Massachusetts City Named One Of The Best Places To Live
What are the best places in America to live? Fifty-five cities across the country were recently studied and ranked based around eight specific conditions. A city in Massachusetts was named one of the best places to live. Scholaroo recently took a look at the crime & safety, affordability, economy, quality of life, healthcare, education, opportunity, and infrastructure in order to craft their final report. The categories had a point system allocated, and an individual score was then given to each city based around the data.
Cambridge, MA finished 10th. In fact, three New England cities were in the top ten. Amherst, New Hampshire, finished forth, followed by Portland, Maine, at number five.
Cambridge
Opportunity and Education were the two fields where Cambridge shined the brightest, according to Scholaroo, ranking first in both. Quality of life was also a strong point. Aside from being the home turf to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge also has twelve elementary schools, four middle schools, public high school and private schools. Furthermore, the education programs are known for being diverse and often represent many different countries.
Two other places in Massachusetts were highlighted in this report. Needham (ranking 34th), and Melrose (ranking 39th).
Naples, Florida, was highlighted as the best place to live in the country. This southwest city in the Sunshine State ranked in the top four for health care, infrastructure, education, crime, and safety. Carmel, Indiana, and Naperville, Illinois, rounded out the top three.
“Each metropolitan area offers something different, so it is important to take a close look at each of these cities and learn what they have to offer,” Scholaroo explains. “This way, we can have a guide and prioritize some important metrics for us such as employment opportunities, living in a safe area, good bridge conditions or even the time it would take us to get to work.”
Cambridge’s population is over 115,000 people, spread over 7.1 square miles. With this Massachusetts city being named one of the best places to live, perhaps that number will now increase.
Massachusetts: Margarita Brand Has Become One of the Northeast's Most Popular
Weymouth, Massachusetts, approximately 15 miles from Boston, is the home to one of New England’s most popular Margarita brands. In fact, each bottle is still hand-crafted there. Rustic Spirits has become a well-known Margarita drink thanks to the hard work and dedication of founder, Vytas Makstutis.
“I still remember squeezing the limes into the bucket for that first small batch that I made in my basement,” he states. Makstutis came to America from Lithuania and dedicated his life to making the perfect Margarita in 2006. They key has always been that all the ingredients are fresh. Pouring his life savings into establishing a business, Makstutis would frequently travel to Mexico to pick agave plants to distill the tequila.
“After making it all in my basement for six years, delivering to all neighborhoods on the south shore and other parts of the state, I realized I could not keep up with the demand. I decided to move my basement operation to a bigger place. It was a warehouse where I also lived and slept for five years,” Makstutis tells me in an interview.
“I used to take a shower at a fitness club across the street and go back to work to build the business. I gave up all I had to keep it all going to eventually deliver the product to the stores. There’s self-made wooden cabin off the back of my building where I still sleep every night.”
Makstutis was frequently told his concept would never work, and that he should give up. That made him work harder. He believed in his process, his product, and himself. Now, Rustic Spirits has become a household name when it comes to recognizable Margarita options in New England.
Just Pour
The Rustic Spirts slogan of “Just Pour” references the fact that no other ingredients are needed to enjoy the drink. Everything is prepared and mixed correctly in the bottle. So all you have to do is pour the the margarita over some ice in a glass and enjoy.
“Now, in many liquor stores, we outsell larger companies like Cuervo, Skinny Girl, etc,” Makstutis concludes.
Cinco de Mayo is just days away. It’s the perfect time to learn more about how this Massachusetts Margarita brand has become one of the most popular on the east coast.
Try Rustic Spirts and find a store near you at RusticSpirits.com.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
