Friday, September 7, 2012

Framingham Makes Best Places To Live List

CNN Money recently announced what many of who live in Framingham already know; it's a great place live. Never mind that it was on a list of 100 of America's best small cities, and Framingham is actually a town - we'll take the positive press. Framingham, one of only four Massachusetts locations that made the list, came in at number 38, while Newton was number 4, Brookline number 31, and Weymouth number 87.

Ethnic diversity, low unemployment, and a wide variety of affordable housing options were some of the reasons cited for Framingham's inclusion on the list. To that list I would add wonderful recreational areas, such as Lake Cochituate and Callahan State Park, and a vibrant arts community, including the Danforth Museum, the artist studios at the Saxonville Mill and Fountain Street, and Amazing Things Arts Center, and a very good school system. All in a town that is much more affordable than most of its neighbors, a place where everyone from working class folks to millionaires can buy a home that meets their needs.

Not that Framingham doesn't have its share of problems, like any community of its size. At approximately 68,000 residents, it's larger than many communities designated as cities, yet at the same time its many neighborhoods evoke everything from an urban vibe - downtown - to a rural farming community in the northwest corner, to many traditional suburban developments throughout the town.

Interestingly enough, the long-debated issue of whether Framingham should switch to a city form of government has come up again this year. City or town, it's a place many of us are proud to call home.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a little confused on this one.
So Framingham is up there on the list of best places to live #38, and it's schools is one of the things people find most appealing, but in the June 2012 Boston magazine which rated the best 50 schools in Massachusetts, it didn't even make the top 50?
How could this be?

JR

The Hamster said...

I don't think you can do a straight correlation between the "best of" lists produced by different publications. They may be using different criteria for inclusion, ranking, etc.

CNN Money didn't actually mention school quality in their description of Framingham - that was my opinion.

Interestingly enough, speaking of Boston Magazine - they rated Framingham number 11 out of 147 Massachusetts cities and towns in their The Most Bang for the Buck article in 2004. That's a ranking I wholeheartedly agree with.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post, Brett. I'm enjoying this blog!

The Hamster said...

Glad to hear it Lynette, thanks!

Attorney Leo Dunn said...

Framingham is a fantastic place to live, and I love that we're now getting national attention for it. Lots of things always going on, and a great place to raise family. Very proud to call it home.