Money 100 Best Places to Live - Newton, Waltham, Brookline, and Weymouth, MA Make the List

People in Massachusetts really love their home towns. They have energy and excitement when they speak about their community and there are some great places to live in the Commonwealth. Four cities in Massachusetts made it to this year’s list of “America’s 100 Best Small Cities to Live” found in August 2010 issue of Money magazine. The City of Newton took the third place on the list, Waltham 28th, Brookline was at 39, and Weymouth was listed at 52.

Money magazine “this year focused on the nation’s small cities (those with populations of 50,000 to 300,000). Reporters crunched reams of data to find the optimal combo of job opportunities, fiscal strength, top-notch schools, low crime, good health care, lots to do, and many other factors that help a town great for raising a family.” They also took a look at the overall strength of the economy and housing market in various American metro areas.

It becomes clear the real estate and economic climate in Massachusetts is a bit more promising then some other areas in the country. Money’s research pointed out that the metro area of Peabody and Boston have a “strong” economy and housing market with metro Cambridge getting the best rating of being the “strongest.” We think this is pretty consistent with what we have seen in the past year within the housing market itself.

The City of Newton, Massachusetts with a population 82,000, 13 villages, and a rich New England heritage ranked third on the list of top 100 cities in Money magazine. The magazine highlighted the cities great schools, low crime, and strong economy as reasons for the favorable standing. It also noted pricey homes and traffic as negatives just west of Boston. We are also happy to see that it got noticed for having an “A” grade for “Arts/leisure” and for the “health” category. Schools are important in Newton, well ranked, and just this week the new, 413,000 square foot, $197 million dollar, Newton North High School opened its doors and features a college like amenities that is simply state-of-the-art.

With a population of 60,000 the City of Waltham, Massachusetts was ranked 28th on the Money list. It scored an “A” grade for the Arts/leisure along with health. Housing affordability, though lower then Newton, is still high compared to other cities on the top 100 list. This city has seen recent renovations to their schools. Moody street is filled with restaurants and nightlife, home to Brandeis and Bentley University, and economically strong do to the large of corporations that call Waltham home.

Brookline Massachusetts with a 58,000 population is listed 39th on the list top America’s 100 Best Small Cities list. It might not get the best markets for housing affordability but this town gets the grade for everything else. Exclusive condos typically exceed a price tag of $500,000 and single family homes often considered estates reach well past the multiple million dollar value. Brookline’s exciting location next to Boston, active neighborhoods, public transportation, high-owner occupancy, and great schools make this town both stable and exclusive.

The fourth Massachusetts city on Money’s list is Weymouth Massachusetts and ranked at 52. Located on the south shore this area has more affordable homes and features 12 miles of ocean front. It is has reasonable commute to Boston. The location also provides its residences to beach, access to Cape Cod, and other exciting cultural and leisure actives in the area.

There are many fine cities and towns in Massachusetts. These are four that have been listed by Money magazine this year. We think they are great communities that deserve to be highlighted.

Dwell360 is a residential real estate brokerage in Massachusetts founded by Edward Johnston and John Lynch. Our experienced agents have a proven track record of success in the metropolitan Boston real estate market. Our offices in Newton and Boston help us service our clients in and around Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Weston, and other premier towns. Feel free to contact us.