Money magazine ranked Waltham #13 out of 100 on their list of the “Best Places to Live,” an annually released list of the best cities to live in around the United States. Waltham was the top ranked city in Massachusetts. Members of the Waltham, Brandeis and Bentley communities celebrated this achievement on Feb. 15 through a variety of performances.
Money magazine had strict criteria in choosing which cities could be ranked. According to the methodology, cities that were considered needed to have a population between 10,000 and 100,000. Also included in their criteria were economic status, property values, crime rates, convenience, culture/recreational activities, cost of living, education and an overall ease of living. Other cities in Massachusetts that made the top 100 were Newton (26th), Weymouth Town (73rd) and Norwood (78th).
Members of the Waltham, Brandeis and Bentley communities joined together to celebrate at Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Music Unlimited, Waltham High School’s premiere show choir, performed three pieces at the event: “Man in the Mirror,” “Bridges over Troubled Waters” and “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired.”
Interspersed throughout the performances, Waltham Mayor Jeannette C. McCarthy, President Ron Liebowitz and Herlyne Das ’18, a Waltham High School graduate, addressed the crowd. Mayor McCarthy is quoted in BrandeisNOW stating, “We’ve always known Waltham was a hidden treasure. There’s one thing that Waltham has always celebrated: its people. We’ve always been diverse, and for the most part, we’ve always gotten along.”
The joint academic and communal connection that the Brandeis community boasts with Waltham is a point of pride for the university. Liebowitz pointed out that over 1,000 of the students at Brandeis participate in Waltham Group focused on community outreach and incorporating Brandeis students into the city of Waltham. He also spoke about the connections between students on campus and different Waltham businesses that provide not only their services but also internships for students.
