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Do You Live in the Best Place to Raise Kids? Three CT towns made BusinessWeek's list

By  KYLE REYES

Updated 3:06 PM EDT, Wed, Nov 12, 2008

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West Haven was dubbed the best place in Connecticut to raise a family in 2009.

 

Good schools, low crime rates, family entertainment and affordable living.  Sound like the kind of community you want to raise your kids in? Look no further than West Haven.

Quick Poll

The city, with a population of 54,765, was listed by BusinessWeek as the best place in the state to raise your kids in 2009. 

Runners up in the state were East Hartford and Norwalk.

Here's how BusinessWeek came to the decision. 

They worked with a group called OnBoard Informatics, a New York-based provider of real estate information.

They chose from towns with at least 50,000 people and a median family income between $40,000 and $100,000.  Keep in mind that it means smaller communities, such as Simsbury or more affluent communities such as Greenwich, were left out.

Next, BusinessWeek narrowed the list using the following criteria:

  • school performance
  • how much families spent
  • crime rates
  • air quality
  • job opportunities
  • cultural activities
  • and diversity

Data aside, if you're looking for why West Haven is such a great place to raise your kids, all you have to do is check out the city Web site. The first thing that pops up are the "10 Commandments of Connecticut's Friendliest City."

Perhaps those simple suggestions are more telling than any study could be.

Comments (4)

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  • Liz Wednesday, Jul 1 at 1:39 PM FLAG COMMENT Laurie, who ever you are you need to know that Hartford and East Hartford are not the same. East Hartford is a wonderful place to live and my children are happy. They look around and see diversity and not just one specific group of people. I lived in Hartford all my life and I can tell you, when I chose East Hartford if made my children's transition very smooth. They do well in school and most of all they feel safe. You pr ... MORE >
  • Nadja Malvares Tuesday, Jan 6 at 9:53 PM FLAG COMMENT We moved from New York four years ago to West Haven. I am a single mother of three children and of course West Haven is affordable to raise my children. I have all the support from the community about day care centers,activities and much more. Living here is a lot of fun for the family we participate in every event.
  • Barbara-Ann Rossi Wednesday, Nov 12 at 12:17 PM FLAG COMMENT As a member of the Town Council of East Hartford and a very proud resident of the Town of East Hartford, I wan to thank Business Week for choosing our very diverse and friendly town for this honor. Kudos to our Administration and all of the citizens of East Hartford!
  • Laurie Wednesday, Nov 12 at 12:13 PM FLAG COMMENT Who did that survey and did they actually drive through East Hartford....I am sure like any town there are lovey sections but on the whole, you could not pay me to live in East Hartford or Hartford- they are one in the same...and I have lived in both many years ago before they fell apart,,

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