South Windsor and Cheshire are among the “Best Places to Live in the U.S.,” according to Money magazine’s 2020 list.
Released Tuesday, the list of 50 communities across the nation spotlights escape from urban life to suburban sanctuaries during the coronavirus pandemic.
“As the pandemic has prompted more people to make the change from city living to suburban dwelling, this list is a guide for people looking at where the economy, job growth and housing market remained strong despite COVID-19 disruptions,” Money spokeswoman Christine Ragasa said.
South Windsor is 12th on the list and Cheshire is 28th. Evans, Georgia, took the top spot.
The magazine looked at towns with populations of at least 25,000 and ranked them by job opportunities, supply and demand for homes, cost of living, quality of schools, racial and economic diversity and health and safety, according to a news release.
“This year, given the general uncertainty around where and how we’ll live, our list looks a little different,” said Prachi Bhardwaj, the story’s lead reporter. “We shifted our priorities to pay more attention to cities that aren’t just doing well now, but that show great promise and stability for the next five to ten years. We also included suburban towns situated further away from major metros and have more industry diversity than you’ve seen from our list in years past.”
The magazine touted South Windsor’s historic neighborhoods, which “turn the north-south Main Street into a parade of Georgian and Greek-revival style buildings that will make you feel like a character in a period movie.”
Also highlighted were the town’s parks, farm fresh produce and proximity to “large, stable employers in the Hartford metro region like insurers Aetna and The Hartford, as well as aerospace manufacturer Raytheon Industries, which employ a combined 21,000 people in the area.”
The article apparently was put to bed before the announcement last week that Raytheon Technologies Corp. will cut 15,000 commercial aerospace jobs this year at Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and in corporate offices in response to the steep drop in aviation caused by COVID-19.
Cheshire’s assets, the magazine reported, include camping and hiking at nearby state parks, the annual Strawberry Festival, the Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum and a low crime rate.
For the complete list and more information about how communities were chosen, visit money.com/collection/best-places-to-live-2020.
Jesse Leavenworth can be reached at [email protected]
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