Its like a thousand now here in the south for any kind of place market rate. Sometimes a house or duplex is cheaper. But Arkansas is the very last in the Nation with Rentors vs Landlords. I am in a federal housing so it is kept to Federal Standard that is acceptable. The last two places other than my previous house and lands were not acceptable at all on the arkansas rental scene.
I don't worry about this race or that race but here you will probably find that different peoples keep to themselves in a manner of speaking. The trick is to find a really small town (Less than 1000 people) where hardly anything happens. Getting mail would be the most exciting time of day other than going food shopping. But you will be paying for everything that the land lord will not pay. And then some. Its pretty bad in the market for those seeking to rent here. Now if you had some form of deafness or other challenges to your personal living or disabilities then a Federal Housing is the very best way to go. You are assessed 30% of your income whatever it is for rent up to certain income limits depending on how many other than yourself is living there. In some ways it's not as nice as a paid for home with land and no debts etc. But life does not always stay in the same path whatever the future is going to hold.
We are approaching a time where if the Landlords and Owners of those buildings across the USA simply do not have money, they will go back to what I remember from the 70's in the NYC bronx. Burn it. And walk away from it. Better to burn it and leave the smoking pile and take up something else in life like working in a McDonalds with no responsibility other than to be on time and to do a good job fixing food right. So to speak.
I consider the entire USA home. I could talk about any number of places around the USA, however I am biased with one view and have to say that sometimes wherever you go there you are again. Whatever it might be. Be very careful where you go in the USA. Things are changing faster than even I could keep up with. I looked back at the old Baltimore block where I was a child. All of those peoples are dead and gone, The businesses that for generations supported the area, the people and provided productive and profitable work poof. Out of business as of covid 2020. Whats left? VERY DEEP VIOLENCE, Extreme Survillence Cameras (I counted 50 near a traffic light corner...) and just smoke pot shops and alcohol stores. Everything else was crumbling. Falling down by nature because the people cannot afford to live in those homes anymore. Some of those places stood 150 years. But now must fall down because they are rotting with no one in them. And the crime is unacceptable.
I hate to pick on baltimore so much. Its not ALL bad. But again you would need to be very careful where you go and what you are getting into. One idea is to learn what cities pay for shotspotters. Little Rock does. They signed a 300,000 dollar annual contract for shot spotters. There is enough shooting, killing and hurting by gun that the system is what the Law uses to catch the gangs and criminals who just shot someone. Or several someones. I don't recommend little rock at all, especially at night. However, if you were careful it's POSSIBLE to find a spot somewhere that might fill some of the needs and wants you crave. The grass is not necessarily greener here than there.
Good luck!
One reason I left Maryland is that many counties could not be bothered to provide adequate housing for those who are priced out of the rental market locally. And its a form of discrimination practiced by those who have to keep the riff raff like me out. So they never build Federal Housing at all, they do not build or support anyone with disabilities and so on. It can be a very cold empty place that is very cruel and heartless towards those who have nothing. And worse working at minimum wage living with 10 others sharing the same rent in some shack somewhere downtown at market rate. And you wonder why people today do not sometimes feel that they are finding a place to call home.
I can think of far worse places to go, particularly as what I am personally I would be killed because I do not belong. Its that simple. So again be careful what you pick. Learn as much about a place as you can before you move.
