|
At the height of the Great Recession, Forbes.com said that Oklahoma City was the most recession-proof city in country. Two and a half years later, the magazine has given the city another top ranking.
Noting low costs of living and good jobs, Forbes named Oklahoma City as America’s Most Affordable City. The magazine also noted Oklahoma City’s unemployment rate well below the national average, 6.3 percent compared to 9.5 percent.
Forbes looked at all metropolitan statistical areas with populations of at least 100,000. They were ranked on the cost of a basket of goods and services, including groceries, healthcare and transportation, as of the second quarter of 2010.
The magazine also measured the monthly cost of housing as a percentage of household income. The average sale price of an Oklahoma City-area home in September was $158,755, up 6.7 percent from September 2009. The median price was $135,000 up 4.8 percent, according to the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors.
The ranking was the latest in a string of kudos for Oklahoma City. In October, Oklahoma City was named a Top 25 Performing City by the Milken Institute, No. 7 Best City for Income Growth by Portfolio.com, a top 5 Fastest Growing City by Forbes and a Top 10 State for Doing Business by Area Development Magazine.
The Boeing Co. recently announced plans to move 550 high-paying engineering jobs here. The company cited low costs of living and doing business and economic development incentives in the decision to move the jobs from Long Beach, Calif. |
