Small cities are the center and soul of our nation — and because the value of residing continues to skyrocket in giant city areas, extra persons are transferring to less-populated communities. And whereas there are millions of small cities to contemplate, relating to a top quality public schooling system and a wholesome way of life, Lexington, Massachusetts, leads the way in which.
This charming suburb, situated about 13 miles northwest of Boston, shouldn’t be solely one of many biggest locations to reside within the Bay State, nevertheless it’s one of many nicest within the U.S. Based on WalletHub’s annual rankings of one of the best small cities (which concerned evaluating 1,300 locations for affordability, financial well being, high quality of life, security, in addition to schooling and well being), Lexington is the third finest small city in America, simply after Brookfield, Wisconsin, and Carmel, Indiana.
However relating to schooling particularly, the web site ranked Lexington as the primary within the nation. “Lexington advantages from being in Massachusetts, the state with one of the best college methods within the nation,” WalletHub reported. Based on Area of interest, a evaluate web site for faculties, Lexington has the fourth-best college district within the state — a median of 97 % of scholars graduate.
The city additionally ranked first in well being. It has the second-highest share of individuals with medical insurance within the nation and in addition has the Twenty second-most health facilities per capita.
Moreover, WalletHub’s report highlighted how protected Lexington is. It has the fourth-lowest property crime charge and Thirty seventh-lowest violent crime charge amongst small cities. Automotive crash deaths and drunk driving fatalities are additionally across the lowest within the nation.
Based on information from the US Census Bureau, the city is house to just a little beneath 35,000 individuals, has a median age of 47, and has one of many highest median annual family incomes (clocking in at $206,323) in not solely the state however the nation. Simply 4.2 % of Lexington residents are experiencing poverty.
“Residents even have the Tenth-highest median credit score rating, at 783, displaying that individuals within the metropolis are doing very nicely financially,” WalletHub reported.
Nonetheless, the mix of low crime charges, glorious public faculties, and proximity to Boston has resulted in Lexington turning into considered one of Massachusetts’s costliest ZIP codes. Based on a current evaluation by the Boston Enterprise Journal, Lexington is the 18th wealthiest ZIP code within the state, and Zillow experiences the median house worth as just a little over $1.5 million. Consequently, WalletHub ranked it at 518th for affordability.
However, if Lexington is not fairly what you are on the lookout for, and you are still hoping to settle someplace in Massachusetts — WalletHub ranks it one of the best state to reside in due to its extremely regarded schooling system and well being care infrastructure — think about different Bay State small cities on the record together with Milton, Arlington, and Newton.