slides: Massachusetts’ Best Communities 2013: #50-#1

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Tracey Minkin, GoLocalWorcester Features Editor

What are the Top 50 communities in Massachusetts? GoLocalWorcester has the answer for 2013 as its 2nd annual Massachusetts' Best Communities 2013 counts down the best cities and towns from one end of the state to the other.

Check the slides, below, for the latest rankings.

To translate "great community" into a quantifiable assessment, we went to the data. With rankings created nationally by leading media sources like Kiplinger's and Money Magazine, we created our own set of criteria for what makes a community great. 

Our researchers spent hours poring over measures from public sources that help define a great place to live. We gathered and assessed housing prices, tax rates, median household incomes, crime statistics, and school performance on standardized tests in elementary, middle, and high schools. We counted places to go out and have fun, from bars and restaurants, to theaters, historic sites and museums, and golf courses. We even counted libraries. (For a full explanation of our methodology and sources, go here.)

On Friday, GoLocal will reveal its Massachusetts' Best Communities 2013 Chart, with the latest data on each city and town, so you can compare results across the state, from housing costs to MCAS scores, from crime rates to arts and culture sites.

New for 2013: Take our poll

Get ready to vote, Massachusetts. Today, let us know which aspect of community matters most to you. On Thursday, vote on what are the best things in the Top 10 towns in special town polls.

We're expecting to hear from you. How do you feel about your town's ranking? What do the measures we use tell you about your community? Join the conversation about Best Communities here in comments, on your town's profile, and on Facebook. Share the piece, talk to your friends and neighbors, and enjoy the biggest backyard conversation Massachusetts. has ever seen.

Research by Sean Quinn, Stephanie Hayes, E-Soo Kim, Ben McKay, Karen Mills, Michelle Johnstone, and Kalena Crafton. Photography by Caitlin Gill.

Related Articles

• Massachusetts’ Best Communities 2013: #100-#51
• Central Massachusetts’ Best Communities 2013: #72-#1
• Coming Monday: Masssachusetts’ Best Communities 2013
• Massachusetts’ Best Communities 2013: #50-#1
• Methodology: Massachusetts’ Best Communities 2013
• What Matters Most In A Community—MA’s Best Communities 2013

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