The 'burbs... A self-proclaimed 'burber, I was thrilled to see a recent post from Business Insider crunching some big data to produce a list of the top suburbs in America.
So how does your neck of the woods rate?
The Business Insider report looked at suburbs with populations between 5,000 and 100,000 within about 25 miles of the nearest metropolitan area, factoring in commute times, median household income, poverty and crime rates, public school ratings from GreatSchools.org, and a measure of housing affordability. The BI list was dominated by the Midwest, or more specifically by Ohio suburbs - likely due to several factors, most notably a reasonable cost of living.
At number 50 is Kirtland, Ohio. With a population of 6,866 and a Great Schools score of 9, residents from the "City of Faith and Beauty" take an average 25.4 minutes to commute to nearby Cleveland-Elyria. The median household income for this 17 square mile town is $85,938.
Swinging all the way up to number one, Business Insider finds Elm Grove, Wisconsin. With a population of 5,934 and a Great Schools score of 10 Elm Grove has it all: phenomenal schools, low poverty and violent-crime rates, and a six-figure median household income ($109,933).
According to Business Insider, residents can access the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis area in just 20 minutes, or escape at the village's nature sanctuaries. Elm Grove is a designated "Bird City," a distinction awarded to cities committed to making their communities a better place for people, birds, and other wildlife.
Smack dab in the middle of Business Insider's best suburbs list at 25, is Johnston, Iowa. With a population of 17,278 and a Great Schools score of 9, residents of Johnston, which has doubled its population over the past 10 years, have low costs of living and a median household income of $94,014.
The Iowa suburb is home to the military training site Camp Dodge and is a quick 17.8-minute commute to the cities of Des Moines and West Des Moines.
For more real estate information, including a FREE Home Market Analysis, please contact me at michael.fagan@foxroach.com or on my mobile phone at 215-872-0277.
By John Voket
Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.
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