index and best cultural, arts and sports.”

I wonder why Detroit isn’t on the list?

You can buy most any house there for the price of a used car. They have a hockey team and isn’t Rap an art form?/sarc.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Well Minneapolis is too cold (my dad came from way north of Duluth), and Cincinatti and St. Louis are too dangerous. Indianapolis, Dallas, and Atlanta are all places I have lived and are pretty civilized. I have driven through Houston, Columbus and Pittsburgh, and they seem tolerable, Pittsburgh seems to have cleaned up well. All I know about Millwaukee is that it seems to be a colder, cheaper version of Chicago, which is still a toddling (and expensive) town.