Durham Ranks in Top 20 Best Places to Live in Connecticut

By BRIAN MCCREADY (Patch Staff) and Jaimie Cura

We love rankings because you love rankings. Whether it be the best schools or best places to live, everyone loves to talk and debate the latest rankings.

“HomeSnack” was created by two bloggers who analyze the best places to live in the United States. They came up with their latest ranking called “These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Connecticut According to Science.”

They say they’ve analyzed 268 communities in Connecticut using only science to guide their rankings.

HomeSnack says it’s combed through 2014 FBI data, studied weather patterns, education records, unemployment rate, income levels, and even short commute times to shape their list.

They do admit that they gave more weight to communities with larger populations believing there is more to do in bigger communities, which improves the overall quality of life.

Connecticut’s Top 10

• Orange
• Mansfield Center
• Oakville
• Prospect
• Old Mystic
• Woodbridge
• Kensington
• Wallingford
• Rocky Hill
• West Hartford

Unusual Findings

Greenwich is often featured in lists about the best places to live in Connecticut but according to HomeSnack, it’s ranked all the way down at No. 148.

Some other head scratchers include:

• Madison all the way down at No. 30
• Darien No. 48
• Easton, No. 49
• Trumbull, No. 63
• Ridgefield, No. 121
• Milford, No. 125
• Fairfield, No. 133
• Westport, No. 135
• Guilford, No. 197

What HomeSnack Says About Durham

• Ranking: 13
• Population: 2,820
• Unemployment: 5.2%
• Income tax: 5%
• Median household income: $98,155
• Expenditure per student: $16,836
• Student teacher ratio: 14.1
• Commute time: 25.8
• Crime index: 30.4
• Sunny days: 191

What HomeSnack Says About Middlefield

• Ranking: 65
• Population: 4,426
• Unemployment: 6.1%
• Income tax: 5%
• Median household income: $87,463
• Expenditure per student: $16,836
• Student teacher ratio: 14
• Commute time: 23.63
• Crime index: 42.2
• Sunny days: 190

Tell us what you think of these latest rankings in the comments section below.

Photo of Durham by FS2004, via flickr creative commons