Minneapolis: Most Affordable Place to Live Well

According to Forbes Magazine, Minneapolis is the Most Affordable Place to Live Well. It comes as no surprise to those of us that live here...Access to Recreation, the Arts, great job opportunities and affordable housing are just a few of the things that make Minneapolis special to me. Most newcomers I speak with often seem surprised that we aren't all living in igloos, eating hotdish and muttering little more than "oh sure, you betcha."

What pushed Minneapolis to the top? Last quarter, 61% of the area's home sold were available to the median household earner, according to NAHB/Wells Fargo, which puts the City of Lakes in 17th place of the 50 cities we measured. Minneapolis ranked just under the median in cost of living. Its quality of life ranking most distinguishes it; here the city ranked third, and came in ninth in arts and leisure offerings.

Indeed, Minneapolis has top-notch cultural institutions, whether they be theaters, music halls or museums. The Guthrie Theater, for example, is considered one of the premier facilities in the country. The Twin Cities receive funding from local corporate foundations including those of Target (nyse: TGT - news - people ), 3M (nyse: MMM - news - people ), Best Buy (nyse: BBY - news - people ), General Mills (nyse: GIS - news - people ), Cargill and United Health, and from charitable institutions like the Minneapolis Foundation, which manages just under $700 million in assets.

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