When you picture the community you want to settle into, what does it look like?

For me, it's cute, little suburb with tree lined streets, kids playing with their neighbors, lemonade stands on the sidewalks, potluck dinners, everything I need conveniently located near by, a cool nightlife...and here's the big one, it needs to be affordable.

Who wants to be house poor? Not me.

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The most affordable suburbs in the U.S.

The top 100 most affordable suburbs in the country have been named and two suburbs in New Jersey have made the Top 10. Wow. That's pretty impressive considering how many suburbs are in America...thousands, maybe even millions.

StorageCafe, who put together this best place to live list, says, "American suburbia has come a long way since its lackluster days, evolving into vibrant communities that can rival bustling urban centers.

In addition to offering larger homes, safe streets and access to quality education, many suburbs now also host cultural events, concerts and fine dining restaurants, as well as a growing job market, which is in turn fueling retail development and diversification."

Why I think New Jersey is the best state to live in

I've lived in the suburbs of New Jersey my entire life. In my opinion, New Jersey is the perfect place to settle down.

You get the best of both worlds. You have two major cities nearby, New York City and Philadelphia, that you can get to easily to work, dine, have fun, etc., but, then you can go home to the more quiet and more affordable suburbs of New Jersey.

So where are these suburbs that made this list of the best & most affordable in the country?

Landing at #8 of the Top 10 is Hackensack, NJ, in Bergen County.

Looks like the social scene is a good one.

The #9 spot went to Woodbridge, NJ, in Middlesex County.

Many good things going on here too.

Both are known for lower housing costs (in some spots half of what it costs to live in the city) with urban perks, according to the article.

To check out the entire list, click here.

Happy House-hunting!

LOOK: Average salary needed to get by in every U.S. state

According to data from GOBankingRates.com, The median salary across the U.S. a single person must make to get by collectively is $57,000. However, some states are far from that.

So how much higher or lower is your state to the national average, and which states are the top 10 most and least affordable overall? Let's find out.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

 

 

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