Niche.com has released its 2025 list of the ‘Best Places to Live in Connecticut,’ and West Hartford has once again earned the top spot.

By Ronni Newton

Niche.com released its rankings of the “Best Places to Live” this week, and now for eight years running, West Hartford has earned the top ranking on the list of the “2025 Best Places to Live in Connecticut.”

Niche again gives West Hartford an overall grade of A-plus, a ranking which they determine as a comprehensive assessment of the overall livability of an area based on analysis of multiple data sets, from the U.S. Census, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and CDC, as well as Niche’s proprietary data and community reviews. It’s a ranking which considers the overall quality of an area and includes analysis of “affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, area public schools, walkability, and more are all considered,” Niche states.

“This is such excellent news that West Hartford is recognized by Niche as the No. 1 place to live in Connecticut for the eighth consecutive year,” Mayor Shari Cantor said. “This is an important reflection of our highly engaged residents and our truly amazing, wonderful, diverse, and dynamic community. We have a highly professional and caring town staff and such vibrant and thriving commercial centers throughout town. We continually invest in the quality of life for our residents and visitors and we also recognize and welcome the opportunities to improve. We celebrate our special community and we are grateful for this honor,” she added.

“West Hartford being named the best town to live in for the eighth year in a row is a testament to the incredible community we have here,” said Town Manager Rick Ledwith. “It’s not just our great schools, outstanding public safety, beautiful parks, and vibrant businesses, it’s about the residents who make this town feel like home. Whether you have lived here for many years or just moved in, there is a shared sense of pride in what makes West Hartford special.”

Niche’s description notes that “Living in West Hartford offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes.” As mentioned in past write-ups, the description also mentions the town’s many restaurants, coffee shops, parks, and other amenities. “Many young professionals and retirees live in West Hartford and residents tend to be liberal. The public schools in West Hartford are highly rated,” the description included in the 2025 ranking states.

In addition to the overall grade of A-plus, for 2025 West Hartford’s “Report Card” was unchanged from 2024. The town received an A-plus in the categories of schools, health and fitness, and “good for families.” Nightlife and outdoor activities received an A; diversity, jobs, and commute received an A-minus; housing was rated B-plus; and crime was rated B (up from C-plus several years ago). Cost of living and weather were rated C-plus.

Niche states that according to their analysis, which uses advanced algorithms and statistical techniques, “reviews and data are scored and standardized so that each place is comparable. We then assign each place to a cohort based on population and urban clustering.” This is the 11th consecutive year that Niche has produced the rankings of the “Best Places to Live in America,” and overall there were nearly 230 cities and more than 18,000 places to live reviewed this year. More details about the methodology used can be found on the Niche website.

Niche notes in a statement that accompanied the most recent rankings that each year they help “over 70 million people find the right colleges, schools, and places to live. With comprehensive profiles on every school and 50,000+ cities and towns across America – from the familiar to the undiscovered – Niche offers unique ratings, honest reviews, and personalized recommendations.”

Those personalized recommendations – individual reviews – are also factored into the rankings, and West Hartford’s placement for 2025 incorporated 211 reviews.

A five-star review posted six months from a current resident states: “My only regret in moving to West Hartford is that I didn’t move here many years ago. I love living here. The town is located in a perfect position. There are multiple grocery stores and farm stands within minutes, I can take a walk in our beautiful trailed parks, go for day trips to Boston, New York City or the Hudson Valley or go into Hartford for the theater or museums. Museums abound in this area, but if you’re a beach person we are reasonably close to the shore too. Our town center is filled with lovely little stores, excellent restaurants and friendly people. The library here is phenomenal and so are the schools. Our town is diverse and progressive, old and young and multicultural. Town government is positive thinking and governing our town for the future. Taxes are high, but we have exceptional services in every way.”

Another recent five-star review notes: “West Hartford builds strong relationships and friendships throughout neighborhoods. Block parties, get-togethers, etc. Although you can be bored anywhere you live, if you’re bored in West Hartford, you’re a 5-10 minute drive from any restaurant or stores around.”

“Where you live shapes so many aspects of your life, from career opportunities to the sense of community you feel,” Luke Skurman, CEO and founder of Niche, said in a statement accompanying the announcement of the current rankings. “At Niche, we are proud to provide rankings that empower people to make informed decisions based on what matters most to them, whether that’s great schools, affordability, or access to parks and local businesses. For over a decade, families, homebuyers, and professionals have turned to Niche as a trusted resource, and we remain committed to helping people discover the best places to live with confidence.”

Some towns are split into separate neighborhoods for consideration, and a total of 254 Connecticut communities were included in the 2025 ranking.

There has been some shuffling among the other top-rated communities this year, and the No. 2 community in the 2025 ranking was Glastonbury Center. Westport, Farmington, and Weatogue (a section of Simsbury), were No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 respectively. Rounding out the top 10 this year, in order, were Simsbury, Avon, Riverside (a section of Greenwich), Glastonbury, and Old Greenwich.

Niche has also once again rated West Hartford as No. 1 (of 73) in both the most recent rankings of the “Best Suburbs for Young Professionals in Connecticut” and  “Best Suburbs to Live in Connecticut.”

Nationally, West Hartford was ranked No. 78 in the “Best Suburbs to Live in America” and overall No. 148 (up from 159 last year) out of 18,100 communities considered for the “Best Places to Live in America” for 2025.

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