WGT, any place can make you money if you know the land and have good luck. When I first came to where I did in Croatia everybody (esp. locals) thought I was mad. I was fortunate that I had work lined up and when the contract ended had already picked up new projects. All the while the house I bought for a song more than doubled in price, but it could also have gone down. Anywhere is good so long as it has something for it, and ultimately, trust your own instinct when you're there (oh, and stick to 20% under your budget).