The August edition of Money Magazine has their annual best places to live results for 2007. Coming in at #1 is Mddleton Wisconsin, a suburb of Madison where typical single family homes are about $325,000. Unfortunately the average American household income is about $60,000/yr. which makes $325,000 a real stretch. With good credit scores and some savings the typical household income would probably be able to purchase approximately $200,000 worth of home in todays lending environment. Considering the average American household income, all of Money's top 10 best places to live are out of reach. From the article:

  1. Middleton, Wisconsin - Typical single family home: $325,000.
  2. Hanover, N.H. - $385,000
  3. Louisville Colo. - $310,000
  4. Lake Mary, FLa. - $325,000
  5. Claremont, Calif. - $700,000
  6. Papillion, Neb. - $250,000
  7. Milton Mass. - $440,000
  8. Chaska, Minn - $275,000
  9. Nether Providence (Wallingford), Pa. - $350,000
  10. Suwanee, Ga. - $250,000

There was a time not that long ago (~40 years) when a family could make a decent living in this country on one income. Those days are long gone, and what have we gained?