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31. Southborough, MA
Southborough
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 31
Population: 9,900
Compare Southborough to Top 10 Best Places
You won't find a Wal-mart in Southborough, a town that prides itself on keeping its distance from crass commercialism.

The downtown is dotted with independent markets and is surrounded by open land. With its reservoir and multitude of lakes, Southborough has attracted working professionals from Boston seeking a bucolic commuter town.

The housing stock here is varied, from affordable homes to those on more than an acre of land. --R.G.

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Southborough stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $148,297 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 17.81% 19.58%
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Median home price $455,000 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 45.7% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 35.8% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 233 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,835 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 81.1° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 13.3° 21.0°
Median age 37.8 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $148,297 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $137,951 $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)*		 17.81% 19.58%
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Median home price $455,000 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2007)		 $5,219 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 58 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 45.7% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 35.8% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 63.9/36.1 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) 233 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 24.1 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 20.0% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.8% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 27 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,835 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 84 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 284 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 77 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 27 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 37 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 37.8 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 83.4% 71.9%
Married % 73.3% 62.9%
Divorced % 4.1% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 27.9 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
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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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