Dining Specials Drink Specials Daily Events Band Venues Lodging Specials

Newsletter

03/21/2011 - Amherst, NY Ranked #42 Best Places to Live (Article from the Buffalo News)

WINNER
Top 100 rank: 42
Population: 115,000
Compare Amherst to Top 10 Best Places
This town in western New York State is blessed with a fortunate location for those who love large bodies of fresh water. It's just a short drive to Niagara Falls, plus Lakes Erie and Ontario.

Nearby state parks offer skiing in the winter and cycling in the summer. Amherst is also 15 minutes from Buffalo, which has a burgeoning arts scene and a variety of jobs.

The University of Buffalo plays a large role in community activities, not to mention in stable employment opportunities. --N.A


Is Amherst a great town, or what?
Amherst stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $86,531 $90,957
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*		 -0.23% 15.71%

Median home price $154,950 $239,391

Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 26.2% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 15.7% 22.9%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 18 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,940 2,967
High temp in July ° F 79.6° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 16.2° 21.3°
Median age 40.8 35.3
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $86,531 $90,957
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $89,669 $86,860
State sales tax 4.00% 5.45%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 8.97%I 7.35%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 4.00%I 2.96%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 N.A. $1,707
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*		 -0.23% 15.71%

Housing
Median home price $154,950 $239,391
Average property taxes
(2009)		 $3,401 $3,418

Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 8 25
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 26.2% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 15.7% 22.9%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 80.8/19.2 87.8/12.2
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 69.0% 77.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 18 24
Median commute time (in minutes) 18.6 21.4
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 3.7% 13.6%
% population walk or bike to work 2.7% 3.6%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 25 31
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,940 2,967
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 303 207
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 90 162
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 54 72
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 4 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 13 12
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 2.7 1.5
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 41.48 37.40
% clear days in the area 15 29
High temp in July ° F 79.6° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 16.2° 21.3°
Median age 40.8 35.3
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 75.5% 71.5%
Married % 54.2% 56.6%
Divorced % 6.5% 8.4%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 51.7 94.9


From the August 2010 issue
Notes: *County data

(I) Income tax notes:
The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married taxpayers, the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $16,000 to $500,000.

Submit a Comment



Comment

Please leave blank:

Back to all Hot Topics

Sponsors

Blendings Global Crazy Jakes
The Body Essential dd of bflo
Robert Optical Bagel Jays
NightOutRadio

Tonight’s Top Ideas

Monday
Feb
Mostly Sunny37°F
29°F
6
Show All Submit Event