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201309_BPL_NEWCASTLE
Newcastle, WA
City of Newcastle

Top 50 rank: 19

Population: 10,723

Thirteen miles east of Seattle, Newcastle is an ideal spot for city commuters who want to commune with the outdoors in their downtime. The town has 40 acres of parks and more than seven miles of hiking trails, and it's right next to the 3,100 acres of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park.

Newcastle's proximity to Seattle helps keep the unemployment rate at a low 5.1%, but the easy commute also means pricey real estate: Home prices are well into the $400,000s. --Stefan Malmsten

Newcastle, WA

Town stats

Newcastle, WA

Town stats

Median family income (per year) $120,082
Job growth % (2010-2012) 2.01%
Median home price (2012) $461,250
Reading test scores (% above/below average) 23.5%
Math test scores (% above/below average) 33.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 19

Financials

Median family income (per year) $120,082
Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted) $107,514
Sales tax 9.50%
State income tax rate (highest bracket) 0.00%
State income tax rate (lowest bracket) 0.00%
Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state) $1,670
Job growth % (2010-2012) 2.01%

Financials

Housing

Median home price (2012) $461,250
Average property taxes (2012) $5,565

Housing

Education

Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles) 24
Reading test scores (% above/below state average) 23.5%
Test scores math (% above/below average) 33.6%
% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits) 100.0/0.0

Education

Quality of life

Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good) 85.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 23.1
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer 6.5%
% population walk or bike to work 2.2%

Quality of life

Leisure and culture

Movie theaters (within 15 miles) 61
Restaurants (within 15 miles) 5,244
Bars (within 15 miles) 540
Public golf courses (within 30 miles) 149
Libraries (within 15 miles) 78
Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles) 12
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) N.A.
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.5

Leisure and culture

Weather

Annual rainfall (inches) 37.07
% clear days in the area 38%
High temp in July ° F 75.3°
Low temp in Jan ° F 35.9°

Weather

Meet the neighbors

Median age 38.0
Completed at least some college (% of residents) 81.4%
Married % 59.4%
Divorced % 4.5%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity) 183.5

Meet the neighbors