The United States is the Best Place to Live in 2011
Yes, when we go through he numbers the country with the highest average score over all nine categories was the United States with a total of 86.43 points. Considering the next four countries on the list, New Zealand (2nd), Malta, France and Monaco (5th) all scored very closely - between 75.14 and 75.92 - the U.S. really showed with quite an advantage - more than 10 pts ahead of 2nd place New Zealand. Now we did talk about the reasons for this in an earlier post - the fact the United States is so large and the diversity not just in terms of race, religion and the like but also the literally polar opposite ends of the scale when it comes to income and standard of living. No one can deny he U.S. has some of the wealthiest people and most expensive places to live on the planet while it also has some of the poorest and cheapest places to live too. As for the number well it's also true the U.S. is still the largest economy in the world and it has one huge and exemplary infrastructure system - yes, even with the pot holes in Detroit! It also scores high marks as a diverse and vibrant culture, a place of freedom, safety and a pretty reasonable cost of living. The United States has more miles of paved roads than anywhere else on the planet. It has more airports and airplanes. It's got tens of thousands of Doctors and hospital beds - provided you've got insurance to access them. Yes, looking at the numbers the U.S. has a while lot going for it!Cheapest Places to Live in the United States
Now just one of the underlying themes for this blog is - Discovering the Cheapest Places to Live. Over the year we have talked about the best states in the U.S. and in other countries that could be considered 'cheap'. Today let's take a closer look - a snap shot if you will - of the most affordable places to live in the United States right now.#1. Omaha, Nebraska
#2. Buffalo, New York
#3. Detroit, Michigan
#4. Indianapolis, Indiana
#5. Cincinnati, Ohio
#6. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#7. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
#8. Cleveland, Ohio
#9. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
#10. Houston, Texas
Source: Forbes America's Most Affordable Cities
