Cheshire Rises In Magazine’s Best Town Rankings To Number Four
November 6, 2009 by Josh Morgan
The Town can now claim it’s one of the best places to live based on two separate magazines, as Connecticut Magazine recently named Cheshire the fourth best town in the state, based on population.
In the November 2009 issue, in the the 25,000 to 50,000-population range, Cheshire finished fourth based on five different criteria that included education, crime, economy, cost, and leisure. The ranking is the second this year for Cheshire, as CNN’s Money Magazine ranked it 72 out of 100 of the best places to live in the nation. Only Trumbull, which finished ninth in Connecticut Magazine and 77 in Money Magazine, appear on each list.
“We were the only community in the top five that was on both rankings,” Town Manager Michael Milone said. “The fact that we appeared in both publications is significant and positive.”
In 2008, Cheshire was ranked fifth but moved up one spot on this year’s list. While some shifting occurred in the top spots, no new towns entered the top 10 in 2009.
The rankings were based on five criteria, with each town getting a score of one to 24. The lower numbers were better and the town with the lowest overall score was ranked number one. Westport, Glastonbury and Newtown were ranked above Cheshire.
In education, Cheshire was ranked third and in crime rate it was ranked number one. Economy was also ranked highly, coming in at number seven, while cost and leisure were towards the middle and end of the pack, at 19 and 14 respectively. Overall, Cheshire scored a 44, one point off third place and 13 points away from first.
“These are all key components that people look at when thinking about moving to a town,” Milone said. “It speaks really well to the overall quality of life in Cheshire.”
The Money Magazine rankings were based on similar criteria, such as economic viability, the quality of the school district, crime rates, cultural opportunities, and affordable housing.
Rounding out the top 10 after Cheshire were New Milford, Branford, Groton, Wallingford, Trumbull and Wethersfield. Out of the top 10 towns, Cheshire was listed with the lowest population, at 25,031. It had the lowest crime rate, at 2.65 major crimes per 1,000 people, and had the third highest average SAT score, at 1624. Based on first-half 2009 sales figures, the median house price in Cheshire is $345,000, which was fourth highest on the top 10 list. Voter turnout, based on the 2008 election, was the second worst out of the top 10 towns, according to Connecticut Magazine.
“It is significant that we are able to stand out,” Milone said. “It speaks very well about the town. People are looking at these things.”
While economy and leisure were rated in the lower half of the rankings, Milone said it was important not to let a publication dictate policy decisions in town. He said it was the charge of the Town Council to set priorities for the Town and to listen to what residents needed.
He said that, overall, these factors are important but “ultimately, it’s about what the residents want.”
“It’s really not about what the magazine feels we need to strengthen,” Milone said. “The most important factor for us is that people are satisfied.”