According to MSN Real Estate, Peoria is one of the ten best places for starting over; i.e., Peoria is one of “10 midsize to large cities with the best job prospects and most affordable mortgage payments.” The list is:
- Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
- Kalamazoo-Portage, Mich.
- Rochester, N.Y.
- Oklahoma City
- Peoria, Ill.
- Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Ark.
- Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Bristol, Va.
- Columbus, Ohio
- Fort Wayne, Ind.
Here’s what they had to say about our fair city:
Employment gains in Peoria are setting it apart from some of its Midwest rivals. The city is working to grow small businesses with a technology incubator that opened in 2007.
A new entertainment project, The Block, with an interdisciplinary museum, theater, planetarium and The Caterpillar Experience will open along the downtown riverfront in the fall of 2012.
With an average home price of just $140,666, residents here can afford to take in all that the city has to offer on the weekends.
I think it’s interesting that they didn’t mention (for example) the recently-expanded Civic Center, which we have, but did mention “The Block,” which won’t be opening for more than a year. Regardless of what I think about the museum, this write-up makes Peoria sound like it doesn’t have much in the way of entertainment — and won’t until next fall. Why not highlight some of the amenities we already have?
Hat tip: homemade and happy