Best Affordable Suburbs: Midwest

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Wisconsin Wonder

Sitting just above Illinois and sharing the Western shore of Lake Michigan, the state of Wisconsin, known to many as the nation's leading cheese producer and the home of Miller beer, may now have another claim to fame—there are six Best Affordable Suburbs here, more than in any other Midwestern state.

The towns of DeForest, Wausau, Waukesha, Green Bay, and Sheboygan all make the top 25, but Appleton, Wis., stands out from the rest with a median home price of just $119,500, the lowest on our list. This small city (pop. 70,000) on the Fox River near Lake Winnebago is big on cleanliness and tough on crime—the violent crime index is 50. Appleton schools also stand out—the test score index is 110.3, vs. the state's average of 100.

It's an easy day trip to Milwaukee (89 miles), but you don't need to leave Appleton for jobs or entertainment. "It's still a small town, but we've got a lot of big-city conveniences," says Richard DeKleyn, a Coldwell Banker realtor and lifetime Appleton resident. Electronics manufacturing services company Plexus (PLXS) is based in nearby Neenah, and paper-product maker Kimberly-Clark (KMB) is a big employer. A touring production of the Broadway show The Lion King is currently playing in downtown Appleton's performing arts center, and this summer the city plans to throw a 150th anniversary bash.

But it's Appleton's truly affordable way of life that really reels in the out-of-state home buyers. "New York people especially like our prices," says DeKleyn, who recently sold a nearly new, three-bedroom ranch home for $189,900. "We even had some buyers from London a little while ago. They are so happy, they're going to pay cash."

BusinessWeek.com's slide show looks at the 25 Best Affordable Suburbs in the Midwest.

Roney is Real Estate writer for BusinessWeek.com.