Nice, inexpensive places to live in the U.S.

[Narz]

Hey, whats up CFCers? Recently I've been thinking alot about the future. I have a car now and a enough money to survive a few months without working. This summer I want to explore the states and possibly move.

I am originally from New York, now living in the outskirts of Los Angeles County. I like many aspects of living near an urban center, convienience mostly. I do NOT like traffic, pollution, too many people and especially the high cost of living. Right now I am sharing an apartment with this woman I met in the classifieds, she's pretty nice (although the two women I lived with before moving here were real *****es!) but I dream of my own place, my own land, etc... I suppose thats the American dream huh?

Anyway, I remember looking through some paper and seeing land "for sale" in North Dakota or someplace for only $8000 or something like that. Also ND gets real cold in the winter, I hear.

I was thinking of exploring the Southern States, never been there before, I would probably enjoy what I have heard are people's pretty laid back lifestyles (I tend to be pretty stressed most times but by nature I don't think I am really this way).

What places to you guys recommend I look into? What about your own community? Whats the average cost (to rent) of say for example a two-bedroom, one story home on a little bit of land? Also, anyone know any good sites to find info like this? I am curious. Thanks guys!

Man, the Internet is cool!

- Narz

 

[Flak]

Oklahoma has a lot of beautiful land. It's very underpopulated and the people there are wonderful. You would immediately be a neighbor. When I moved from Oklahoma (not a lot of engineering there) I lived in an apartment of about 1200 sq ft. and paid $200-250 for it over a period of 5 years. This isn't hard to find, especially in the smaller towns (which is most Oklahoma). Check it out. There are tons of resources on the internet. Good luck.

 

[onejayhawk]

Get away from large cities, the coasts and the mountains and land becomes very inexpensive. Consider well your choice of contractor for the construction.

J

 

[allan2]

I was about to toot the horn for my home state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities, but I take it you don't like cold, so for about five or six months anyway you'd not like it here (but it's usually a DRY cold, so it doesn't feel as bad sometimes).

So I'd say the Southern states are best for you, especially considering that in terms of cost of living, that region is among the cheapest in the country, even in the cities. I don't really have long-term experience with cities in the South (just rural areas), I've only really visited (as a tourist) cities like New Orleans, Orlando, Atlanta, and San Antonio (well I did my Navy QM training in Orlando, but that was just for two months and I didn't have to worry about rent), but I've heard costs are pretty cheap. New Orleans can either seem totally crime-free, or the murder capital of the world, depending on what area. But you'll eat well in that city! Don't know if I'd really want to live there or not, but ever since my first visit I've always had a thing for that city.

One city I HAVE lived in that has a very cheap cost of living though, is Baltimore. When I lived off St. Paul Street near Johns Hopkins University, actually one of the nicer parts of the city IMHO, I paid $375 a month for a rather classy (hardwood floors) one-bedroom apartment. My efficiency here in Minneapolis costs more than that, even "adjusted for inflation" I suspect. Of course, Baltimore is a city you'd probably either love or hate (well, maybe both, like for me)--parts of the city are pretty depressingly bad, the worst slums I've seen in this country, and whether or not you live in those parts you'll inevitably drive through them, because they're everywhere. The overall feel of the city is blue collar, which I liked, but that's not everybody's cup of tea--and there IS kind of a staid feeling that goes with that, too. But the nightlife is superb (well, not compared to New York, but better than many cities including Mpls--check out Fells Point by the harbor).

One thing about the East Coast though, is that there generally is more rain, and more rainy days, than what is to my liking. Long days of drizzle.... Pittsburgh is a very interesting city I've also lived in (though more expensive than Baltimore), but it particularly suffers from the chronic drizzle. Haven't been there in almost ten years now, but it was a fun city to go to college in (I went to Pitt).

 

[Cecasander]

I think northeast Alaska would't be so expensive
Only you have to build your own house... or an iglo

 

[allan2]

Originally posted by Cecasander
I think northeast Alaska would't be so expensive
Only you have to build your own house... or an iglo

Actually from what I understand Alaska is one of the MOST expensive states to live in in the US--something to do with shipping just about everything into there from elsewhere, like food.

But yes, I'd love to have a few acres in "America's last frontier"--preferably along the south/southeast coast though, where winters are actually more agreeable than they are in Minnesota....

 

[Smaasnekje]

Buy a tent and live on the beach

 

[SunTzu]

Arkansas is very nice, hmmm in my little city of 30,000 souls i do believe u can get a 2 bed room, 1story house with your own front and backyard, for like $400/month. If your renting it from someone.
You could always buy land outside of West Memphis, and build a house on there lol.
Its a good area to live in, since its not big, and u have Memphis, TN a big city just 5-7 miles away.

Weather is pretty good, it can get pretty HOT in the summer, i think last summer we had a drought of like a month with temps above 100 for nearly the whole time. But even during a drought we don't have any water restrictions

Fall and Spring is great, temps in the 50s-70s and its always breezy, winter isn't that bad, usually gets from the 20s to the 40s.
Although this past winter it was in the 50s and 60s a few times, and it was also in the negatives a few times also, which is unusual.

 

[Archer 007]

Yep, some places in the South are pretty cheap to live in. Be warned, major cities are still costly.

Whatever you choose, have fun!

 

[china444]

COme on up to Michigan, where rent in the small towns is DIRT CHEAP. I live in a small town- ITS DIRT CHEAP!
Not much to do though, hmmmm... was i saying something?

 

[TubaGuy]

Don't go to Michigan, if your looking for good summers, so-so winters, and all the glamore of a land locked state (minus Lake Erie), come to Ohio, The Buckeye State, home of the 2002-2003 Football National Champions... Sorry I had to throw that in there.

 

[china444]

Baaah. Ohio Blows.
Would you rather see the crap town of Toledo or come to Detroit filled with casinos and right on the border of canada, incase we go to war, you can go right over to Windsor if you dont want to fight.
Michigan Rules.
Ohio Blows(chunks)

 

[TubaGuy]

I have to agree about Toledo, I lived in Columbus, which I might add was ranked in the top 10 cities for singles, but I moved to Cincinnati 2 years ago, it has it's problems down here (race riots and what not) but I plan to go to Ohio State so I'll be back up in columbus in about a year and a half anyway.

Oh and by the way I'm pretty sure that it's Michigan tha Blows.

 

[china444]

No. you are wrong
-------}Michigan

{-----------Ohio(DIE)

 

[TubaGuy]

No my friend it is infact you who are wrong. Ohio is a much better state. We are tied for first (with Virginia) for most presidents produced. We are home to one of the greatest amusment parks in the country (Cedar Point), if you like coasters that is. And once again we are home of the current NCAA football national champions, who beat your states sorry excuse for a team, trust me I was there.

So if your looking for a nice Mid-Western state to live in, I would go with Ohio. But if you ever had the urge to vist Michigan we have a saying here "Go North 'till you smell it, go west 'till you step in it.

 

[china444]

ANd ohh yeah those columbus blue jackets really overpower the redwings...
Final:
1. Michigan
2. Ohio
THAT IS IT.
(ps cedar point rulez!)

 

[TubaGuy]

The Blue Jackets are an expansion team, and lets face it in other pro-sports niether of us are very good,

In the NFL we have The Bangles and The Browns (I'm a diehard steelers fan by the way) and you have the Lions, and lets face none of those 3 teams are any good.

MLB We have the Reds and Indians, you have the Tigers, they all suck.

NBA Cavs and Pistons, need I say more?

But on Hockey you got us, Blue Jackets Suck

But in College Football....

 

[allan2]

Well, since everyone else's doing it, I guess I WILL toot the horn for my home state.

Well, you lived in New York, so the winter would only be a MINOR setback from there. A bit colder overall (well, LAST NIGHT it was ten below, but that's a bit unusual for March--snow and slushy crap on the roads is the norm this month, but it's early into March yet), but with, IIUC, less sheer volume of precipitation.

But the Twin Cities are, I think, a very quality place to live. As I mentioned last time, costs are a bit more expensive here than they were for me in Baltimore (but not at ALL in the same league as New York or L.A.), but pay scales are also higher here--and besides, for what you pay for, you GET a city with far lower crime than the norm ANYWHERE on the urban East Coast, very few (and not bad at ALL, compared to what I've seen elsewhere) "slums", lots of green space, lakes and lakeside recreation (summer AND winter), lots of ethnic diversity which is welcomed, a stronger-than-average economy, a solid work ethic overall, and of course those gorgeous classic summertimes that more than balance out, IMHO, the harsh winters. Oh, and of course the beautiful women of not just classic Scandinavian and Germanic stock, but of every hue that graces the skin of womankind .

As for the overall metro area, there's admittedly a bit of sprawl but I think the whole metro area could almost fit into L.A. proper (well, maybe not, but you get the idea of sprawl comparison). Anyway, not as much, but traffic to and from the burbs is starting to become a good-sized problem. But the bus system is good. However, I'd recommend living in either of the cities proper, Minneapolis or St. Paul. St. Paul is more the old-school, blue collar town while Minneapolis is a bit less that way and a bit more "hip" and dynamic (in ways we'd probably both find both good and bad ). I've often thought of looking for a place in St. Paul, but they're harder to come by, although cheaper (go figure). Anyway, both cities have character, while the burbs you can take or leave (unless you have a couple mil and a penchant for boating, then you can live on Lake Minnetonka).

In spite of the sprawl, within thirty minutes in any direction you're out in the country. Now in many directions that equals boring farmland, but to the north it means a gradually more wooded country, where the lakes seem to get bigger (and some actually are very big), the fishing gets better, and, well, you're in God's country, so what can I say? Some of the most pristine wilderness lies north of Duluth, which itself is just two hours out of the cities going nine over the speed limit of 70 . Check out the boundary waters, a good two hours scenic drive north from Duluth to Ely gets you to their gateway. Brainerd and Leech Lake are also gorgeous. Twin Cities folk call the whole area "Up North", as in "I got a cabin Up North" or "I'm going Up North this weekend"--summer AND winter, but summers are my favorite time for ME to go up there. To the southeast of the cities, along the Mississippi, is a landscape of wooded bluffs that is perhaps underappreciated, but very beautiful country (in a different way, as these are hardwood forests and rolling hills) still. Basically, if you have to get out of the city sometimes (I know I have to now and then), you've got some nice places to go not too far away.

So really, unless the reason you got out of New York WAS winter, you shouldn't let the winter scare you off from considering the Twin Cities. Now NORTH DAKOTA is a whole other story ....

 

[Narz]

Wow, thanks for all the input!

Posted by Smaasnekje
Buy a tent and live on the beach

It does sound somewhat appealing, I'd miss my cable modem service though!

Posted by SunTzu
Arkansas is very nice, hmmm in my little city of 30,000 souls i do believe u can get a 2 bed room, 1story house with your own front and backyard, for like $400/month. If your renting it from someone.

Wow, thats a great price. If I could convince my girlfriend to move out there with me we could probably get by working 2 weeks a month, that'd be sweet!

In response to Allan, I probably would enjoy visiting Minnesota, from how you describe it it seems pretty nice and I hear the people are pretty cool there. However, I just am really not a cold weather guy so I probably wouldn't want to be there year-round.

I've always wanted to visit New Orleans, my life since college has been rather isolated and I think that'd be a great place to relax for a few months (or more) and get to know some people again. Who knows I'd definitely be doing alot of driving and exploring this summer (I really hope gas prices go back down!!) so I'll probably see alot of places you guys have mentioned, even Michigan and Ohio

By the way, in late April or May I'm driving back East (from CA to NY), what cities/towns would you recommend I stop at along the way?

Thanks!

- Narz

 

[china444]

Originally posted by TubaGuy

NBA Cavs and Pistons, need I say more?

What the hell?
The cavs are like LAST in the Eastern Confernce and what are the pistons??
SECOND IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE.
Man, you need to lay off that strong Cincinatti Whiskey
PISTONS RULE
CAVS SUCK
Pistons- No. 2 in east
Cavaliers- LAST in east