Best Community #18: Countryside Charm
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Exeter
Some of the greatest discoveries in the 2011 rankings come from quiet rural outposts that carry on the good business of educating children and providing safe, affordable places for Rhode Islanders to live, work, and raise families. The 18th ranked town, an unassuming community largely rural, is another one of these discoveries. It turns out that Exeter should be known for more than being the home of Rhode Island's only ski area.
Exeter shares a regional school system with West Greenwich, and its top-ranked high school in this year's Top High School rankings has contributed to its 15th-place finish in Education Rankings. With reasonable housing prices and reasonably high median income, Exeter is the 8th most affordable community in Rhode Island, according to this year's rankings. And in fact, the town placed 6th in Economic Condition rankings.
Exeter by the numbers
Established: 1641
Population: 6,425
Median household income: $89,000
Median housing price: $285,000
2011 Best Communities rankings
Overall ranking: 18
Affordability ranking: 8
Education ranking: 15
Economic condition ranking: 6
Safety ranking: 25
Arts & Culture ranking: 31
History in a nutshell:
Between 1680 to 1725, the first permanent settlers of Exeter began to arrive in land west of the Connecticut boundary. The settlement grew quickly and by 1740 the population of Exeter numbered around 1,000 people. The villages grew near lowland streams where water was used as a power source for the small factories and mills. With the start of the 20th century, many of these villages began to decline as the factories closed and the population decreased. Exeter, surrounding by a quaint and sprawling countryside, is now mostly a rural, residential area. The natural beauty of the town complemented with wooded hills, crystal streams, and large population of wildlife make it a pleasant and quiet place to reside.
Photo: Jack McCabe
Additional research by Nate Holterman
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