East Hampton Makes Top 10 in Magazine Rankings

Looking for somewhere to live where home prices are moderate, the crime rate's low and the school system is good? According to Connecticut Magazine, would be a good place.

The town ranked within the top 10 on Connecticut Magazine’s annual “Rating the Small Towns” survey, released today. East Hampton ranked 10 in the magazine’s survey among towns with a population between 10,000 to 15,000.

Each year Connecticut Magazine ranks small towns in the state to come up with its rankings. The magazine examines in each of the towns the quality of its schools, the local economy, the cost of living, the crime rate and local leisure and cultural resources.

“The small Connecticut town is a cherished American icon,” the magazine says in its introduction to this year’s rankings. “With its town green, leafy Main Street, white-steepled church and Fourth of July picnic, it’s a place we all feel we know, whether we live there or not. To be sure, not all small towns fit this description. Some are old mill towns, a few others are still largely farming communities. But most remain desirable places to live, raise a family or find a place to settle down. As such, each constitutes an important piece in Connecticut’s colorful 169-town mosaic.”

The magazine came up with these stats for East Hampton this year:

• Population 12,959
• Crime rate 2.98
• SAT score 1596
• Median house $235,500
• Equalized mill rate 15.75
• Library per capita $40.01
• PIC points 45
• Voter turnout 80.98%

The magazine also noted that “Young families looking for a nice combination of reasonably low real-estate prices and good school performance might look to No. 4 Granby or, better yet, East Hampton, where the median house price is around $235,000 and the test scores are solidly above average. There’s frontage on the Connecticut River, too, but that’ll cost you extra.”

Portland ranked 15th among the 24 towns with populations between 6,500 and 10,000.