CT Magazine Survey—

Newtown Ranks Fourth In Its Population Category

By John Voket

A range of trending statistics from lower crime to higher voter turnout has elevated Newtown to the fourth best community in the state in Connecticut Magazine’s annual Rating the Towns edition in the category representing towns whose population falls between 25,000 and 50,000.

Newtown registered a score of 48 among the 26 rated towns, bested only by Glastonbury, which scored a 38, Farmington (37) and Westport (34).

Neighboring New Milford and Trumbull ranked 8 and 9 respectively, while New London, Windham and East Haven rounded out the bottom three towns on the scale.

First Selectman Pat Llodra said she was very pleased that Newtown was recognized among the most attractive towns in the state.

“I know that Newtown is really number one, but I’m happy to be included with Westport, Farmington, and Glastonbury,” Mrs Llodra said, joking that none of those communities has a flagpole in the middle of Main Street.

In scoring criteria with 1 being best and 26 being worst according to the five categories in the magazine’s feature, Newtown scored number 1 in Crime Fighting — a stat that represented the average number of major crimes in 2007, 2008, and 2009 per 1,000 population.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe said his department has worked very hard to keep crime down, crediting “a number of initiatives” that helped Newtown reach the top ranked position among its peer communities.

“The congratulations really go to men and women who work so diligently every day to make Newtown safe,” Chief Kehoe said.

Newtown ranked 3 in the Economy category, 6 in Education, 13 in Leisure, and 26 in the Cost column. The magazine’s editors note that numbers represent only a small portion of all the data collected to determine town rankings.

SAT score represented the average combined verbal, math, and writing scores in 2010 (perfect score is 2400). The median house price is based on first-half 2011 sales.

The 2009 equalized mill rate determines the local tax burden by dividing the tax rate by the Grand List. Library expenditures per capita are for 2010.

PIC points take into account per capita income, equalized mill rate, adjusted equalized Grand List per capita and aid to children. It is an indicator of wealth and need, according to the magazine, the number shows where the town ranks among all 169 cities and towns in the state; the greater the number, the less need in the community.

Voter turnout reflects those voting in the November 2008 presidential election.

The Newtown information used in compiling the magazine stats included:

Population, 27,560

Crime rate, 1.77

SAT score, 1634

Median house, $380,000

Equalized mill rate, 16.00

Library per capita, $43.84

PIC points, 134

Voter turnout, 88.97 percent

The magazine states the goals of its “Rating the Towns” is to identify areas — schools, crime, cost of living, local economy, leisure and cultural opportunities — that most people seem to think most important when they judge the quality of local life.

This year, there was a slight shifting in the four population groups, reflecting the results of the 2010 census. A number of towns moved into the next larger population group as a result, which the editors stated usually resulting in a higher finish in the rankings.