Rating Connecticut Cities and Towns: 2012 (Part Three)

This is the third in our 2012 four part series highlighting the rating of Connecticut cities and towns by Connecticut Magazine. In our first two posts, we focused on the communities with 10,000 to 15,000 and 15,000 and 25,000 residents. 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 an upcoming four part series. Stay tuned!)

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 third 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 drops one spot, Wallingford stays at #6

Of the 26 towns in this population group (only the top 20 is shown here), Cheshire and Wallingford both did very well, ranking 5th and 6th respectively. Cheshire’s drop from 4th to 5th was mainly due to Farmington’s migration up from the next smallest population group and to a slight drop in rankings in virtually every category, with the largest change coming in cost of living. Wallingford, on the other hand, maintained its number 6 ranking by virtue of an improvement in its leisure scores which offset minimal losses in education and economy.

Southington fell one spot from 2009 to #15, based mainly on slight decreases in ranking in education, crime, economy and leisure, while maintaining its rating in cost of living. Middletown, however, saw a significant drop in the rankings from 2009, falling from #11 to #17 due to across the board drops in every rating category, most notably economy.

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

It’s interesting to note that Westport’s median home price of $1,074,000 is still larger than that of Glastonbury, Farmington and Newtown combined, and that figure is an increase of 11% over 2009′s median price. In addition to Farmington making its debut in this segment, Mansfield was also a first-timer, coming in at #7 on the basis of  good schools and a low crime rate.

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 Four of this series, we’ll take a look at the last population segment, cities of 50,000 residents or more. 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.

Related articles

• Rating Connecticut Cities and Towns: 2012 (Part 1) (wallingfordwired.com)
• Rating Connecticut Cities and Towns: 2012 (Part 2) (wallingfordwired.com)

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