Lexington Park ranks 3rd most desirable dream town

[vanbells]

Well, I found this hard to believe, so I checked out the 'methodology' used. It's hard to believe that Lexington Park beat Oak Harbor Washington too.


"Factors: Bizjournals used a 20-part formula to rate each market's quality of life. Each component is followed in parentheses by the trait it measured and the type of reading -- highest or lowest -- that earned a maximum score:

1. Population growth since 2000 (growth, highest).
2. Percentage of residents who have lived in the same home for more than one year (stability, highest).
3. Share of all residents who are between the ages of 25 and 44 (young adults, highest).
4. Percentage of workers who work at home or walk to work (ease of movement, highest).
5. Average commuting time (ease of movement, lowest).
6. Median household income (earnings, highest).
7. Poverty rate for families (earnings, lowest).
8. Mortgage affordability, calculated as a ratio of median house value per $1,000 of median household income (cost of living, lowest).
9. Rent affordability, calculated as a ratio of annual median rent per $1,000 of median household income (cost of living, lowest).
10. Unemployment rate (employment, lowest).
11. Percentage of all jobs that are classified as management or professional positions (employment, highest).
12. Percentage of workers who are self-employed (entrepreneurship, highest).
13. Percentage of houses that have been built since 1990 (housing stock, highest).
14. Percentage of houses that have nine or more rooms (housing stock, highest).
15. Homeownership rate (homeownership, highest).
16. Median house value (homeownership, highest).
17. Percentage of adults (25 or older) who hold high school diplomas (education, highest).
18. Percentage of adults (25 or older) who hold bachelor's degrees (education, highest).
19. Percentage of adults (25 or older) who hold advanced (master's, doctoral and/or professional) degrees (education, highest).
20. Air mileage to the closest major metropolitan area, defined as a metro with more than 2.5 million residents (metropolitan proximity, lowest)."

bizjournals: Methodology
​

No doubt Lexington Park has all of those mentioned above. When you look at stats like that Lexington Park would rank pretty high.

 

[tiltedangel]

It seems they have been very thorough in their due diligence.
The only thing they warn about is the drive through California.

America's 10 dreamtowns

3Lexington Park, Md.

Lexington Park viewed from the Church of the Ascension Gardens. stmarysmd.com Quality of life
Strengths: Lexington Park sits along placid Chesapeake Bay. Hectic Washington is farther away, yet still within commuting distance. The result is a community that blends small-town and suburban qualities. Lexington Park's median household income is the highest in micropolitan America.
Location: Southern Maryland, southeast of Washington
Closest major metropolitan area: Washington, 48 air miles
Quick stats
Area population: 98,854
Population growth since 2000: 14.6%
Average commuting time: 26.6 minutes
Median household income: $71,158
Homeownership rate: 71.9%
Median house value: $322,000
Adults with bachelor's degrees: 24.4%




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WHERE THE HECK ARE THEY GETTING THESE HOUSEHOLD INCOMES FROM?!!!!! THE BASE? People in "THE PARK" don't make that kind of money! geez! but it would be nice...might make half that...

 

[thurley42]

WHERE THE HECK ARE THEY GETTING THESE HOUSEHOLD INCOMES FROM?!!!!! THE BASE? People in "THE PARK" don't make that kind of money! geez! but it would be nice...might make half that...

newsflash...people that work on base live in the park!

 

[somdrenter]

Median household income: $71,158
Median house value: $322,000

Median home prices over 4.5x median household income? I guess that’s the premium you pay for living in such a “micropolitan”.

 

[Appletini]

I live in the park and my boyfriend works on base. Together we make more than the median income they have listed. I'm in my early 20s and he's mid 20s, just bought a new house. It's not hard to believe that the median income and house prices are that high. There is a lot of riff raff bringing the area down though. No doubt about that.

 

[thurley42]

I live in the park and my boyfriend works on base. Together we make more than the median income they have listed. I'm in my early 20s and he's mid 20s, just bought a new house. It's not hard to believe that the median income and house prices are that high. There is a lot of riff raff bringing the area down though. No doubt about that.

i love that word