Monday, August 29, 2011

Indianapolis Tops The List!

Where Can You Get Your Best Bargain for a House and a Job?




It’s not always easy to find a great job and a reasonably priced home in the same area, especially in today’s economy. Deerfield, Florida is known for it’s affordable housing, but finding employment might be difficult.



States like Arizona, South Carolina, and Maine have a high cost of living and low earning potential, while states like Texas, Utah, and Nebraska are better cost-of-living bargains with higher wages. What are the best cities? They might surprise you.


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

No. 1 Indianapolis, Indiana
Yes, there’s more than corn in Indiana. This Hoosier city is the 12th largest city in the country, according to the 2010 Census and it received high marks for a wide range of offerings. It’s home to the Colts and the Indianapolis 500. There’s a romantic Canal Walk, clean downtown and it’s known as the Amateur Sports Capital of the World featuring the NCAA headquarters. Plus, the Racing Capital of the World as it is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Indianapolis has one of the lowest costs of living for a major metro area at nearly 18% less than the national average while the median price for a home is $120,000.

Plus there’s a solid job market in Indy, which has a wide range of pharmaceutical, scientific and tech jobs. Corporations like Eli Lilly and Company, Brightpoint, Finish Line, Roche Diagnostics, CNO, Emmis Communications, Steak ‘n Shake and many others. The jobless rate in Indianapolis is 8%, nearly 3-5% below the national average .




The other cities on the list in order of their ranking:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Omaha, Nebraska; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin-Round, Texas.
Second ranked, Pittsburgh was ranked No. 1 by Forbes in 2010 as their top most livable city for its culture scene and revitalizing job market, which includes a Google test site for the company’s new high-speed broadband network, has expanded its Pittsburgh offices.


Others on Forbes’ list include college towns like: Ogden, Utah, home to Weber State University, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Provo, Utah, and Manchester, N.H. because there is a constant job market demand thanks to the universities. Ogden ranked No. 2 on the Forbes list followed by Provo, which is just 80 miles away, since unemployment in the Ogden metro area is below average, incomes have increased by 3.4% over the last five years.




What to Look For?
If you’re looking to move, make sure you check out an area that has the potential for steady or increasing incomes and a job market which allows housing to remain affordable.

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