We're Glad to Live in Wichita!
2008 MSN Real Estate best bargain markets 8/11/2008
By Melinda Fulmer, MSN Real Estate
Why
live in an expensive city when there are some great, affordable
treasures out there? Here's MSN Real Estate's list of the nine best,
livable cities where you won't need to trade the good life for the
boring.
If
your income doesn't top six figures, making it in big cities such as
New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco can be tough. It can take more
than a decade to save up enough money to buy a house; and even then,
the size of that mortgage payment might keep you up nights.
But
if you're willing to look beyond these urban hot spots to midsize
cities in the middle of the country, there are cheap places to live
where the economy is strong, home prices are appreciating and the
quality of life is good.
To develop the 2008 MSN Real Estate Most-Livable Bargain Markets list, we asked Bert Sperling of Sperling's Best Places to
evaluate the most affordable housing markets from the 100 largest U.S.
metro areas and pinpoint the nine most livable areas: places where
unemployment is low, commute times are short and there's enough
interesting entertainment or recreation to keep most people busy. We
defined affordability by the ratio of median income to median home
price.
Moving to one of these cities could allow you to "sell
your two-bedroom bungalow in Southern California … and buy a house on a
number of acres and suddenly have a nest egg you've never had before,"
Sperling says.
The
cities chosen for our list have a population of at least 500,000
between the major city and surrounding county. They range in size from
Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa., with a population of 525,380, to one of the
nation's largest metropolises, Dallas-Fort Worth, with a population of
6 million. Three are state capitals, and many have universities or
colleges to provide cultural amenities.
Here's a look at what
makes these cities in the middle of America great, and the drawbacks
you might find in moving from another area.
Wichita, Kan.
Wichita
is one of the most affordable places in the study, and has some of the
best numbers for employment and job growth, thanks to a boom in
agriculture and ethanol.
Houses are appreciating in value, even
in today's tough economy. And commute times are blessedly short. The
downtown area is being revitalized with new restaurants, shopping
centers and parks. Arts and entertainment facilities are stronger than
one might expect for a city this size, and the community feel is
strong. And there's a new convention center along the Arkansas River.
Wichita deemed a best place to live
Wichita Business Journal - August 23, 2006
Money Magazine has
included Wichita, which was also recognized by Forbes earlier this
month, as one of its top 10 places to live.
Wichita ranked in
the top 10 of big cities with more than 300,000 people. The August
edition of the magazine cited Wichita's economy, education and low
crime. It also pointed out that Wichita has more sunny days than
Daytona Beach or Honolulu.
Within the last
year, Forbes rated Wichita the No. 1 least expensive place to "live the
good life." Earlier this year, Kiplinger's rated Wichita in its top 50
"Smart Places to Live."
