Money's list of America's best small towns


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68. Saline, MI
Saline
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 68
Population: 9,000
Compare Saline to Top 10 Best Places
Saline, named for its natural salt springs, is a town surrounded by farmland that lies between troubled Detroit and healthier Ann Arbor (home of the University of Michigan).

Youth soccer is big here, and many families are churchgoing conservatives.

The downtown area has an eclectic array of historic and modern buildings (though no movie theater); it hosts the annual Celtic Festival, Saline Summerfest, and the Harvest of the Arts Oktoberfest. --D.G.

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Saline stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $94,674 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 3.01% 19.58%
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Median home price $185,000 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 30.0% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 40.0% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 22 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 795 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 83.7° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 16.5° 21.0°
Median age 37.4 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $94,674 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $99,343 $95,041
State sales tax 6.00% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 4.35%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 4.35%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,998 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 3.01% 19.58%
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Median home price $185,000 $262,148
Average property taxes N.A. $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 10 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 30.0% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 40.0% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 100.0/0.0 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 83.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 22 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 20.6 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 10.3% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.4% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 12 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 795 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 41 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 184 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 23 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 3 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 5 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.8 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 33.80 39.77
% clear days in the area 21 27
High temp in July ° F* 83.7° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 16.5° 21.0°
Median age 37.4 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 75.7% 71.9%
Married % 57.0% 62.9%
Divorced % 11.9% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 35.5 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data

(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.
Deduction or exemption tied to federal tax system. Federal deductions and exemptions are indexed for inflation.
Additional $600 exemption per dependent under 18 years old.
Help your town win!
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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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