Money's list of America's best small towns


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11. West Goshen, PA
West Goshen
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 11
Population: 8,800
Compare West Goshen to Top 10 Best Places
This family-friendly community has a quiet suburban feel, with no shortage of nearby shopping centers and local business, while Philadelphia is less than an hour away.

Among the four area parks around the area, West Goshen Community Park has its own amphitheatre with concerts and outdoor theater. Summer activities include a fitness boot camp for women, fieldtrips for teens and a Fourth of July bicycle parade. --R.G.

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West Goshen stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $93,469 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 5.57% 19.58%
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Median home price $314,9001 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 40.5% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 31.5% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 133 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,354 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 85.5° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 20.6° 21.0°
Median age 36.7 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $93,469 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $88,596 $95,041
State sales tax 6.00% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 3.07%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 3.07%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $2,148 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 5.57% 19.58%
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Median home price $314,9001 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2008)		 $4,415 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 43 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 40.5% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 31.5% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 99.3/0.7 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 69.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 133 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 21.0 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 15.3% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.8% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 25 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,354 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 163 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 230 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 69 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 16 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 21 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 1.2 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 46.67 39.77
% clear days in the area 26 27
High temp in July ° F* 85.5° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 20.6° 21.0°
Median age 36.7 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 67.4% 71.9%
Married % 56.7% 62.9%
Divorced % 6.2% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 68.7 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data
(1) Median based on fewer than 100 home sales in the area.
(3) Crime incidences are estimates based on FBI 2007 Universal Crime and incidence reports, OnBoard analysis.

(I) Income tax notes:
Local rates are excluded; 14 states have county or city level income taxes. In each of these states the average rate for all counties and cities, weighted by total personal income within each jurisdiction, is: 0.19% in Ala.; 0.06% in Ark.; 0.16% in Del.; 1.16% in Ind.; 0.3% in Iowa.; 0.76% in Ky.; 2.98% in Md.; 0.44% in Mich.; 0.12% in Mo.; 0.09% in N.J.; 1.7% in N.Y.; 1.82% in Ohio; 0.36% in Ore.; and 1.25% in Pa.
Help your town win!
Money picked the top 100. Now it’s your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? Become a fan of your town and it might just make it to No. 1. Results updated monthly.
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2. Chanhassen, MN Become a fan on facebook Add me! 2,410
3. Papillion, NE Become a fan on facebook Add me! 1,581
4. Middleton, WI Become a fan on facebook Add me! 1,481
5. Milton, MA Become a fan on facebook Add me! 1,425
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How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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