Newton Named One of "America's 50 Best Cities to Live"

NEWTON, MA – That's right – another list, but this is one Newtonians can get behind.

Website 24/7 Wall St. recently ranked "America's 50 Best Cities to Live," with Newton landing at No. 21.

In putting together its list, the website examined U.S. Census data for 550 U.S. cities with populations of 65,000 or more. The rankings were based on a number of factors, including crime rate, employment growth, access to restaurants and attractions, educational attainment and housing affordability.

Here's what the site had to say about Newton:

> Population: 88,809
> Median home value: $809,700
> Poverty rate: 4.3%
> Pct. with at least a bachelor’s degree: 76.6%

More than three-quarters of adults in Newton have at least a bachelor’s degree, high even compared with Massachusetts as a whole — the state’s over 40% college attainment rate is the highest of any state. A college degree is one of the surest paths to a high income, and Newton residents are some of the nation’s wealthiest. Even after adjusting for the city’s relatively high cost of living, the typical household earns $114,201 annually — eighth highest nationwide.

As is common in cities with high-income populations, Newton’s violent crime rate of 83 incidents per 100,000 residents is one of the lowest in the country. It is a fraction of the national violent crime rate of 373 incidents per 100,000 people.

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>>>Click here for the full list of cities

Photo via Newton Cemetery