Montgomery made a Forbes list as the 8th best metropolitan city to buy a home, amongst other cities that have experienced population decline in recent years.
The city of Montgomery's Facebook page posted the report with mixed comments from residents, some of which have either been deleted or removed.
Forbes studied 100 metropolitan areas with a population of at least 100,000 to identify the top 10 most affordable cities for homebuyers.
Forbes combined the median income of cities, average home costs, food, utility, and median real estate taxes to determine the top 10.
Montgomery was listed in 8th place, beating Buffalo, N.Y., and coming in under Milwaukee, Wis.
Montgomery has a median salary of $39,505 and a median home listing price of $192,000.
Montgomery had the lowest median real estate tax among the top 10, with an average of $512.
Alabama had the second lowest average state income tax in the top 10 (3.67%), coming behind Tennessee (1%).
One common theme among many cities listed by Forbes is population decline in recent years.
Detroit, Mich. (first place) had some of the steepest population decline in the nation between 2000 and 2016.
Cleveland, Ohio (second place) was listed as one of the top five cities for population decline in 2000 and 2010.
Toledo, Ohio (third place) experienced the third-highest population decline in the nation in 2010.
Memphis, Tenn. (fourth place) and Kansas City, Mo. (10th place) were the only listed cities that had experienced population growth in recent years.
Baltimore, Md. (5th place) lost 593,490 between 2018 and 2019, the fourth highest in the nation.
Montgomery has not experienced a population decline as severe as the other cities, but surrounding areas have experienced growth at the same time.
According to Census Bureau information, Montgomery's population fell 2.5% between 2010 and 2020, mainly amongst whites. Meanwhile, neighboring areas grew in population in the same period. Pike Road grew 74.6%, and the Autauga County population grew 7.8%.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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