Community Corner

Merrimack Named Among 50 Best Places to Live

Small towns ranked every other year by CNN's Money Magazine.

Merrimack is climbing higher in the ranks of Money Magazine's Best Places to Live in America.

After coming in number 87 on the Top 100 small towns list in 2011. It was listed in this year's Top 50 at number 23. It had previously been listed in the Top 50 in 2005 and 2009 coming in at 47th and 49th, respectively. 

This year's top ranked small town in America was Sharon, Mass.

The magazine looks at factors such as median family income, percent of job growth from 2010-12, median home price, math and reading test scores, personal crime incidents and property crime incidents when selecting the towns for its list. It alternates yearly between best cities and towns. Last year, Nashua was named 92 among the 100 Best Cities to Live in America.

Below is what Money Magazine says about Merrimack in it's description:

"Merrimack is increasingly a hot spot for jobs. The town is home to military engineering firm Nanocorp (sic), a range of startups and, soon, the headquarters of medical device manufacturer Atrium Medical. Visitors and residents alike are drawn to the Anheuser-Busch factory, and a premium outlet mall opened on the outskirts of town last year, bringing new jobs and tourists.

Several parks, a strong youth-recreation program, and proximity to the Merrimack River keep residents busy year-round." 

The top five towns in 2013 were:
  1. Sharon, Mass.
  2. Louisville, Colo.
  3. Vienna, Va.
  4. Chanhassen, Minn.
  5. Sherwood, Ore.
The only other New Hampshire community to rank in this year's Top 50 list was Windham, which came in at No. 30.

Get the full list on CNN.

Tell us: What is your favorite thing about living in Merrimack? Share your answer in the comments below.

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