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Cheap Homes, Nice Towns: An Example

In Anaconda, Montana you can fly fish, go to a movie for three dollars in a beautiful old art-deco theatre (the 5th most beautiful theater in the country, according to the Smithsonian), drop some nickles in a slot machine (a dozen casinos), eat at a fine restaurant, stop by the bar for a dollar beer, and buy a house for sale under $30,000 - all within a four block area! There are good schools and churches, a library with fast internet service, and wildlife (including bears) a few hundred yards from downtown. Why Are There Cheap Homes for Sale?

The reason there are so many cheap Homes for Sale in Butte and Anaconda, is that there aren't many good jobs left. I personally found jobs in Anaconda easily-but not good ones. People left the area in the 80's especially, after the mines and smelters closed. This exodus has left one-in-seven "housing units" in Anaconda vacant, according to the U.S. census. This has driven down the prices of homes dramatically. Since both towns still have all the basic ammenities, are cleaner now, and are slowly recovering, they are great places to retire to or to move to if you have an internet or other non-location-based business.

The economic situation is the primary reason that you can buy a cheap house in many parts of the country. These are towns that have seen troubled times, but are often recovering, and with good reasons. Anaconda, an example we know well, now has a ski resort,a Jack Nicholas golf course, and beautiful mountain scenery. The houses cost four times as much if you go an hour in any direction, and those higher prices are bound to reach Anaconda eventually. Cheap Houses You Don't Want To Buy

On the other hand, there are towns like the one in South Dakota where we stopped for lunch. The bulletin board had ads for cheap Homes for Sale, placed there by desperate home-sellers trying not to be the last to leave town. There was a photo of a beautiful old five-bedroom farmhouse for $11,000. We looked up the deserted street as we ate, and noticed that most of the buildings were boarded-up. This was a town that was clearly dying, and didn't have anything to help revive it. Inexpensive homes are easy to find here, but I wouldn't take one for free. Cheap Homes for Sale In Paradise

Maybe paradise is too much to expect, but there are many wonderful towns, from Florida to Oregon, where there are cheap Homes for Sale. So what does a town need in addition to inexpensive houses in order to make our list? Well, the criteria are certainly subjective, but include at least the following: 1. Population between 4,000 and 80,000. 2. A good library. 3. A good grocery store. 4. A movie theatre. 5. Cheap houses: at least six for sale under $50,000. 6. The town "feels" good.