Two Massachusetts communities made Money Magazine’s 2022 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S. list.
Somerville and Milton made the publication’s annual ranking of top places to live. Communities on the list were ranked based on economic opportunities, quality of life, diversity and where the best futures lie.
Somerville made the top 10, ranking No. 7. Noted for its annual celebration of fluff invented in the city in the 1900s with its annual “What the Fluff” festival, the city with a population of 79,000, boasts everything from shopping at Assembly Row to the LEGOLAND Discovery Center and as Money magazine says “There’s something for everyone in this northeast Boston ‘burb.”
Located just outside Boston, Somerville has some of the most affordable home prices in the area, a well-rated school district and is one of the safest cities in the country, according to the report. The city’s new Department of Racial and Social Justice was also noted for its work to eliminate inequities in the community, in local policing and public safety efforts. The city also has a Youth Justice League to connect local teens on these topics.
Milton ranked 17th on the list. The city with a population of 28,000 is home to the Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, which is located within the 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation and has been in operation since 1885. While it’s more affordable than other area suburbs, the price to live in Milton is higher than the national median, but that’s offset by low crime rates and highly rated schools.
Slightly farther north and just over the Massachusetts state line, Nashua, New Hampshire, also made the list, coming in at No. 44, where it also ranked in 2021. It had one of the lowest unemployment rates of cities on the list at 2.3%. It also benefits from New Hampshire’s lack of income, sales and estate taxes, yet homeowners pay around 2% in property taxes, one of the highest in the U.S. Low- and moderate-income homeowners can benefit from the state’s property tax relief program.
Money Magazine’s methodology included looking at cities and towns with populations of at least 20,000 and those with populations that were at least 85% as racially diverse as the state and had a median household income of at least 85% of the state median. Next, approximately 350 pieces of data were gathered on each place, totaling more than 480,000 data points which were then grouped into nine primary ranking factors measuring cost of living, diversity, economic opportunity, education, fun and amenities, health and safety, housing market, income and personal finance, and quality of life.