Most Affordable Towns

Looking for an affordable place to own a home? Think Garfield Heights, Ohio, or Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, or any number of the townships and communities clustered predominantly in America's industrial heartland. Nine of the 25 in the list can be found in Ohio alone.

To generate the list, we divided median family income by median home prices. The towns are ranked in order of their home-to-income ratio. And average prices are less than half the cost of hot coastal markets, such as Boston, San Francisco and Seattle.

Northbrook, Ohio
Median family income: $59,902
Median home price (2006): $83,760
This sleepy Cincinnati suburb has more than 11,000 people and some of the best housing buys in a region known for affordable places to live. Residents say they like the low-key living there, aided by a high percentage of home ownership. Northbrook is one of many Ohio communities benefiting from an influx of out-of-state buyers looking for investment properties. Prices, however, remain reasonable and the community has managed to maintain its character.

Blacklick Estates, Ohio
Median family income: $59,172
Median home price (2006): $83,480
A short drive from the flourishing state capital of Columbus, Blacklick Estates provides a pastoral setting with good schools nearby and a number of activities within walking distance.

Tonawanda, New York
Median family income: $51,819
Median home price (2006): $74,878
The town's name means "Swift Running Water" not "Crazy Real Estate Bubble." Tonawanda commonly refers to several towns in Western New York, but in this case we're talking about the two that run along the Niagara River with attractive affordable homes. Available there: A ranch with three bedrooms and two baths for $119,000 -- and that's on the high end. Values are easily found for under $100,000, making this region both beautiful and budget-friendly.

Shiloh, Ohio
Median family income: $54,079
Median home price (2006): $79,722
"Shiloh" is generally believed to be an Old Testament reference to the Messiah. Ohioans are so enamored with the name that they've given it to four towns in the state. We're focusing on the one in Montgomery County. The city has an abundance of neatly kept, smartly priced homes where fixer-uppers start in the mid-60s and where you can get a three-bedroom with garage for about $135,000.

West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Median family income: $52,771
Median home price (2006): $81,113
Just a few miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh, West Mifflin provides easy access to the greater metropolitan area with housing prices that are anything but big-city. Late-model split-levels go for $189,000, while wide open spaces can be purchased for a reasonable $50,000 an acre.

North College Hill, Ohio
Median family income: $52,482
Median home price (2006): $80,761
While this Cincinnati suburb dates to the year the Constitution was signed, you don't need old money to live there. Well-maintained ranchers and Cape Cods go for under $100,000, and you can pick up a newer four-bedroom for under $170,000. The Ronald Reagan Cross Country Highway provides fine transportation access but hasn't caused property values to skyrocket.

Maple Heights, Ohio
Median family income: $54,368
Median home price (2006): $84,597
This Cleveland suburb has been the beneficiary of some very ambitious local economic development initiatives, but housing costs remain well in line with what the locals can afford. Prices there tend to be a bit higher than other parts of the state -- a modest Cape Cod in the nicer part of town will run you $130,000 -- but Maple Heights is still well below the national average. There are plenty of bargains in the below-$100,000 range.

Kenmore, New York
Median family income: $59,875
Median home price (2006): $93,413
Kenmore joins the aforementioned Tonawanda to form a region the locals call Ken-Ton. The Buffalo suburb offers low-cost housing in low-crime neighborhoods. Decent single-family homes start around $70,000 there with many in the $150,000 range. More exclusive areas, like Deerfield Park, will cost you close to $300,000.

Penn Hills, Pennsylvania
Median family income: $54,022
Median home price (2006): $84,915
For an incorporated township, Penn Hills is sizeable with more than 40,000 residents, but the real estate market hasn't overheated. Decent homes in this Pittsburgh suburb can easily be found for less than $100,000, while impressive five-bedroom homes on sprawling properties can be had for about $300,000.

Brentwood, Pennsylvania
Median family income: $55,105
Median home price (2006): $86,878
Another in a long list of inexpensive, quiet suburbs in the Pittsburgh-Northeast Ohio corridor, Brentwood gets plenty of lake-effect snow but lots of heat from the local real estate market. Like its counterparts, you can get a decent fixer-upper or starter home in the $60,000 range, but you can also go upscale with the $300,000-and-up construction sprouting in the newer neighborhoods.

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