Best Places to Live

Money's list of America's best small cities

States

Top 100
Rank	City	Population
87	Brookline	59,600
49	Newton	82,800
72	Waltham	59,300

Other cities
Rank	City	Population
	Acton	19,800
	Agawam	28,500
	Amherst	36,200
	Arlington	41,200
	Attleboro	43,200
	Barnstable Town	48,300
	Belmont	23,400
	Beverly	39,500
	Billerica	38,900
	Boston	590,700
	Braintree	33,600
	Bridgewater	25,900
	Brockton	94,100
	Burlington	22,400
	Cambridge	101,300
	Canton	20,700
	Chelmsford	33,500
	Chicopee	54,400
	Danvers	26,400
	Dedham	23,200
	Dracut	28,300
	Easton	22,800
	Fall River	91,400
	Framingham	64,500
	Franklin	31,200
	Gloucester	30,500
	Haverhill	60,100
	Hingham	20,500
	Lawrence	70,600
	Leominster	41,500
	Lexington	29,700
	Lowell	103,200
	Lynn	87,900
	Malden	55,500
	Mansfield	23,000
	Marblehead	20,400
	Marlborough	38,000
	Marshfield	25,900
	Medford	55,600
	Melrose	26,600
	Methuen	44,200
	Milford	25,300
	Milton	25,600
	Natick	31,400
	Needham	28,400
	New Bedford	92,500
	North Andover	28,200
	North Attleborough	28,700
	Northampton	28,500
	Norwood	28,200
	Peabody	51,700
	Quincy	91,000
	Randolph	30,400
	Reading	23,000
	Salem	41,300
	Sandwich	20,800
	Saugus	26,400
	Shrewsbury	33,600
	Somerville	74,500
	Springfield	151,100
	Stoneham	21,700
	Stoughton	27,100
	Taunton	56,000
	Tewksbury	28,400
	Wakefield	24,500
	Walpole	23,800
	Watertown	32,100
	Wellesley	26,100
	Westfield	40,400
	Westford	21,400
	Weymouth	53,500
	Wilmington	21,600
	Winchester	20,200
	Woburn	37,000
	Worcester	175,400

From the August 2008 issue

Best Places Winners

Show: Massachusetts | Top 10 | All 100

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Video

Why Plymouth is No. 1

A sense of home, parks and award-winning schools help put this Minnesota city at the top of Money's Best Places to Live list. Watch
Why Fort Collins is a natural pick

Green-minded residents love this Colorado city, no. 2 on Money's Best Places to Live list, where you can borrow a bike, and enjoy the nearby mountains. Watch
Naperville's family feel

Great schools, a vibrant downtown and low crime help put this small city near Chicago at No. 3 on Money's Best Places to Live list. Watch
Hoboken's great singles scene

For the second year running, Hoboken takes the top spot for the over 30 and single scene, as part of Money's Best Places to Live. Watch
Where to beat the gas crunch

In places like State College, Pa., commutes are short or many residents get to work in ways that dont use a lot of fuel. Watch

Top 3

City	Median income
New Canaan, CT	$231,138
Darien, CT	$218,130
Lake Forest, IL	$212,122

See the rest

City	% single
Hoboken, NJ	57.7%
Cambridge, MA	52.4%
Somerville, MA	51.4%

See the rest

City	Median home price
Nicholasville, KY	$70,000
Watauga, TX	$117,040
Redan, GA	$115,000

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How we picked the Best Places

Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics and consultant Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small cities for families. (Last year, we looked at small towns, with populations between 7,500 and 50,000.) More