Money's list of America's best small towns


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58. Shrewsbury, MA
Shrewsbury
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 58
Population: 34,600
Compare Shrewsbury to Top 10 Best Places
The town center here offers a lot to residents. First is the aesthetic appeal of many 200-year old buildings. Then there's the array of ethnic restaurants, including three sushi bars, a cappuccino bar, and a strip of high-end boutiques. Those amenities help Shrewsbury receive high marks for leisure activities.

When the charms of town wear thin, residents need only jump on the commuter rail to go straight to Boston.

On the negative side, the town has had lots of foreclosures. Home prices start at $250,000 or so. --R.G.

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Is Shrewsbury a great town, or what?
Shrewsbury stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $99,720 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 13.92% 19.58%
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Median home price $299,625 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 39.5% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 53.5% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 243 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,469 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 81.1° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 13.3° 21.0°
Median age 38.4 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $99,720 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $92,763 $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)*		 13.92% 19.58%
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Median home price $299,625 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2007)		 $3,829 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 47 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 39.5% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 53.5% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 74.8/25.2 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 80.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 243 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 20.4 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 19.4% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.7% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 24 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,469 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 91 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 228 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 59 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 18 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 40 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 2.0 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 48.04 39.77
% clear days in the area 25 27
High temp in July ° F* 81.1° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 13.3° 21.0°
Median age 38.4 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 72.9% 71.9%
Married % 62.0% 62.9%
Divorced % 7.4% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 56.4 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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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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