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Top 50 rank: 5
Population: 18,736
There are plenty of reasons to love this small town just outside Portland -- quaint historic downtown, top-ranked schools, relatively affordable home prices -- but residents gush most about its proximity to fun stuff.
Just west of Sherwood is Willamette Valley wine country. Keep going and in less than two hours you're on the Oregon Coast. Or travel 65 miles east to Mount Hood for skiing or hiking. Then there's Portland, home to highly acclaimed restaurants, microbreweries, museums, theater, and more.
It's also an easy commute to the likes of Nike in Beaverton, Intel in Hillsboro, and a plethora of high-tech and medical jobs. Oregon was hit hard by the recession, but the region has made a strong comeback. Says Judy Adler, a local real estate agent: "The recovery has been incredible." --Sarah Max
Sherwood, OR
| Median family income (per year) | | $93,716 |
| Job growth % (2010-2012) | | 3.51% |
| Median home price (2012) | | $243,538 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below average) | | 26.2% |
| Math test scores (% above/below average) | | 15.3% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | | 0 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | | 10 |
Financials | |
| Median family income (per year) | | $93,716 |
| Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted) | | $85,422 |
| Sales tax | | 0.00% |
| State income tax rate (highest bracket) | | 9.90%I |
| State income tax rate (lowest bracket) | | 5.00%I |
| Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state) | | $1,419 |
| Job growth % (2010-2012) | | 3.51% |
Financials
Housing |
| Median home price (2012) | | $243,538 |
| Average property taxes (2012) | | $3,917 |
Housing
Education |
| Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles) | | 28 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below state average) | | 26.2% |
| Test scores math (% above/below average) | | 15.3% |
| % students attending public/private schools (located within town limits) | | 97.3/2.7 |
Education
Quality of life |
| Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good) | | 94.9% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | | 0 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | | 10 |
| Median commute time (in minutes) | | 23.1 |
| % population with commute 45 mins. or longer | | 16.4% |
| % population walk or bike to work | | 4.5% |
Quality of life
Leisure and culture |
| Movie theaters (within 15 miles) | | 51 |
| Restaurants (within 15 miles) | | 3,134 |
| Bars (within 15 miles) | | 429 |
| Public golf courses (within 30 miles) | | 105 |
| Libraries (within 15 miles) | | 43 |
| Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles) | | 2 |
| Ski resorts (within 100 miles) | | N.A. |
| Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) | | 0.7 |
Leisure and culture
Weather |
| Annual rainfall (inches) | | 37.07 |
| % clear days in the area | | 39% |
| High temp in July ° F | | 79.2° |
| Low temp in Jan ° F | | 33.8° |
Weather
Meet the neighbors |
| Median age | | 34.3 |
| Completed at least some college (% of residents) | | 74.6% |
| Married % | | 63.5% |
| Divorced % | | 7.7% |
| Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity) | | 53.7 |
Meet the neighbors
