White Plains Ranks in Top 50 Best Small Cities
CNNMoney magazine posted the top 100 best small cities for families in America this week. White Plains is ranked 44th overall and 20th out of the top 25 places chosen by wealthy singles.
The ranking was developed by identifying more than 800 American cities with populations of 50,000 to 300,000. Places with a median income of more than 200 percent or less than 85 percent of the state (in which they are located) average were immediately eliminated as were cities with 95 percent of one race and those with poor education and crime scores.
Determinations about job growth, home affordability, safety, school quality, health care, arts and leisure, diversity and overall quality of life were made to arrive at a top 100 designation.
White Plains was acknowledged for its easy commute to Manhattan, corporate elite, entrepreneurial spirit and good education. In the recreation and entertainment categories, White Plains ranked high for its new bicycle paths, golf courses and walking trails. One note in the city’s description warned that “the cost of living can be high.”
Mayor Thomas Roach told The White Plains Examiner he is very pleased to be recognized. “I believe we should be higher up on the list. White Plains is such a unique place,” he said. “In only 10 square miles we have it all. White Plains is like a microcosm of all of Westchester County.” Roach often comments that he spends his day at city hall located next to a 43-story world class building. He can then walk a short distance to his house in a neighborhood where his children can swim in a pond. He was particularly pleased with the article’s reference to the new bike lanes established in the city earlier this summer.
In a side category, White Plains ranked 20 out of 25 cities chosen as home by rich singles. Based on 2011 statistics used by CNNMoney, 32 percent of White Plains’ population is single with a median income for that group at $97,538 annually. At the top of the singles list is Newton, Mass. at 31.2 percent of the population with $145,639 median income. Norwich, Conn. ranked at 25 with 30.9 percent singles with a median income of $93,095.
