These two Mass. communities among the 25 best places to live in the U.S., new ranking says
Two Boston-area communities rank among the 25 best places to live in the country, according to a new list that looks at cost of living, job opportunities, and a multitude of other factors, including school quality, walkability, weather, even nightlife.
The nationwide list, compiled by Niche, ranks suburbs alongside small towns, bigger cities, and even specific neighborhoods in city centers.
Brookline is the highest-ranking community from Massachusetts, landing at No. 14 on the list from Niche, a online site that focuses primarily on local school reviews and college profiles. The rankings are based on Niche’s educational rankings data, as well as crime rates and access to public amenities, the site says.
Factors boosting Brookline’s ranking include good public schools and quality of life for families, according to Niche, whose data set informing rankings also includes US Census and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention info.
Next up: Cambridgeport. Yes, the Cambridge neighborhood just south of Central Square ranked at No. 22 on the list. For what it’s worth, the city of Cambridge itself ranked No. 77. Other Cambridge neighborhoods also cracked the top 100, including Riverside at No. 56 and Wellington-Harrington at No. 88. Niche lists the former “Agassiz” neighborhood, now officially known as Baldwin, at No. 99.
Cambridgeport scored A+ for its nightlife and quality of life for families, according to Niche.
The other Cambridge neighborhoods and the city of Cambridge also scored highly in nightlife and being “good for families,” according to Niche.
This is the eleventh year Niche has released the rankings and profiles, which “remain a trusted resource, guiding over 70 million people annually in making big life decisions, from choosing where to live to selecting schools,” the site said in a press release this week.
Nationwide, suburbs of Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. as well as neighborhoods in Seattle and Tampa, Fla. and Orlando, Fla., dominate the top 25 spots. The town of Carmel in Indiana ranked No. 7 nationwide, and the Huntsville, Ala., suburb of Madison ranked No. 9 and is the only place in the top 10 that Niche gave an A+ for housing.
Niche’s ranking of the best places to live is separate from the site’s list of best cities to live in the US, which saw Cambridge score No. 3, behind Naperville, Ill., and The Woodlands, Texas.
All the Cambridge neighborhoods and the city itself scored a C for housing in the “best places” Niche ranking. Brookline scored a C+, and has a median monthly rent of about $2,800, according to Niche. The average home price is $1.23 million, the rankings site says.
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