Texas Conservative Lobbyist News: Harlingen Texas Least Expensive Place to Live in America
The following article is a digest of an original article published at TM Daily Post. The Texas Lobby Group is posting this digest as a public service for all Texas politicians, Texas lobbyists, Government officials and consultants, and all other interested political parties.
Where is the least expensive place to live in America? Harlingen, Texas. Their favorable cost of living in recent years has lead to a population increase of about 12.5% since 2000, reflecting a nationwide attraction to, and need for, less expensive living. Since the recession, this has become even more of a factor for people when deciding where to live, or what job to take. The city is fairly small, having a population of about 65,000 people as of 2010. They have experienced a very slow and steady increase in population since 1920. Harlingen is about a thirty minute drive from the gulf coast, and is located in far south Texas near the Rio Grande border. Harlingen housing is remarkably inexpensive. Grocery and utility bills pale in comparison to larger cities.
“We have relatively low income in the [Rio Grande] Valley, including in Harlingen. We have fewer college educated folks” and hardly any high end retailers, says Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell. Still, the area is growing, Boswell says, and as it develops from an agricultural area into an economy based on light manufacturing and health care, prices may increase somewhat.”
Texas as a state boasts one of the lowest costs of living in the country. This has contributed to a large “migration” from other states, many have been making the move to Texas from California or one of the more expensive states to live in. According to price information from more than 350 urban regions, the cost of living in Harlingen is about 18% less than the national average. This makes living in Harlingen the least expensive option in the entire country. At the same time, these lower costs reflect lower income in the area.
A great contribution to this relatively inexpensive state is it’s hefty role in the oil and gas industry. While gas prices are still expensive, Texas has some of the more favorable gas prices in America. These low prices and expenses have lead to a great attraction towards Texas as a place to live inexpensively and well. Texas claims multiple top spots for the lowest cost cities to live in. Wichita Falls is number two in the nation, McAllen at third, and San Marcos is the tenth least expensive.