Money's list of America's best small towns


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16. Acton, MA
Acton
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 16
Population: 21,100
Compare Acton to Top 10 Best Places
With its myriad landmarks from the American Revolution and its 1,600 acres of conservation land, Acton has a traditional New England vibe. But it's also a highly diverse town with a large Asian community and a nonprofit Chinese-language school.

The town's progressive school system is ranked among the best in the state. Jobs are relatively stable here, thanks to large area employers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Cisco. Many residents commute into Boston by rail. --R.G.

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Acton stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $134,190 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 5.03% 19.58%
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Median home price $400,000 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 50.1% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 57.4% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 193 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,305 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 82.8° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 16.6° 21.0°
Median age 39.2 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $134,190 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $124,828 $95,041
State sales tax 5.00% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 5.30%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 5.30%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 N.A. $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 5.03% 19.58%
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Median home price $400,000 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2007)		 $6,501 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 58 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 50.1% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 57.4% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 99.2/0.8 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 93.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 193 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 30.5 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 25.4% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.5% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 31 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,305 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 58 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 294 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 85 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 27 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 43 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 2.0 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 45.79 39.77
% clear days in the area 27 27
High temp in July ° F* 82.8° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 16.6° 21.0°
Median age 39.2 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 86.2% 71.9%
Married % 65.6% 62.9%
Divorced % 7.0% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 61.8 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data
(3) Crime incidences are estimates based on FBI 2007 Universal Crime and incidence reports, OnBoard analysis.

(I) Income tax notes:
The 12% rate applies to short-term capital gains, long- and short-term capital gain on collectibles and pre-1996 installment sales classified as capital gain income for Massachusetts purposes. Taxpayers have the choice of paying an optional higher rate of 5.85%.
FORTUNE 500
Liberty Mutual Insurance Group 86
Raytheon 108
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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.
Town Become a fan # of fans
1. Louisville, CO Become a fan on facebook Add me! 4,256
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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