Community | July 19, 2009 | 5 comments

Where To Live Cheaply

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phukitol
Centuries ago, Native Americans discovered a pleasant spot on the banks of the Merrimack River. They called it "Namoskeag," which translates loosely to "the good fishing place." The anglers have long since passed on, and the locality is now better known as Manchester, N.H. Time to add another title: best cheap city in the U.S.

The Manchester-Nashua metro area ranks first on our list of America's 100 Cheapest Places To Live. Among the U.S. cities with the most affordable housing and lowest cost of living, the Queen City offers the best combination of safety, employment opportunity and general quality of life. Once an industrial mill town, Manchester (pop. 402,000) has reinvented itself as a haven for those repelled by the high price of living and doing business in other New England states.

"You have a lot of Massachusetts companies going there because of the low cost," says Eduardo Martinez, senior economist at Moody's Economy.com. "It makes sense for companies to scout that out as a location. The tax situation is a lot better."

A lot better--there are no sales or income taxes in New Hampshire, fitting for a state whose motto is "Live Free or Die." Though the lack of taxes hasn't lured many corporate headquarters, Martinez notes that it has convinced companies like BEA Systems ( BEAS - news - people )--which already has a large presence in Boston--to set up back-office operations in the Granite State.
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5 comments // Where To Live Cheaply

  • jh64487
  • jh64487
  • phukitol
  • phukitol
    • 0
      phukitol  

    • As a New Hampshire resident (my entire life) and having lived in both cities, I say this whole thing is a load of crap and Forbes has their head(s) stuck up their asses.

      Quality of life?

      When I lived in Manchester I watched homeless people on a daily basis go through my trash....while paying $900 for a 2 bedroom that didn't include anything. Since then the unemployment rate in NH has risen that much higher and there are not enough jobs, or new jobs coming in.

      The fact that NH doesn't have all these taxes actually sucks for the people that live here...because if you ever need any kind of government assistance (unemployment, food stamps, housing vouchers, so on and so on) you're going to get the squat compared to our neighbor Massachusetts.

      Back to the topic at hand....I wouldn't call it cheapest place to live, not by a long shot. Safety? Stay off the streets named after tree's in Manchester (and there are a lot of them), maybe you'll be ok...but OH they forgot to mention, that's where the low income apartments are -- where you can walk or take the bus to your shit paying 8 dollar an hour job -- Silly Forbes, take your data and stick it where the sun don't shine.

    • 2 years ago
  • Debrinconcita
    • 0
      Debrinconcita  

    • Now that this story get's out, about being the Cheapest Place To LIve, it won't be anymore. In the next few years it will be flooded with people. I hope not, for the sake of the people that live there. I know my town of Portland Oregon, has gotten so over populated, their hardly enough housing for the people that are from here now. Thanks to all the Foreignor's, and Out of State people that have moved here now! I'm thinking of leaving now, maybe over there to NEW Hampshire, HERE I COME!

    • 2 years ago
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