CT Mag's "Rating the Towns" Lukewarm on South Windsor

Those wary of town rankings may want to sit this one out.

Connecticut Magazine’s "Ranking the Towns" is out, ordering the state’s towns from best to worst by a variety of factors and divided into categories by median home price.

South Windsor, in the $225,000 to $299,999 median home category, ranks 30th out of 44 towns.

The towns are ranked through a total score made up of five criteria. Each criterion is ordered, with 1 being best and 44 being worst. South Windsor’s ratings, according to the magazine, are:

• Crime: 31
• Culture/leisure: 40
• Community engagement: 6
• Education: 15
• Economy: 32
• Total: 124

Education is based on graduation rates as well as scores for CMTS, CAPT and SATs.

The economy is rated through a formula generated by the state Office of Policy and Management “based on population, per capita income, the adjusted equalized grand list per capita, the unemployment rate, the equalized mill rate and per capita aid to children.”

Crime is calculated by rate of major crimes in 2012 from Department of Public Safety numbers.

Engagement comes from 2012 voter turnout and the availability of local news coverage.

Leisure and culture is calculated through proximity to “state parks and forests; number of colleges and universities; number of restaurants listed in Connecticut Magazine’s 2013 Best Restaurants issue; and number of shops, theaters, museums and concert venues.”

Obviously, the rankings do not take into account volunteerism, an unparalleled number of community activities, a robust volunteer fire department, number of fields or age of school facilities or the amount of holiday decorations that appear on Mayor Tom Delnicki’s lawn. 

What do you think makes South Windsor great, what needs improvement and what do you think of the ratings?