Community News
House Calls: State Treasurer Steve Grossman
House Calls: Higher Education
2013 Community Report
Needham Named Best Place to Live
Adapted from the Article by Joshua Perry of the Needham Hometown Weekly
“Boston Magazine” has announced that, in its upcoming March issue, Needham will be named the “Best Place to Live” in Massachusetts. The town received the honor based on its emerging retail scene, home prices, services, and amenities.
Needham has great schools, low taxes, and a thriving retail scene. The median home price is $670,000 with a one-year change: +3.2%.
Last year’s inaugural season of the Great Hall Concert Series—a revolving salon of local and international musicians, performers, and artists lighting up the renovated town hall—only strengthened Needham’s emerging reputation for cultural refinement.
Dwellers here also enjoy the many restaurants in Needham center, as well as a recovering retail scene that took a hit when Dedham’s Legacy Place mall debuted in 2009.
Steady business and industry revenues keep property taxes shockingly low for a suburb that every year sits near the top of this magazine’s school rankings. For the valued and valuable members of the community, an $8 million senior center is scheduled to start welcoming guests this fall to offer movie nights and computer and fitness classes.
FY 2014 Higher Education Budget
I am proud to announce that we in the legislature have succeeded in making a historic investment for our State University system during the FY14 budget deliberations. As a result, the State Universities will be able to freeze tuition and institutional fees for the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year. An additional $15m will be allocated to the system as an important first step towards an equitable funding of Massachusetts’ institutions of public higher education, and will significantly benefit our students and their families. This positions us to proceed in the right direction for support of public higher education in the future. I thank my colleagues!
