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Top 50 rank: 39
Population: 29,433
This former farming community still feels like a quintessential New England village, filled with horse barns, gardens, and towering trees. Cheshire's proximity to New Haven, Hartford, and Bridgeport gives residents plenty of options when it comes to jobs, though locals say the traffic can make even short commutes painful.
Developers recently announced plans to build an open-air outlet mall on the edge of town, a project that should create jobs and drum up additional tax revenue. --K.F.
Cheshire, CT
Town stats
| Median family income (per year) | $123,880 |
| Job growth % (2010-2012) | 3.09% |
| Median home price (2012) | $287,250 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below average) | 17.7% |
| Math test scores (% above/below average) | 16.1% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | 0 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | 10 |
Financials | |
| Median family income (per year) | $123,880 |
| Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted) | $96,834 |
| Sales tax (state) | 6.35% |
| State income tax rate (highest bracket) | 6.70%I |
| State income tax rate (lowest bracket) | 3.00%I |
| Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state) | $1,866 |
| Job growth % (2010-2012) | 3.09% |
Financials
Housing |
| Median home price (2012) | $287,250 |
| Average property taxes (2012) | $6,145 |
Housing
Education |
| Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles) | 28 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below state average) | 17.7% |
| Test scores math (% above/below average) | 16.1% |
| % students attending public/private schools (located within town limits) | 87.0/13.0 |
Education
Quality of life |
| Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good) | 85.0% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | 0 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | 10 |
| Median commute time (in minutes) | 24.9 |
| % population with commute 45 mins. or longer | 15.9% |
| % population walk or bike to work | 1.0% |
Quality of life
Leisure and culture |
| Movie theaters (within 15 miles) | 25 |
| Restaurants (within 15 miles) | 2,434 |
| Bars (within 15 miles) | 203 |
| Public golf courses (within 30 miles) | 175 |
| Libraries (within 15 miles) | 77 |
| 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) | 1.1 |
Leisure and culture
Weather |
| Annual rainfall (inches) | 44.15 |
| % clear days in the area | 56% |
| High temp in July ° F | 82.8° |
| Low temp in Jan ° F | 16.9° |
Weather
Meet the neighbors |
| Median age | 41.5 |
| Completed at least some college (% of residents) | 77.1% |
| Married % | 57.3% |
| Divorced % | 7.1% |
| Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity) | 54.0 |
Meet the neighbors
