#7. Rochester
Home to the Mayo Clinic, the largest nonprofit medical practice in the world, Rochester, MN, provides an appealing, artistic atmosphere at a considerably affordable price point. The consideration? Well, the median household income in Rochester is $60,795, which puts most residents in easy reach of the average-priced home here and makes it one of the Best Affordable Places to Live. Most Rochester residents spend 26 percent of their monthly income on housing costs. That’s below what many mortgage experts recommend. Transportation costs in Rochester are also low, while other living expenses come in at or slightly above what they are in most major cities.
Why Rochester, MN is a Top 100 Best Place to Live
Things to Do in Rochester
Among the best restaurants in Rochester is a place called Cheap Charlie’s, but don’t let the name fool you. Charlie’s is known for serving generous portions of comfort food. Festivals and special events, art galleries, theater troupes, and performances by the Rochester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale help keep residents highly entertained and make Rochester’s cultural scene worth checking out. The city’s Park Division manages more than 100 parks, totaling over 3,500 acres, giving the people who live here many options for staying active and getting outdoors.
Can you believe they’re doing THIS in Rochester?
Employing more than 30,000 people, the Mayo Clinic anchors the economy in Rochester, but companies like IBM, supermarket chain Hy-Vee, and Crenlo, a maker of cabs and enclosures, provide hundreds of jobs.