Community Corner

Stonington Ranks 9th In CT Magazine's Annual Poll Of Best Places To Live

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Connecticut Magazine's annual rating of all the cities and towns in the state is the cover story of the November issue. Stonington came in ninth for towns with population between 15,000 and 25,000. There are 32 towns in the group.

Stonington scored above East Lyme, Guilford, Waterford, Ledyard, Montville and a number of other towns. Ridgefield, New Canaan, Darien and Madison are some of the towns that beat Stonington.

According to the article, here are the criteria used:

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EDUCATION: This category combines five elements: the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Mastery Test results for 4th, 6th and 7th grades; results of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT); local SAT scores for 2008, 2009 and 2010, and the percentage of 2010 public high school graduates who went on to two- or four-year colleges. Test scores are weighted more heavily.

ECONOMY: The strength of the local economy was determined by the 2011 Public Investment Community score, compiled by the Office of Policy and Management, which rates all Connecticut towns under a formula based on population, per capita income, the adjusted equalized grand list per capita, the unemployment rate, the equalized mill rate and per capita aid to children.

COST OF LIVING: This category weighs most heavily the median price of a single-family house purchased in the first six months of 2011, a figure that predicts many other local expenses. The sales figures are provided by The Warren Group.

CRIME: This category is based on major crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor-vehicle theft) committed in 2007, 2008 and 2009 per 1,000 population, the most recent figures available from the state Department of Public Safety.

LEISURE/CULTURE: Includes local library expenditures per capita in 2010, the number of theaters, museums, festivals, concert venues, historic sites, colleges and universities, golf courses, local newspapers, radio stations, state parks and forests, voter turnout in the 2008 election and good local restaurants.


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