CONTENT WRITING
Brief
Blog post highlighting affordable cities in the US for millennials
Tone
Informal and humorous
Audience
Age 25-40, young urbanites starting their careers
Destination
Website similar to Buzzfeed
Cool cities that wonât break the (piggy)bank
âWondering why youâve stumbled onto yet another list of affordable places to live in the United StatesâŚ? Perhaps because thereâs a nasty affordability crisis going on and its hitting millennials, hard. If you donât know what that means â itâs probably because you were born before hip-hop and reality tv. But just to avoid any confusion and an overuse of meaningless jargon, letâs just say weâre in trouble. Itâs becoming increasingly difficult for young people to find ways to survive in the countryâs best cities â you know the ones with the gorgeous beaches, booty-shaking nightlife, exhilarating art scenes, open-minded civic culture, a smorgasbord of food choices and a plethora of jobs in fields we tend to excel in, i.e., everything from cutting-edge technology to instagram stories.Â
There are many possible reasons for this. And in true human fashion, some older people would like to place blame at the feet of the victims. According to some of them, we canât afford to survive because weâre just plain lazy. Or because we want everything instantaneously. The first explanation accusation I will treat with the contempt it deserves. As for the second, well itâs rather difficult to argue with. Although I will add that itâs not exactly our fault. We didnât invent the internet and instant messaging after all. I think much more relevant to the questions of affordability are the following: the rise in college debt (not our fault), the above-inflation rise in home prices (not our fault), the Great Recession (definitely not our fault) and the rise of neoliberal polices (Iâm looking at you Reagan).
Chances are you already know all this. But I come with good tidings: Fear not; all is not doom and gloom! While some of us sit in our parentâs basements conspiring the coming revolution (where I imagine the guillotine being replaced with a twitch-hunt), I have compiled a list of some of the more affordable places in the country for young people to begin building alternatives to one day eclipse the mess we grew up in â or where we can just Netflix and chill. These places may not have everything their older, richer cousins do, but they are bringing sexy back in their own way. Who needs a subway and $12 beer anyway?
Named after the Ancient Egypt metropolis and bordered on one side by the majestic Mississippi, this city has a music history as diverse as this great nation and a fantastic location at the heart of the South. Granted it does have a little dark history being the site of MLK Jrâs assassination and all but which city doesnât have a few skeletons in its closet. Otherwise itâs booming with cultural offerings such as Sun Studio which is linked to Johnny Cash and Elvis; the National Civil Rights Museum; Presleyâs home, Graceland; a drive-in cinema; as well as many blues clubs and Memphis barbecues. For the outdoor lovers there are five state parks within a two-hour drive. And did I mention itâs fantastically affordable?! The average median home cost is well below the national average and renting a one-bedroom will run you below $800 on average. All-in-all, Memphis is a good choice for those of us looking for affordable rents, real music and ribs.Â
Itâs a warm summerâs night in the French Quarter. An obscure figure crosses the narrow street to stand illuminated under a street lamp. He sets down the heavy black object he is carrying. Opening it gently, he carefully removes the instrument hiding inside. Bringing the shiny metal to his pursed lips, he exhales smoothly into the mouthpiece, his life force flowing through the tubes to produce a melody carried off into the night. After a few more lines, another lone figure appears under the street lamp and joins in the nocturnal serenade. The duet attracts a few more musicians, one at a time, until the sounds of a full, impromptu jazz concert resound between the centuries old walls. Couples start to dance along, spurred on by the sweetness in the night air. This is New Orleans folks â filled with music and magic. This three-hundred-year-old port city was founded by the French, built by their slaves, bought by America and immortalised by jazz. Famous for creole cuisine, voodoo and Mardi Gras, people in this fascinating city know how to eat, drink and be merry. Despite ongoing racial tensions, this a multicultural city home to the histories and living cultural traditions of many different groups who continue to celebrate them. The city is also home to a burgeoning film industry and generally has a lot to offer creatives. Though it has gained in popularity in recent years, and has therefore become more expensive than it once was, New Orleans is still affordable for those of us looking for history, culture and a stiff drink.
From industrial powerhouse to borderline bankruptcy, this midwestern town has seen its fortunes rise and fall substantially over the years. It gave us the automobile, white flight, Motown and techno. It also gave us Madonna. Following years of depopulation, financial mismanagement and the effects of that pesky Great Recession, Detroit has started to turn itself around and has begun attracting many young people back into city limits. While it still faces many challenges, notably related to unequal access to the fruits of the new boom, many residents hope that the current changes will continue to bring good fortune and spread it around. Attractions in or near the city include the Detroit Institute of Arts â an impressive art museum with one of the largest collections in the country â and the Great Lakes, some of which feature such spectacular white sand beaches you can almost believe youâre in Miami. While it does require a lot of imagination and even more hard work, this flowering city is perfect for those pioneers who arenât afraid of a challenge, or 7-month-long winters.
Mormons wishing to escape persecution for their beliefs â especially those related to the practice of polygamy â fled to the Salt Lake valley and founded this city in the 1800s. Though the Church of Latter-day Saints officially abandoned polygamy at the turn of the 20th century, this did not stop the fantastic run of Sister Wives on TLC. Salt Lake City, however, is more than just Mormon history. Being surrounded on three sides by sister-mountains and by the famous salt lake on the fourth (the original rocky mountain gangbang), itâs a nature loverâs dream. The city has also grown to include large Latino and LGBTQ+ communities. A thriving food, craft brewery and âartisanal' wine scene will be sure to please the inner hipster that lives in almost every one born after 1985. Then thereâs also skiing, hiking, water sports on the salt lake, botanical gardens and many other outdoor actives for both winter and summer. And Utah itself is drop-dead gorgeous, serving as the backdrop for many Western film shoots. Salt Lake City also boasts one of the countryâs remaining drive-in movie theatres (maybe this should be a criterion to make this list). Over all, Salt Lake City is a great option for those who like wide spaces, outdoor adventures and the Wild West.
Home to the worldâs busiest airport and some of our favourite hip-hop hits from the naughties, Hotlanta is a magnet for contemporary culture. From theater and street art to music and festivals, this thriving Southern city has something for all the art lovers. It has so many trees it is considered âa city in a forestâ. Despite a strong reliance on cars, it has good transport infrastructure for a city of its size and scale. From that airport we mentioned earlier you can find good deals to get you to Europe or South America, and beyond, in the blink of an eye. And while itâs not directly on the coast, the closest beaches are less than a five-hour drive away. Because of its combination of good job opportunities, green spaces, infrastructure, moderate rents and a lively art and music scene, Atlanta is a good choice for those of us looking for an interesting larger city.
Looking for Parisian sophistication, Venetian romance and Florentine art? Then you definitely wonât like this neon-flooded shrine to mass culture and overindulgence. Located in a desert that is so hot it may as well be the seventh circle of hell, Las Vegas is known mainly as a mecca for hedonistic tourism. While all they say about Sin City may be true, it is also one of the more affordable places to live in the western half of the country. Besides affordability, Las Vegas also offers an excess of entertainment activities, for all tastes, countless restaurants and buffets and hiking hotspots only a short drive away. Los Angeles and the coast will you take four hours driving, for those who crave big city trappings and lazy beach days. If you feel like living the college life till kingdom come, this oneâs for you.
Austin has risen in ranks the last few years to reach its place in the Holy Hipster Trinity, along with Williamsburg and Portland. While the Texan capital has gained massively in popularity (and price), it still remains relatively affordable while offering lots to see, do and eat. Plus everything is supposedly bigger in Texas. With its myriad bars, pubs, cafĂŠs, food trucks, and breweries (in case you thought I was joking about the hipster thing), it offers almost never-ending opportunities to eat and drink. But lest you think this is where its charm ends, Austin also boasts many theaters, music venues and events, including the SXSW Festival â making it a cultural capital in its own right. It has so many music venues, it claims to be the âLive Music Capital of the Worldâ â it seems hyperbole is certainly bigger in Texas. In what may be Austinâs offering on the altar of Hipsterdom, some residents have adopted the mantra âKeep Austin Weirdâ to protect its intangible cultural heritage of people doing whatever the hell they want. Unfortunately, a company managed to trademark the slogan and is trying to prevent people from making unlicensed t-shirts. Will the madness of late capitalism ever end?!?! To say the least, Austin is an interesting place with a warm climate, surrounded by nature and filled to the brim with weirdos, perfect for those looking for adventures of all sorts.
For those of us who absolutely cannot live without the beach, here is one coastal city that wonât steal your money and give you nightmares just for the privilege of sleeping there. Quite literally oozing with history and Southern charm, Savannah plays host to some of the most beautiful colonial architecture on the East coast. Containing 22 park-like squares and mansions that will have you saying âoh my" in a leisurely Southern drawl, it really is dripping with beauty. For those interested in the history of the city, there are countless museums and monuments, including tours depicting slave life as it was hundreds of years ago. While not as strong on its nightlife offerings as other places on this list, Savannah makes up for it with gorgeous beaches including the beautiful Tybee Island. If the coastal life is what youâre looking for, Savannah might be the one.
