Guide to Several of the Lowest Cost of Living Places
Louisville, Colorado
Louisville, Colorado is the top choice of CNNMoney.com’s 2009 list lowest cost of living places. The city—not to be confused with the more famed Louisville of Kentucky—has 18,800 residents and a six percent unemployment rate. The CNNMoney.com report notes that sometimes towns near the Rocky Mountains have an avalanche of “pretentious hipsters.” However, Louisville is not considered such a community even though it is just one hour’s driving distance from Rocky Mountain National Park. Keeping fit is easy when living in this part of Colorado, as Louisville offers more than 30 miles of trails for hiking and biking. That’s no easy fear for a relatively small town. The crime rate is low and the public school system is well-ranked.
Lake St. Louis, Missouri
Lake St. Louis, Missouri is a small town outside the major metropolis of St. Louis. CNNMoney.com ranked this community number nine in 2009. The report describes the town as “friendly.” Visitors and residents to Lake St. Louis can enjoy all the water sports that go along with the presence of two manmade lakes. However, the job situation is a bit shaky and may eventually cause this relatively young town some economic problems. The unemployment rate, already a little higher than desirable at nearly eight percent, is expected to spike even higher. The town’s General Motors plant was slated to lay off half of its 1,800-member workforce. However, the CNNMoney.com report also ends on a hopeful note; the concentration of healthcare employers in Lake St. Louis and neighboring communities will likely cause an increase in those types of jobs in the next four years.
Milton, Massachusetts
Native East Coasters or those who wish they were might want to flock to Milton, Massachusetts. Though just a few miles from Boston, the community ranked number five in CNNMoney.com’s 2009 list of lowest cost of living places. This is no easy honor as metropolitan Boston consistently remains one of the most expensive places in the world.
Milton, which has 25,400 residents, stays true to the historic character of this part of Massachusetts. The community features numerous historic homes, gardens, parks and playgrounds. A historic trolley even takes those choosing to commute to jobs in the city of Boston to the subway station. However, those hoping to work in Milton can likely choose from one of the community’s 5,000 jobs. The bad news is housing prices are starting to increase, making it harder to find great bargains on home ownership as each year passes. This might be something to consider if your personal spending plan and visions include home ownership. However, some people looking for a nice and affordable place to live might not want to deal with the potential expense and headaches of purchasing a home.
