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WEST CHESTER NAMED TO "BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN AMERICA" LIST

September 25, 2017  |  West Chester
West Chester

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CONTACT: Barbara Wilson, 759-7308 or 304-4701 

WEST CHESTER NAMED TO NEW “BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN AMERICA” LIST 

Money Magazine released a new “Best Places to Live” list this week and West Chester again ranks in the top 100 communities across the country. This is the sixth time West Chester has made Money Magazine’s list - a credit to the community’s private and corporate citizens who have invested in its success and sustainability. 

“To be included among so many truly great communities across the country is amazing,” said West Chester Township Board of Trustees President Mark Welch. “Money Magazine’s ‘Best Places to Live’ list starts with data, highlighting attributes that make communities ideal places to live. Those who live in West Chester, however, know our community’s success runs even deeper. Nearly 65,000 residents and 3,600 businesses give West Chester a unique point of view as a vibrant community with great heart.” 

The 2017 Money Magazine list considers communities with populations of 10,000 to 100,000, eliminating those with more than double the national crime risk, less than 85 percent of its state’s median household income, or a lack of diversity. 

From the resulting pool of 2,400 places, Money Magazine, a publication of Time, Inc., collected 170,000 different data points to narrow the list. “We considered data on each place’s economic health, cost of living, public education, crime, ease of living and amenities,” reported Money Magazine. The magazine’s reporters then researched each place, interviewing residents and checking out neighborhoods for the intangibles that define great communities. 

“Being one of America’s best places to live is a standard we strive to earn every day as our private and corporate stakeholders, residents, elected officials and staff continue to invest in the attributes that promote a sense of place, livability and community spirit,” said West Chester Trustee Lee Wong. “To be named six times to this list is remarkable, and the continued commitment of our citizens and businesses to inspire such recognition is humbling.” 

West Chester was first named to the Money Magazine list in 2005 and has been included in the top 50 on the five most recent lists – 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 – recognizing communities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000. West Chester placed 56 on the 2017 list recognizing the top 100 places to live with populations of 10,000 to 100,000.