By Herald-Whig
 
Posted: Oct. 13, 2017 8:40 am Updated: Oct. 13, 2017 9:20 am
QUINCY — Dr. Jessica Snowden Patel is at the leading edge of the millennial generation, recognized as those born between 1981 and 2001.

Now a clinical psychologist at Quincy Medical Group, the 36-year-old graduated from Quincy High School in 1997. She left Quincy for schooling, earned several degrees, married and lived in Chicago for several years.

“My husband (attorney Alok Patel) had a good job opportunity in Quincy, so we came here in 2010,” she said.

One of the first things the couple found was that homes were affordable.

“We owned a condo in the city of Chicago, and that 1,200-square-foot condo was twice as expensive as the 4,500-square-foot house we bought here,” Patel said. “And the condo was not in a good neighborhood.”

The home the couple now owns on Hampshire between 16th and 18th streets is the kind of historic house that’s rare in many other cities. In addition to the reasonable cost of housing, Patel said she thinks millennials should be attracted to Quincy because of the ease of travel.

“I can leave my home and be inside my office in three minutes,” she said. “Previously, it was a 2.5-hour drive for a 30-mile trip in Chicago.”

National real estate tracking company Ellie Mae recently reported that Quincy ranked seventh nationwide in a two-month snapshot among cities where members of the millennial generation such as the Patels are buying homes.