Community Corner

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. 

Find out what's happening in Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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."

Find out what's happening in Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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


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