Nationwide, home affordability has received a serious boost from the combination of falling home prices and falling mortgage rates. 

Today, because of the sagging economy, in most parts of the country, the cost of owning a home versus renting one is now very close to its historical average.

That said, though, near every major city, there are some neighborhoods in which home affordability and quality of life are stand-out.  Using real estate data from OnBoard Informatics, Business Week highlights these areas in a report it calls the "Best Affordable Suburbs". 

Now, the country's "Best Affordable Suburbs" doesn't list the nation's most affordable suburbs, but instead, a group of cities, towns, and villages in which the populace sits between five and sixty-thousand, and the economy, the schools, the lifestyle and the crime levels are all within a desirable range.

As concluded by Business Week, these are areas in which buying a home is a good value.

At the top of the list is Awake, Wisconsin, a suburb 20 minutes west of Milwaukee, prized for its outdoor lifestyle and healthy jobs market.  The complete 50-state listing is posted at Business Week's website.