Andover Named One of the Best Places to Live in 2013
Boston Magazine named Andover as one of the best places to "move up" to in Massachusetts.
Movin' on up, to the northeast side, to that deluxe apartment in...Andover?
That's right. Andover was named one of the best places to live for those looking to move on up to better neighborhoods and schools, going so far as to say "...the way life should be," according an article to Boston Magazine.
The article highlights Andover's commitment to education, citing the $4 million Cormier Youth Center to be built soon behind Doherty School.
Positioned among the other communities in the state named as "Best Places to Live," the small blurb about Andover in Boston Magazine also touts a survey claiming that 99 percent of Andover residents that took the poll said that their town was "a good or excellent place to live," with 87 percent rating it just "as highly as a spot to raise kids."
And like each blurb in this feature, Andover has it's own "catch phrase" at the beginning: "ANDOVER - The way life should be - just ask the people that live there."
The article also adds the reasons why people leave and why one of those reasons make it an ideal spot to look for up and coming families.
"As such, it seems that there are really only two reasons people leave: They’re looking to downsize, or they’re relocating for a new job. The former is a major market influence right now, with the flight of empty-nesters creating buying opportunities for young families," stated the article.
The median home price in Andover is $505,000 and the property tax rate for residential property owners is $14.51 per $1000 of assessed property, making the average tax bill in Andover $7,327.55.
The property tax rate for Commercial/Industrial and Personal Property is $24.26 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Read the full blurb at the Boston Magazine online.
Check out Department of Revenue Statistics from Andover:
| Municipality | Andover |
| County | ESSEX |
| 2010 Population | 33,201 |
| 2013 Average Single Family Tax Bill | 7,967 |
| 2009 DOR Income Per Capita | 64,107 |
| 2010 EQV Per Capita | 223,055 |
| Land Area | 31 |
| Population Density | 1,071 |
| 2009 Total Road Miles | 224 |
| Residential | $5,441,912,945 |
| Open Space | $8,391,900 |
| Commercial | $544,010,554 |
| Industrial | $574,064,300 |
| Personal Property | $234,340,227 |
| Total Assessed Value | $6,802,719,926 |
FY 213 Revenues |
|
| Tax Levy | $111,893,513 |
| State Aid | $11,400,546 |
| Local Receipts | $23,353,649 |
| Other Revenue | $98,694 |
| Total Budget | $146,746,402 |
| Tax Levy % of Budget | 76.25 |
| State Aid % of Budget | 7.77 |
Outstanding Receivables |
|
| Deferred Property Taxes | $190,263 |
| Taxes In Litigation | 0 |
| Tax Liens Tax Title | $1,302,119 |
| Tax Foreclosures Possessions | $250,160 |
| Water | $842,930 |
| Sewer | $821,712 |
| Utility Liens | $31,927 |
FY 2011 General Budget Spending |
|
| General Government | $8,192,439 |
| Police | $6,402,323 |
| Fire | $6,898,290 |
| Other Public Safety | $958,025 |
| Education | $62,350,888 |
| Public Works | $5,714,337 |
| Human Service | $850,241 |
| Culture and Recreation | $4,565,722 |
| Debt Services | $11,799,684 |
| Fixed Costs | $6,426,900 |
| Intergovernment | $2,860,658 |
| Other | $20,960 |
| 2011 Total Debt Service | $11,799,684 |
| 2011 Debt % of Budget | 8.43 |
| Free Cash Amount as of 7/1/2012 | $4,073,271 |
| FY11 Stabilization Fund | $4,599,357 |
| Moody's Bond Rating | Aa1 |
Kristina Trott
11:10 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I see that the youth center is listed as a large plus for Andover's livability. Somewhere else, not squeezed between 2 wetland areas with large drainage and parking issues, it would be. For its neighbors on Bartlet and Whittier Place, it's a huge minus.The Whittier residents are fearing exacerbation of the Rogers Brook flooding they live with already, and because of the loss of parking behind Doherty School the Bartlet neighbors are faced with the partial paving of the beautiful small park in front of the school which has served as a buffer between their residential land and he school zone.The design people insist there will be no cutting of any but "dead" trees, but how long will the live ones last with excavation and paving over their roots? The plan shows pavement right up to the trunks of several trees---
This inexcusable assault on the street's environment was proposed once before, and rightly shot down. It should be again.
The center should never have been planned for this marginal land, but since it seems to be a done deal the proponents could at least show some consideration for the residents who will have to live with it.
Michael
11:19 am on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Perfect timing that the Youth Center helped get Andover on the list just as they are holding their auction and fundraiser. Make sure to bid on some great items to help them out. Copy and paste this link into your browser to be part of the auction http://ow.ly/iTIr4
Married and happy
7:10 pm on Saturday, March 16, 2013
We left after three years. Unfriendly with a disappointing public school system and too far from Boston. Unsophisticated residents. Metrowest suburbs are the best place to live!!
Joni
9:53 am on Monday, March 18, 2013
Once the trees are gone, they are gone. Andover does not look like Andover on many streets any more because perfectly good trees were taken down. Trees provide many benefits and we are only hurting ourselves when we take them down.