I saw this article in WSJ about Rockford, IL being the top housing market in the U.S.
Sorry if this is behind a paywall.
"Rockford is one of 11 Midwestern metro areas that dominate the top 20 in the
latest WSJ/Realtor.com Housing Market Ranking. The region’s relative affordability makes it attractive when home prices in much of the U.S. are near record highs. Three of the four top-ranked cities—all in the Midwest—had median home price listings in March below $250,000. That compares with the national median listing price of $424,900, according to Realtor.com.
"Another inducement: Homes in the Midwest are usually less vulnerable to natural disasters. Surveys show that wildfires, floods and hurricanes—and exploding insurance costs associated with these events—are a growing concern among home buyers."
"For the first time, the ranking also looked at the percentage of homes in each market that are at risk of being affected by extreme heat, wind, air quality, flood and wildfire over the next 30 years. (
News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com.)"