Best Places06489, CT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 06489, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
06489 ranks 1,572nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 06489
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
06489's strengths and weaknesses
Where 06489 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Household income$134,726 median, better than 93% of zip codes
Where 06489 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,463 a month, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 06489
A household needs to earn about $111,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 06489 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $134,726, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 06489's effective rate of 1.58%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 06489
06489 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 06489.
Who works in 06489, and how
Work in 06489 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 06489
06489 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 75% of zip codes. The coast is about 34 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 06489 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 06489, month by month
06489 sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 31° | 21° |
| April | 63° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 69° | 55° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 06489
The nearest airport, Tweed/New Haven, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 25 miles away.
The best schools in and around 06489
Schools across 06489 average an A−, better than 85% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Oshana Elementary SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Derynoski Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- South End Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dodd Middle SchoolA+ · 69% proficient
- John F. Kennedy Middle SchoolA · 59% proficient
- Joseph A. Depaolo Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Southington High SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Berlin High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Cheshire High SchoolA− · 59% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 06489 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
06489 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 06489 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 06489 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 96% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 18% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 06489
Is 06489 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 06489 ranks 1,572nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, what local pay buys, and health care access, and lowest on state finances and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 06489 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $385,220. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $134,726 median income, cost of living beats 96% of zip codes.
Is 06489 safe?
Yes, 06489 is safer than 82% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $173 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 06489?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 21. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 18% of zip codes.
Is 06489 good for families?
Schools beat 85% of zip codes, crime safety beats 82%, and childcare runs $1,463 a month.
Compare 06489 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 06489. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 06489 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
06489 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 06489: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 06489: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 06489: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 06489: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
06489 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.