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Is there a "text book" standard of living definition?
I grew up in a somewhat better than modest single family house in Teaneck, New Jersey.
My neighborhood was statistically safe, but quite educational. I met people from all walks of life, all economic backgrounds & I never felt sheltered. It was all there in front of me to make an educated decision.
It was your choice (not forced upon you) the direction you wanted to take your life.
Harvard/Princeton U, construction, drug dealer, teacher, middle management, CEO, artist, poet.................... And it would all relate to my neighborhood.
I would not trade my childhood for a sheltered, mansion type existence at all. Keep mom & dad buying you a Benz.......... I'd rather have the life experience.
That is a wonderful standard of living in my mind.
For people saying Houston and Dallas. Now try locating where those houses are. They aren't in exactly desirable neighborhoods, and also the houses for that price (mainly houses with 3-5 bedrooms and 2-3 bathrooms) tend to be really cramped and small.
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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Probably most of PA. I teach kids in the south Bronx, and I run into some students who are moving to PA. They're dirt poor in NYC, but can live an ok middle-class lifestyle in many areas of PA. One parent I spoke to today said she's looking to move to Reading, PA this summer. Most places in the country are a step up from the neighborhood where I teach.
Probably most of PA. I teach kids in the south Bronx, and I run into some students who are moving to PA. They're dirt poor in NYC, but can live an ok middle-class lifestyle in many areas of PA. One parent I spoke to today said she's looking to move to Reading, PA this summer. Most places in the country are a step up from the neighborhood where I teach.
With the possible exception of Reading. I would venture that OVERALL, The Bronx is in better shape than Reading is.
As far as major metro areas I would say Indianapolis. The National Association of Home Builders puts out a Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). It compares big cities by taking the median income for that city and determining what % of the houses in that city are affordable by someone making that median income. For Indianapolis it was 94.8% as of 2009. Other big cities came in at:
St. Louis 86.2%
Atlanta 82.9%
Phoenix 81.2%
Denver 79.0%
DC 78.1%
Dallas 75.7%
Boston 72.9%
Houston 71.9%
Chicago 68.7%
Philly 61.2%
San Diego 58.8%
Seattle 57.0%
Miami 49.6%
LA 42.1%
San Fran 32.1%
NYC 21.5%
Cities like Boston and DC had exceptionally high median incomes and exceptionally high median home prices. But anyway, if middle class means middle of the road means median income, there you have it. In Indianapolis you tend to have more money left over after paying the mortgage to afford a nicer standard of living.
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