Family Circle Magazine
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10 Best Towns for Families: 2010
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© Stephan Brigidi & Bristol Workshops
Bristol, Rhode Island
anonymous says:
Population: 21,630
Median Income: $54,350
Median Home Price: $247,500
Households with Children: 29%
Student/Teacher Ratio: 9:1
Great Schools Rating: 9
When heavy rains pounded this New England town last spring, J.P. Cloutier, 43, a computer programmer and volunteer firefighter, worked round the clock dispatching emergency crews and pumping out waterlogged homes. He had plenty of assistance. "There were neighbors helping neighbors and kids carrying couches from basements for older residents," he says. "That's because people here know what it means to be a community," adds wife Trisha, 43, a dental hygienist.
The Cloutiers love everything about their hometown, including its scenic view of Narragansett Bay—perfect for corn and clam boils—affordable homes, and top-notch schools. "We don't have any bullying, alcohol, or other problems because the teachers really care about students and want us to succeed," says daughter Rachel, 13. She pays it forward by tutoring first- and second- graders in math, and also teaches catechism classes at St. Elizabeth Church with sister Lauren, 15. "We try to tell our kids that the world is going to remember you for what you leave behind, not for what you took," says Trisha. "Living in Bristol, where everyone gives back, makes it easy."
Good Deeds: All of the town's tenth-graders are required to do a year of community service. Working in small groups with adult mentors, teens have made videos on the dangers of drunk driving and presented them to middle schoolers. They also pitch in by helping to clean up the beaches and monitor water pollution in Bristol Harbor.
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8/14/2010 06:36:52 PM Report AbuseYea CeceliaMmoriggi your just another misfourtunate misinformed Bristolian. Yea Bristol
7/10/2010 03:17:15 PM Report AbuseMt. Hope High School was ranked as one of the top 10 high schools in the state. Our NECAP testing scores are high. Our drop out rate is decreasing every year. Our teachers do all they can to help their students. The valedictorian and salutatorian from the class of 2010 are both attending Brown University. The school must be doing something right. And the bit about tenth graders is 100% accurate. As a tenth grader I planted trees around Bristol and other students in my class did their own thing.
7/9/2010 08:54:19 AM Report AbuseTo the individual who commented last, since you live in Bristol, one would have expected you to do a little research before expressing your thoughts. No one made up the 'bit about 10th graders.' I graduated from Mt. Hope High School and we were all required to complete our Service Learning community service project in the tenth grade. Of course it wasn't a perfect system, but it's not made up. Please get your facts straight before you assume something.
7/8/2010 08:19:29 PM Report AbuseI live in Bristol. It's pretty, but housing is far from AFFORDABLE. Taxes are unbelievably high. The schools are a local joke given the amount spent on them with respect to salaries, etc -- and the test scores and drop out rates (they don't talk about that -- the high school teachers pass poor students routinely). It's very WHITE and VANILLA -- when you see someone of color it's usually one of the college students. And that bit about 10th graders? Who made that up?
7/8/2010 11:00:12 AM Report Abuse