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Top 50 rank: 50
Population: 23,689
Founded in 1670, this bucolic New England town is chock-full of historical houses and parks. With strict regulations on development, Simsbury has maintained 32% of its land as open space. Just 15 miles outside Hartford, the town is home to boutiques, farmers' markets, and five-star restaurants.
The open-air performing-arts center is summer home to the Hartford Symphony, while Olympic medalists have trained at the town's International Skating Center of Connecticut. --K.F.
| Median family income (per year) | $131,397 |
| Job growth % (2010-2012) | 5.13% |
| Median home price (2012) | $270,000 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below average) | 20.5% |
| Math test scores (% above/below average) | 18.3% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | 0 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | 8 |
Financials | |
| Median family income (per year) | $131,397 |
| Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted) | $105,957 |
| 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) | 5.13% |
Housing |
| Median home price (2012) | $270,000 |
| Average property taxes (2012) | $7,889 |
Education |
| Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles) | 24 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below state average) | 20.5% |
| Test scores math (% above/below average) | 18.3% |
| % students attending public/private schools (located within town limits) | 77.6/22.4 |
Quality of life |
| Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good) | 92.4% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | 0 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | 8 |
| Median commute time (in minutes) | 23.2 |
| % population with commute 45 mins. or longer | 11.9% |
| % population walk or bike to work | 3.2% |
Leisure and culture |
| Movie theaters (within 15 miles) | 35 |
| Restaurants (within 15 miles) | 1,641 |
| Bars (within 15 miles) | 135 |
| Public golf courses (within 30 miles) | 166 |
| Libraries (within 15 miles) | 73 |
| Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles) | 11 |
| Ski resorts (within 100 miles) | N.A. |
| Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) | 1.1 |
Weather |
| Annual rainfall (inches) | 46.16 |
| % clear days in the area | 52% |
| High temp in July ° F | 82.7° |
| Low temp in Jan ° F | 14.1° |
Meet the neighbors |
| Median age | 42.8 |
| Completed at least some college (% of residents) | 82.8% |
| Married % | 62.0% |
| Divorced % | 5.3% |
| Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity) | 35.4 |
