When it comes to bang for the buck, a dollar goes a lot further in upstate New York than it does in the big metropolis to the South.

Once an old industrial town, the city is now best known for being home to Syracuse University. While the town profits from the annual influx of students, population growth here is slow -- and that has kept home prices from heating up.

These days, spacious houses in good condition can be purchased for less than $100,000. With median incomes falling in the mid-$60,000 range that makes it fairly easy for most residents to be able to afford a home, NAHB/Wells Fargo found.