Connecticut Magazine Rates State Cities and Towns (Part 2)

CT Magazine Rates State Cities and Towns

This is the second in a four part series highlighting the rating of  Connecticut cities and towns by Connecticut Magazine. In our first post, we focused on the largest cities in our state, those with populations of 50,000 or more. To recap, the publication set the following criteria for the rankings:

They first sorted the localities into four groups based on population:

• 10,000 – 15,000
• 15,000 – 25,000
• 25,000 – 50,000
• 50,000+ (Towns with populations below 10,000 will be featured in their own rankings in the March 2010 issue; see here for the 2007 rankings)

Then, information was collected in the quality-of-life criteria that are most important to residents:

• Schools
• Crime Rate
• Cost of Living
• Local Economy
• Leisure/Cultural Outlets

Then the numbers were crunched and rankings were awarded based on how the towns scored in those criteria, with a “1” being the best score possible. In this second part of the series, we’ll be taking a look at the next population segment, between 25,000 and 50,000 residents, and specifically those in our market area:

25,000 – 50,000: Cheshire and Wallingford Represent!

Of the 24 towns in this population group, Cheshire and Wallingford both did very well, ranking 4th and 6th respectively. Cheshire’s strengths lie in its having the lowest crime rate in the category and a strong educational system; however, it’s high cost of living and lack of leisure activities kept it from ranking higher.

Wallingford really didn’t excel in any one area, but was solid in most categories except cost of living. It was buoyed by its low crime rate (#7) and leisure (#8), fueled by its having a newly-remodeled library, 2 golf courses, many good restaurants and also for being the home of Oakdale Theater.

Here’s the full set of rankings for this population segment:

The most startling disparity revealed by the editor’s commentary was the fact that Westport, the #1 town in this population segment, has a median home price of $970,000, which is larger than that of Glastonbury, Cheshire and New Milford combined! Amazing!

Remember, these rankings are not to be considered the last word in what the quality of life is in a particular city/town; however, they are a starting point and can be used as a point of comparison when making a decision about where to live in the state. There are many reasons for liking –or not liking – a specific city or town that transcend any statistical ranking or report, and only you can decide if a place is right for you and your family.

In Part Three of this series, we’ll take a look at the next population size, cities between 15,000 and 25,000 residents. To see these results in their entirety, pick up a copy of Connecticut Magazine’s November issue, on sale now at your favorite store or newsstand.

Tagged as: cities, Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine, cost of living, crime rate, Economy, leisure, rankings, schools, towns