Website Ranks Wallingford The No. 8 Spot In Connecticut To Raise A Family

By David Gurliacci and Paul Petrone

Wallingford ranked number eight in Connecticut in a comparison of towns for "the best towns in Connecticut for raising families," according to a data-crunching consumer website, NerdWallet.

"While many couples are ready to start a family, these future parents must consider several factors when choosing the right place to settle down," NerdWallet publicist Laura Zulliger wrote in an email.

By looking at school standardized test scores, real estate and income information, the website produced a list of 10 "best towns for young families" with Orange ranking first, Trumbull second and then the following towns, in order (for a table comparing various factors, go to this NerdWallet Web page):

1. Orange
2. Trumbull
3. Newington
4. West Hartford
5. Wethersfield
6. Darien
7. Milford
8. Wallingford Center
9. North Haven
10. Westport

NerdWallet's take on Wallingford:

"OWallingford’s central business district – Wallingford Center – is a census-designated place of its own. The community sits between New Haven and Hartford. The community works hard to support new businesses, with discounts on utilities and property tax cuts in certain sections of the town. Wallingford is home to several industrial parks, too, which has helped pave the way for medical, healthcare, service and high-tech enterprises to open up shop."

These factors were used to rank the towns:

1. "Does the town have good public schools?" Ratings from GreatSchools website were used to measure school systems by comparing standardized test scores. School districts were put on a 1-to-10 scale, with 10 the highest rating. Darien received a 10, as did Westport.
2. "Can you afford to live there?" The website compared median home values in each town (with Darien and Westport each reported as having over $1 million) and ongoing monthly home costs ($4,000-plus for each town), " including mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance costs, utilities, fuel and other bills. Lower costs led to a higher overall score."
3. "Is the town growing and prospering?" The measure used for that was each town's average household income and income growth over the last decade.

San Fransisco-based NerdWallet describes itself as a "consumer advocacy website" (although it's not a nonprofit and contains advertising) that uses "data-driven tools and impartial info to help you make solid decisions about the money you work hard to earn."