Posted: August 5, 2014
By MEGAN APPLEGATE
Probably coming as no surprise to its residents, the town of Bridgewater was recently ranked third in a national top 10 list of small towns.
Real estate firm Movoto posted “10 Best Small Towns in America” to its website on Friday and placed Bridgewater ahead of such communities as Estes Park, Colo., and just behind Vienna and Palm Beach, Fla.
The rankings were based on criteria like total amenities, quality of life — considering such factors as cost of living, median home prices and median household income — total crime, tax rates, unemployment, commute time and weather.
“If you’re looking for serious quality, without a high price tag, Bridgewater is definitely your best bet,” the article says.
Bridgewater Superintendent Bob Holton thinks the town is deserving of the recent nods, including a No. 12 ranking in the safest towns in Virginia study released by SafeWise earlier this year.
“The local schools are a great boon to the community and residents really support them,” Holton said. “We also have great job opportunities with our access to Harrisonburg. On top of that, anything that a person could want in their day-to-day life can be found within 50 square miles. That’s pretty special.”
A popular real estate website with an active blog and thousands of daily readers, Movoto used 2010 census numbers and looked at towns with populations between 5,000 and 20,000.
The article also listed Bridgewater’s 3.7 percent unemployment rate as a positive.
“Not bad for a town of just more than 5,000 people,” the article says.
Contact Megan Applegate at 574-6286 or [email protected]
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