Apr 9, 2009 5:28 pm US/Eastern
Worcester, Peabody, Cambridge Are 'Most Livable'
(WBZ)
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Worcester City Hall (file image)
WBZ
When you think of Worcester, what comes to mind? How about the 9th best city in America to live in?
That's what Forbes Magazine thinks of Worcester.
"We are transforming from a manufacturing city, to one that has its emphasis on health sciences, and the service sector," said Worcester Mayor Konstantina Lukes. "We've been named an All-American city five times."
Forbes' "most livable" metro cities list comes after they examined income growth, crime rate, unemployment, cost of living and culture.
Read: The Methodology
Cambridge came in at No. 7, and Portland, Maine came out on top -- No. 1 in the nation. Peabody was also named in the list of 15, coming in at No. 14.
See full list below.
Massachusetts was the only state to have three cities on the list.
Perhaps people within the I-495 belt never imagined Worcester as a great place to live, but WBZ talked to people on the street Thursday. Three businessmen extolled the virtues of their city.
"It's great for kids...good schools", said one. Another said, "There's hardly a traffic jam, and the city is very educated."
Indeed, the Mayor points out that there are 10 colleges and universities within the city limits.
J.T. Kelley is a commercial banker, who recently moved back to Worcester. "It's very affordable, and a great place to raise kids," said Kelley.
But when a reporter approached three elderly ladies sitting on a bench outside of City Hall, and told them of the Forbes ranking, one laughed and said, "That's a joke!" Another said, "This is a ghost town, there's nowhere to shop!"
Maybe they didn't know that the Worcester Common Outlets are being demolished to make way for a new shopping center.
CAMBRIDGE
The Cambridge metro area, which ranked 7, includes Newton and Framingham. It ranked high in culture and low in crime and unemployment.
Metro Population: 1,484,000
Income Growth: 2.8% (No. 206 of 379)
Cost of Living Index: 121.8 (No. 354 of 379)
Culture Index: 97 (No. 11 of 379, tie)
Crime per 100,000: 2,266 (No. 21 of 379)
Unemployment: 5.9% (No. 216 of 379)
*statistics all from Forbes
WORCESTER
Worcester, which fell at 9 on Forbes list, also ranked high in culture and low in crime.
Metro Population: 787,000
Income Growth: 3.5% (No. 145 of 379)
Cost of Living Index: 106.1 (No. 147 of 379)
Culture Index: 98 (No. 7 of 379, tie)
Crime per 100,000: 2,334 (No. 29 of 379)
Unemployment: 7.8% (No. 13 of 379)
*statistics all from Forbes
PEABODY
Peabody, ranked the 14th most livable area by Forbes, shared the same strengths – high culture and low crime.
Metro Population: 738,000
Income Growth: 3.4% (No. 149 of 379)
Cost of Living Index: 114.5 (No. 345 of 379)
Culture Index: 96 (No. 15 of 379)
Crime per 100,000: 2,405 (No. 36 of 379)
Unemployment: 7.7% (No. 95 of 379)
*statistics all from Forbes
Here is the full list of Forbes top 15 Most Livable Cities
15. Little Rock, Ark.
14. Peabody, Mass.
13. Madison, Wisc.
12. Harrisburg, Pa.
11. Denver, Colo.
10. Pittsburgh, Pa.
9. Worcester, Mass.
8. Baltimore, Md.
7. Cambridge (Newton/Framingham) Mass.
6. Oklahoma City, Okla.
5. Tulsa, Okla.
4. Stamford, Conn.
3. Des Moines, Iowa
2. Bethesda, Md.
1. Portland, Maine
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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