I'm surprised it works much at all. The main draw such places have is lower cost-of-living, but in my experience and observation, the companies that locate the

I'm surprised it works much at all. The main draw such places have is lower cost-of-living, but in my experience and observation, the companies that locate there pay significantly lower salaries, so you end up not having any more after-rent pay than living in a metro area. Worse, you're tied to this job, so if the job doesn't work out for some reason, now you have to pack up and move. Also, finding places to rent in such towns can be hard, and buying a house is probably a bad idea because if the town is that much on the brink, you don't want to buy something that you won't be able to sell if the company folds and the town implodes.