Best Places to Live 2010

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It is a sad day when Camden City is ranked above scenic Chesterfield, NJ.

Posted by: Cynthia Malison, Chesterfield | Feb 19, 2010 14:27:16 PM |

Teterboro with 19 people?? Really? You don’t think that their stats are a bit skewed??

Posted by: N Fault, Glen Rock | Feb 19, 2010 14:56:27 PM |

Monmouth University you did a great job on this. Perhaps next time you’ll actually collect the data instead of relying on wikipedia. Oh and maybe you will actually go to some of these places to see how off your results are; Camden above picturesque North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest?!? Must have been those darn out-of-state students. Maybe next time there should be a category labeled ’Do people want to live here?’

Posted by: Nick, Wenonah | Feb 19, 2010 18:57:34 PM |

This ranking is an absolute joke on so many levels. The methodology is obviously flawed. Have you ever been to Teterboro?? Top 20-it’s an airport. And how can a towns ranking change so drastically over two years. I am shocked such a great magazine did not do a better job of vetting the data/results. This just highlights the poor academic institution that Monmouth is. Hand this job over to Princeton, Rutgers, College of NJ, Drew...you get the picture.

Posted by: Craig, Palisades Park | Feb 19, 2010 19:58:52 PM |

Can you please explain how a town jumped from 396 to 14 in two years (Peapack-Gladstone Borough). What makes this town such a great place to live relative to 2008? Whatever they did we’d certainly like to know the secrets to improve our town. This garbage is not worthy of New Jersey Monthly.

Posted by: Jane, Fort Lee | Feb 19, 2010 20:06:35 PM |

So, by weighting the unemployment and crime criteria heavier, and going with a 3-year home value system, rather than current numbers, you get some of the worst comparisons ever. And by throwing in the land development category, you throw a real wrench in the works. Now, you have a list of towns that is punishing towns who are redeveloping certain areas.

I’m not quite sure how a list of NJ towns could put Beach Haven, Wildwood, and North Wildwood on the same page as Newark, Elizabeth and Salem. The weighting needs to be fixed.

And by no means should Delanco and Chesterfield be at the bottom of the Burlington County list, with Willingboro, Beverly, and Burlington City above, and PEMBERTON near the top of the county list???? Flawed.

Posted by: Dave, Nowhere | Feb 19, 2010 22:43:24 PM |

... this has nothing to do with the fact that I don’t live there anymore. Right?

Posted by: Stephen, Bedminster | Feb 19, 2010 23:49:25 PM |

Teterboro?? A great place to live...Just what services do they provide? No taxes, no services, A Board of Education and no schools...But you can’t beat the commute to the airport...Just keep your fingers crossed a plane doesn’t land on your front lawn

Posted by: Peter, Tenafly | Feb 20, 2010 04:14:03 AM |

Whoever put the report together on best places to live is an egg-head. Putting City of Camden ahead of Wildwood Crest, plus other great towns, is just plain stupid. Camden is the murder Captial of the USA. I do not care which facts they used, they were stupid.

Posted by: jim, Barrington | Feb 20, 2010 12:26:00 PM |

The towns that must have paid off NJ monthly! Are the top rankings and the ones like Wildwood and the rest say no. So they go to the bottom of the ranking.

What a joke!!!! Camden, Newark, Better than Wildwood!!!

I would live in Wildwood then live in Newark or Camden, or even Lakewood.

If I were the towns that are on the lowest ratings, I think of a way to sue for something or another.

The magazine must have killed the shore area all together.

I wounder if the editor wants to live in Atlantic city on Baltic AVE then on Ocean AVE in Wildwood.

Ask the reporters "What city or towns paid your magazine to get a great rating." This is nothing but a bunch of lies. So stop printing a bunch of lies.

Posted by: Frank, Brick | Feb 20, 2010 12:36:43 PM |

My boyfriend and I are always thinking of moving to Wildwood. Who in their right mind would think for one second that Lakewood, Trenton, Camden, are any better then Wildwood.

Wildwood ranking last must be some sort of mistake.

Should look at different polls to make sure. It looks like Wildwood is such a high crime rate that is so bad worst then the towns I stated before.

Looks like this poll is one sided. Maybe they asked the people that did not live in the town. and so they did not want it or it would do better.

It does look like someone might have been bribed on the poll to make sure it looks like Wildwood is the worst place.

So maybe with this poll, no one will be there this summer and my boyfriend and I can have some piece and quite time together this summer.

Posted by: lorraine, Bricktown | Feb 20, 2010 13:25:19 PM |

did anyone at the magazine actually read this article before they went to press? While I can certainly understand some of the top towns the basic logic used in the survey ignored the basic facts.

Newark? Camden? - get real, please

Posted by: Dave, Hamilton | Feb 20, 2010 20:58:12 PM |

Every year that I see this list, I can’t help but think how any one town can be "the best"....but I can imagine plenty of towns that could vie for "the worst"!

Posted by: Nancy Richiski, Gladstone, NJ | Feb 20, 2010 23:56:44 PM |

What exactly are you all upset about- can’t tell your freinds what a great town you live in? What a great choice you and your better half made? YOU are the JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: marc, Frelinghuysen | Feb 21, 2010 02:52:07 AM |

NJ Monthly Magazine must want to reduce their circulation. It seems the University used awkward criteria that wasn’t balanced with an equalization type of rule. That is, categorizing the type of city and listing them in like categories; eg: Industrial, Commercial, Resort, Suburban, etc. Once the weighting is detailed in this respect, we may see a whole different picture. As for "Wildwood", yes they have high taxes and growing pains, but then again, so do many other cities have the same issues.
If "New Jersey Monthly Magazine" needs to expand their circulation, maybe they should spend a little time in a few of the cities to get a feel for what they print.

Posted by: Roy B, North Wildwood, next to Wildwood | Feb 21, 2010 22:59:19 PM |

How is it possible that Bay Head has a crime rate of 64.8! I think that they mixed the data up with the next column (ASK4 avg) which says "n/a." How can we trust any of this data?

Posted by: Glenn, Bay Head | Feb 22, 2010 00:53:08 AM |

Dear Editor,

I am amazed that you could allow such an article to be published. It is a waste of my time to even respond to your list, but it is just such blatant falsification of reality I feel I must.

The facts you base your rankings on are simply tidbits of information, and even those do not disclose even part of a true representation of a town. Take Bedminster for example. Your #1. The median cost of a home is $295000? And taxes so low? Maybe so in the sales price, but this is so off what kind of homes exist in that town, many in the multiple million dollar price.

I live in Morris Township, but neighbor to Morristown, which you rank at 510. Can you seriously rank Morristown alongside Camden? Morristown has one of the most beautiful town centers in NJ. It offers one of the top hospitals as well. It has the first National historic park, many, many diverse churches and beautiful architecture. People come from all over to enjoy it’s restaurants and shopping. Morristown High School, while serving a very diverse population, sends kids to the top schools in the country. You would see that if your researchers read the stats based on each population group. The fact is, Morristown offers the best of everything while supporting a multitude of different types of people as well as supplying huge employment opportunities.

I could go on and on in support of Morristown, but I simply want to state how blatantly irresponsible you are in publishing such rubbish. Publishing such a list has an impact on how a town is viewed by many people who have never been there. You have many readers, please act more responsibly and do better homework next year or don’t make such lists.

Morris Township resident currently by choice. Previously resided in Chatham Township and Madison, but have chosen Morris Township as my permanent residense for all Morristown has to offer my children!

Posted by: C. Bachmann, Morris Township | Feb 22, 2010 13:16:20 PM |

After reading the list and how it was developed, at first I thought you were joking.
Just two examples. Teterboro, has what 8-10 homes,a commercial airport, Route 46 and 99% of the town is commercial buildings. Did your poll takers visit Teterboro? Walpack in Sussex County is 100% within the Delaware River National Recreation Area a Federal Park 95% percent of the "residents" are Federal employees who live in homes that where"taken" from their original owners when the Army Corp of Engineers where trying to build Tocks Island Dam. It really was a great place to live for the families that lived there for generations before the government took their homes and plowed many down. You folks really need to do some homework.

Posted by: Fred, Hackettstown | Feb 22, 2010 14:50:20 PM |

I’m just wondering how many people complaining about where their town ranked as compared to "bad" towns have ever been to those towns? I don’t think insulting Monmouth University is the appropriate or grown-up way to respond. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but perhaps they should be educated opinions?

Posted by: Anon, none | Feb 22, 2010 22:40:27 PM |

I have to second C. Bachmannrsquo;s post about Morristown. I am a lifelong resident of NJ, and have lived in about 10 different towns including Sparta, Westfield, Little Falls, Jersey City, and Hoboken. My favorite has been Morristown.

Morristown is one of the classiest towns in the state -- great history, culture, restaurants and fascinating people. There’s tremendous wealth in Morristown, but it escapes the blandness of some of the surrounding towns thanks to its vibrant artistic and immigrant communities.

NJ Monthly -- your ranking is just plain dumb (and not just because of Morristown). It shouldn’t be taken seriously by anyone who is thinking about moving to the state.

Posted by: mollyf, Morris Plains | Feb 23, 2010 02:05:37 AM |

I can’t believe this was published. Really really really poor journalism.

Posted by: Town Ranker, The Moon | Feb 23, 2010 04:17:33 AM |

Not important...downtown....public transportation...crazy. But the fools who make this list know it sells so they mix it up each year. Look at Union County, they have Westfield at around 200, silly.

Posted by: Bob Dwyer, Summit | Feb 24, 2010 22:26:45 PM |

This list is bogus. The criteria used has little to do with actual quality of life. Cost of housing is relative to expectations - some prefer to live in a modest neighborhood and find the McMansions in a top-rated area appalling. How about integration - many find this an important factor - pro or con, but the con is so blatantly negative, that only the pro should be included. How about historic preservation, environmental and consevation programs? Proximity to arts and entertainment is more important to some than a quantity of hospitals. Proximity to farms, nature preserves, the percentage of parkland or open space are also important factors. True that Paterson has its problems, but this historic city is set in one of the most beautiful valleys on the eastern seaboard – which makes it a whole lot more livable. How about work opportunities? Are there any factory towns in NJ, where one can raise a family and build a legacy? How about the number of front porches? How about the number of old people that live with their families or reside among the general population? How abour a real downtown with stores and businesses in walking distance. How about cleanliness - how well a town is maintained. - this is not hard to quantify. Granted, these factors, which are very important to many, would take a bit more ingenuity to gather. It seems like the magazine is passing off what amounts to a college-level assignment as a definitive report - which it surely isn’t, and it is far from exhaustive. I think this letter is more useful than the entire report and that is nothing to brag about.

Posted by: Andrew Tannenbaum, Clifton | Feb 26, 2010 12:17:29 PM |

N Fault - it is not a matter of skewed stats actually. Teterboro is composed of: 1. airport, 2. warehouses, 3. about 7 cape-cod style houses, all on a busy street that leads to Rte 80 ("warehouses" = truck traffic, LOTS of it, though almost none on Sundays). Needless to say, the property taxes are relatively low because of the warehouses.

This is an example of how results should tip off the people making this list that they are getting bogus results due probably to improper weights assigned to the criteria.

I would bet that there is not a single person in Tenafly who would rather live in Teterboro.

Another bizzare result is Camden being a "better" place to live than Bay Head. In what freakin universe????? So the Camden crime rate (87.2) is not much higher than Bay Head (64.8). Okay, but should not we take into account that in Bay Head the "crime" is drunken "shore visitors" (substitute the politically incorrect word of your choice), making too much noise or urinating on route 35, while in Camden you get assaulted and robbed if you are lucky, or murdered if less so. Sure, that gets an equal rating.

The Camden average home price is 52.5K, and Bay Head is over a mil.

Hello? NJ magazine? This is reality calling. Those numbers are the result of people voting with their wallets. A vacant lot in Bay Head, same size as one in Camden - no we’re not talking about 10 acre lots - will cost AT LEAST 10 times what it will be in Camden. There is a reason for that. Ever hear of supply and demand?

You say "we crunched the numbers". Great. Did anyone actually look at them, or did you just hit the print button? Because you did not do a good job this number crunching

Posted by: Andre , Montville | Feb 26, 2010 18:26:08 PM |

I think The whole article is flawed. The elevated crime stems from "drunk & disorley’s" from shoobies who left their manners and common sense on the other side of the George Reading bridge. The population of the Wildwoods has really not changed that much, Zipcode 08260 has had a population of about 12,000 for as long as I can remember. As far as school’s go Crest Memorial, St. Anns and Margaret Mace are great schools. I can not think of a bigger or more friendly rivalry than an event between Wildwood and Wildwood Catholic High School. There is a hospital close by. There are large shopping centers in nearby CMCH and Rio Grande. Taxes are high all over. I do think the 4 Wildwoods should combine more services, such as Police, Fire/Rescue and schools. The Wildwoods are a pretty friendly place especially between October thru April. Last time I checked Walpack is more famous as a ghost town in Weird NJ magazine than a place to live.

Posted by: Brian, Brigantine | Feb 23, 2010 14:56:42 PM |

This article is ridiculous. Wildwood is the best kept secret in New Jersey. North Wildwood is family oriented and a great place to vacation or to raise a family. You have got to be kidding that this ranked lowest in places to live in New Jersey. Take your gun to Atlantic City, Camden or Trenton as you’ll be lucky to get out alive.

Posted by: Robin Carmeans, Warminster | Feb 23, 2010 15:39:34 PM |

It’s pretty clear that the list is meant to encourage potential homebuyers to invest in rapidly devaluating suburbia. If they had framed the list as "top bargain municipalities in NJ" that’d be fine, but the "Best Places" theme is a joke. Totally bogus. Colts Neck is a good example because it ranked #305 in 2008 and #18 in 2009? What happened? Nothing, except median property values decreased by 10 percent since 2006. Taxes went up three percent since then, and the POPULATION DECLINED by 10 percent! The crime rate increased 8 percent (with a 10 percent population decline). That merits a 287-spot jump?

Posted by: Matthew, Highland Park | Feb 23, 2010 17:26:05 PM |

Your magazine is a danger to the public. Your best doctors list has two of the worst doctors I have ever met. This is irresponsible. You have a useless magazine.

Posted by: Anna Lee, Montvale | Feb 24, 2010 13:51:28 PM |

While Chatham Township is quite lovely, the reality is home prices are falling at a precipitous rate, when they sell. Most people I know are refusing to lower their prices and homes sit on the market forever. In reality, it will cost you at least a million to buy anything habitable. The people who do live in Chatham often are driving cheaper Chevys and Fords because they spend so much on their hosuing costs, they need to watch every penny. The schools are extremely overcrowded and taxes have nearly doubled in the last 7 years. I pay almost $20,000 per year for the great Chatham life.

Is Chatham a nice town, yes but we have our share of problems too. The last time NJ Monthly called us the #1 town that was an open invitation to New Yorkers to come in droves with their 5 kids and their wannabe attitudes. We residents of Chatham Township respectfully request this time that the phonys who are thinking about moving here do us a favor and look elsewhere.

Posted by: Jim Gallagher, Chatham Township | Feb 28, 2010 22:51:25 PM |

Tewksbury is a beautiful, mountainous area to live in.

Posted by: Kook D. Pae, Tewksbury | Mar 01, 2010 19:14:42 PM |

There really is nothing left to say, all the comments speak for themselves!! The editors need to take a look at all these people who speak with conviction about the places they actually live in. In my opinion, the list is just tabloid journalism,and coming from NJ Monthly, that’s pretty bad. Shame on them.

Posted by: M. Steinert, Treiclers, PA | Mar 01, 2010 19:50:18 PM |

I was happy to see the updated version. My family and I need to relocate from NY to NJ because my husband now works in Jersey City. I begun researching last year and the previous list was my reference (may be naive of me) so I was looking forward to the new one until I read all these comments. To those that expressed their anger, it would have been so much better to read what the residents DO think of their own towns instead outraged criticism; baseless accusations of bribe! (your state reputation does not need the help) and insult to a educational institution attended by actual people. The only helpful reviews where those including some ACTUAL information about Morris town, diversity and culture and architecture are in my priorities. To the gentleman (figure of speech) form Chatham, if your neighbors resemble you, no wonder houses are not selling. Let me see if I understand your fellow townsmen, rather pay million for their houses instead of driving efficient cars; You accept ridiculous taxes and houses below 1M are inhabitable... but New yorkers are the wannabees? and needless to say, the housing market will not improve if you tell potential clients to look elsewhere. I think I know why people tell me no to go to NJ... sad

Posted by: C. Fabryk, Brooklyn | Mar 01, 2010 20:50:24 PM |

fire everyone who worked on the best places to live they made nj monthly look like the star and globe rag papers .

Posted by: steven hugelmann, dumont | Mar 01, 2010 21:30:18 PM |

Camden 481 and Wildwood 566. Someone must have been drunk or on drugs to not put Camden Last. What a joke

Posted by: George Cox, Haddonfield | Mar 04, 2010 03:34:58 AM |

The best thing about this article are all of the comments logged by disgruntled, yet perceptive New Jerseyans.

For the record, everyone knows Bayhead is a dump...and who wouldn’t want to live in Teterboro and fall victim to one of the weekly plane crashes?

Camden and Newark are lovely places to raise a family.

MU better get some new researchers, and fast.

Posted by: Doug, Toms River | Mar 05, 2010 01:35:40 AM |

These rankings are quite disturbing and skewed.

Posted by: Yomi Hamilton, Washington Twp., Warren Cty. | Mar 03, 2010 19:36:21 PM |

The best towns I ever lived in was High Bridge and Medford.

Posted by: irene stevens, Burlington | Mar 06, 2010 01:53:43 AM |

What exactly is New Jersey Monthly? After reading this fantasy piece, I know why I am unaware of this publication. The only people who could relate to this piece is Tattoo, and Mr. Rourke. Perhaps everyone involved with this study need a re-education in statistics, and data crunching. What a complete joke!

Posted by: Michael, Delran | Mar 04, 2010 00:11:00 AM |

Glad I got the magazine for free because I would have been mad if I paid for it. What a joke the way you rate the towns in New Jersey, Better get some new writers for this.

Posted by: George, Haddonfield | Mar 04, 2010 03:38:31 AM |

Great Article Caldwell number 3 baby you guys are all jealous because your towns are ranked low get over it its a good list

Posted by: Alan, Caldwell | Mar 06, 2010 01:45:16 AM |

I like to walk and have everything in town at the palm of my hands. The towns in NJ that offer that on the top of that list are few and far between. Chatham and Caldwell, yes. That counts for a lot.

Bedminster, Upper, Tabernacle,Plainsboro and New Hanover aren’t walkable. Just sprawl.

Posted by: Steve , Maplewood | Mar 11, 2010 16:11:06 PM |

Mountainside is a lovely small town in New Jersey,and we who live here love it! We don’t have sidewalks, but we have gorgeous nature trails. Our schools are good because we have committed teachers, and many of them have been with us for a long time. We sit between two other great towns, Summit and Westfield....which should have been ranked much higher!

Posted by: jeannette maraffi, mountainside | Mar 12, 2010 23:25:30 PM |

How did Union Twp of Hunterdon County go from #21 to #174? I haven’t heard of anything dramatic happening in town these last couple of years...

Posted by: Paula, Union Twp of Hunterdon County | Mar 15, 2010 00:07:45 AM |

Quit your bellyachin’ you crumbs!

Read the methodology of the poll:
researchers at Monmouth University’s Polling Institute considered eight categories best representing the quality of life in New Jersey’s 566 municipalities: population growth, home values, property taxes, land development, employment, crime rate, school performance, and proximity to services.

To level the playing field, household income was not considered, and home values were measured by the rate of increase or decrease over three years rather than by current prices. To compare land development, towns with relatively slower growth and more open space were rated more favorably. Towns with lower unemployment and crime rates also scored higher, as did those close to more hospitals.

Just because a price tag on a home is higher, or the people who live in it make over $300K doesn’t mean they live in the best towns! Maybe your schools tests scores, suck and your kids are stupid. Maybe your town offers crappy services and its out in the boonies, maybe your taxes are off, streets are cratered with potholes, your school nixed programs, have no rec programs, or its just flat out BORING and STALE.....Funny how the people who swear they’re so good are whining now!!!

Posted by: Joey, Bloomfield | Mar 16, 2010 12:04:35 PM |

Honestly, I don’t really care which towns rank highly or not. I just make the casual observation that the printed newsstand version of this article ranks some towns differently than the web version. For example, the paper version’s Passaic County group ranks West Milford as #14 in the state and Ringwood as #10 in the state. Here on the web those towns are ranked differently. I would chalk this entire article up as a poorly edited misprint!!!

Posted by: James, Ringwood | Mar 17, 2010 02:28:15 AM |

All of you that don’t like this list are just mad that your town was ranked so poorly. Get over it and let the towns that earned it, enjoy it.

Posted by: Smith, Beach Haven | Mar 21, 2010 23:17:56 PM |

I agree. All you angry people are in denial. Spend your time making your town better and stop crying.

Posted by: BenDavid, Closter | Mar 21, 2010 23:21:02 PM |

I’m happy to see that my "City" was compared against "towns". How can you even compare the two? There are far more towns in N.J. making this ranking useless.
Mountainside rates number 8, I grew up there and while it’s a nice town there is nothing there. No trains, no taxi service, no food store,no down town for kids to gather in on the weekends, a major highway runs through the town. Yes while the crime rate is low there are contributing factors. most crime in Mountainside goes unreported by residents and the police. Mountainsides police department has been brought up on many charges, from racial profiling to sexual assaults on girls. there has been many burglaries, murders, auto theft, and possibly more drug use among teens then some bigger cities.
Oh yeah, They do by far have the most horrible deli in N.J., but most people who go there are the many drunks that live in town. There is more places to buy alcohol then there are to buy food and there’s only 1 liqour store and a bar that sells packaged goods, so what does that tell you.
It’s the only town that I know of in Union county that has no low income housing. So I guess you know why it rated so high there were no poor people to judge. Even though the town has many poor people who are tapped out.
If you want your kids to grow up with nothing but white kids, then this is the place to live. There are a totally of about 10 black families that live in the town and not a single black cop. I don’t know about you but I’m not racist and want to raise my children to be more diversified and open to real life. Not saying I want little gang bangers, but children who respect all people.

You people who came up with these ratings should spend one week in the town you rated and you would change your mind real quick.

Thanks for affording me the opportunity to voice my opinion!

Posted by: Anthony, Plainfield | Mar 24, 2010 03:04:34 AM |

As a person born and raised in a NY suburb, I moved here after I got married because of my wife’s job. Now, we are looking to sell our townhouse and move into a house with a great school district, low taxes and great community (who isn’t)... And so, I stumbled on this article. And even as a unofficial New Jersian, I have to say this article is laughable at best, criminal a worst. I have been researching NJ towns and schools for months now (albeit mostly central and northen towns), and none of the info I found matches what was reported in the rankings here.

There’s number crunching and facts, and then there’s common sense. Guess which one was left out of this artile.

Posted by: New Yorker in NJ, Bridgewater | Mar 29, 2010 20:44:34 PM |

Thank you we love our township

Posted by: Mildred Warren, Plainsboro | Apr 03, 2010 13:43:06 PM |

It really upsets me when Newark gets a bad reputation from some people who know nothing about it. I’ve lived in the Ironbound section of Newark all my life and LOVE IT.. Yes there are sections of Newark that are not great but we are always trying to improve those areas when possible, you can find that in many other locations where you have the good side and the bad side of a city/town, etc...
Ironbound Newark is full of diverse culture,entertainment,excellent dining,shopping,great people, not to mention the new Prudential arena as well as upcoming Red Bulls stadium just a few minutes over in Harrison..and that is why it angers me when outsiders give it a bad name but yet Ironbound Newark is packed with outsiders as well as locals from all over every day enjoying what it has to offer, which excellent dining options is at the top of the list. If its such a bad place then why are outsiders flocking here every week, stay in your own locations then where everything is great as you say. Stop being so hateful and stop believing many exaggerations you read about sometimes, get out of your "perfect" bubble and come experience a great time in Ironbound NEWARK and you will see what its about.

Posted by: andreia alves, ironbound newark | Apr 17, 2010 04:00:10 AM |

Murder capital of America, worst schools, high jobless rate... There are many reasons for Camden City to be on the bottom of this list and as we all know, somebodies got to be last. No one wants to be in that position and surely no one wants to be rated under Camden City. I tell you what, I’m not complaining about not being on the bottom of this list for whatever reasons we slipped through. All I do know is if your not #1, there’s work to be done. Congradulations to all those who made the top 100 and to all the rest of you, watch out, Camden is not going away. We have a long climb ahead of us...

Posted by: James, Camden | Jun 01, 2010 10:05:00 AM |

How about a list of the smelliest towns?

Posted by: Tank Risco, Main Street USA | Jun 09, 2010 13:47:14 PM |

I was quite surprised by how many Monmouth County towns were not higher on the list. I am fortunate to have lived in several places worldwide and have to say that Monmouth County has breathtaking beauty.

The Easterly towns along the rivers and beaches offer so much including down town areas, good schools (Rumson is a blue ribbon school) access by fast ferry, train, road or bus to NYC. Boating, woods and horse farms. Many of the towns do have a mixed bag of real estate values from the smaller homes to the large estates. Something for everybody. The towns are clean with great police and EMS, nearby hospitals. I think by the amount of critics you have roused, a fresh look at the list would be in order.

Posted by: Carolynn Diakon, Rumson | Jul 13, 2010 01:50:13 AM |

Teterboro top 25 and Upper Saddle River over 300?

What are you folks smoking? Who put this together a tenth grader from Teterboro?

Useless.

Posted by: Mark, Clifton | Jul 18, 2010 09:10:59 AM |

Caldwell is at no. 3, which is good, but things don’t change at all between last year and this year. I really don’t know how we jumped from below 30 to 3rd place. I mean it’s highly unlikely that those 30 towns above us suddenly all got worse over the past year, too.
I really think this ranking system is arbitrary, but I’ll look at it for the median home price.

Posted by: Nga, Caldwell | Jul 19, 2010 04:08:27 AM |

I am moving from scotland, UK to New Jersey Soon.

I have 2 kids one who will join elementary and one who will be in 11th ( seniors ) and I have to ttravel to Newyork 237 Park Ave for work Daily

Can you please suggest which town you think are good for families to live where education is Good and I can get into Newyork in 1.5 Hrs atmost ?

Regards,
Rahul

Posted by: Rahul, Glasgow scotland | Jul 26, 2010 16:40:26 PM |

I must agree with Rahul, for those of us who want to be in a safe, family friendly neighborhood, let us know where to go. I understand the information is not reflecting the towns in the correct manner but with your opinion of the article offer some advice on good towns to look at. It sure would help with the hours of research! Thanks

Posted by: Saunji , Homestead FL | Aug 06, 2010 22:23:17 PM |

Population in Teterboro 17!?
Number of hospitals in Teterboro is 16?!
I think the maker of this list is one of them!
Who proof read this?
What other stats on this list are grossley incorrect?
Hello NJ Magazine! Someone’s sleeping on the job!

Posted by: Nancy, West Milford | Aug 07, 2010 00:44:01 AM |

Come one come all to beautiful Teterboro, NJ!!! Fly anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice, bask in the luxury of unlimited storage space in one of our numerous warehouses and enjoy world-class healthcare at your very own hospital!!

Posted by: Matt, Roseland | Aug 17, 2010 20:53:20 PM |

Dear Rahul & Saunji
I never thought of the impact this would have on families transfering to NJ. That scares me more than the article itself!!!! I’m a Realtor in Wyckoff NJ with Coldwell Banker. I would be honored to guide you in the right direction. Bergen County is a great area to commute from but there are also many other areas that a wonderful! I know many Realtors throughout NJ so if I can’t help you I will certainly be glad to point you in the right direction!
Maryanne Elsaesser 551 206 9264

Posted by: Maryanne Elsaesser, Wyckoff, NJ | Aug 23, 2010 11:52:43 AM |

Camden City above Bay Head NJ? Should I sell my summer home and move? Isn’t Teterboro just a highway that I’m nervous to drive down?
You guys are rich...well, maybe not.

Posted by: Scott, Ridgewood | Aug 24, 2010 18:07:17 PM |

I wonder how this list was compiled and by whom? Unfort. I have been to your offices in Morristown and met your editorial staff. No one there should be responsible for creating this list, angry and underpaid, it’s no wonder lower income towns had preferred placement. This is biased opinion, not based on fact. Shame on you!

Posted by: Sarah S., Millburn | Aug 24, 2010 18:13:41 PM |

I wonder how this list was compiled and by whom? Unfort. I have been to your offices in Morristown and met your editorial staff. No one there should be responsible for creating this list, angry and underpaid, it’s no wonder lower income towns had preferred placement. This is biased opinion, not based on fact. Shame on you!

Posted by: Sarah S., Millburn | Aug 24, 2010 18:16:36 PM |

Who would publish this? Such limited criteria; and it appears to have been outsourced to India....because it doesnt refelect the reality of anyone who knows NJ.

Madison halfway to the bottom? Morristown at 510?

Did anyone bother to read this before it went to print? For real...the changes from 2006 to 2010 are all over the place! Telling as to the methodology.

I call for NJM to close their offices on the green on Morristown and move to higher ranked Camden.

Posted by: d, jersey | Aug 27, 2010 23:47:42 PM |

Looks like I’ll be the only positive commenton this list. I was very grateful to find such a rating system. We are considering relocating back to NJ (having lived briefly in Princeton before). We are looking at Central NJ - but it is tough to know where to start. Schools are the top criteria. While this list is clearly flawed (we also noticed the shifts compared with 2008) at least it gives us a start. If anybody knows about a better objective way to start looking at communities (and PLEASE don’t suggest a realtor), I’d love to hear about it.

Posted by: Frank Chipman, Stratford, CT | Aug 28, 2010 23:58:01 PM |

I live in West Orange, NJ. To the NYC-ers looking for a great town for kids and an easy, short commute to NYC--this is it! Is this a perfect town--no! Is it ranked #1 in schools--no, but does it have a great school system? Absolutely, yes! My kids (one going off to college next year) and another one in middle school have done great in school, both academically and socially. The town has changed a bit since I first came over 15 years ago--it’s more diverse now--but that’s not always a bad thing. The parents are very involved in the PTA in ALL of the schools. West Orange Recreation Dept provides some of the best sports programs and activities for the kids that I’ve EVER seen--and at very reasonable rates. They try to accommodate the working parents with after-school programs at each school through middle school. The High School offers 26 (I believe) AP courses, has a lot of school spirit. Depending on where in W.O. you live, you can get views of NYC skyline. I simply LOVE this town. As I said, it’s not without its problems--taxes are high here--but the services this town provides are hard to get at alot of other towns. Check it out.

Posted by: Happy in W.O., West Orange | Sep 02, 2010 15:27:22 PM |

Maybe this was an April Fool’s joke a few months early? Horrible...

Posted by: Jason, Holmdel | Sep 09, 2010 21:30:30 PM |

A crucial criteria missing from the ranking methodology is cancer incidents. It is a major problem throughout many NJ towns because of past history of dumping toxic chemicals onto farm fields and surface water. You could never guess by appearance that a town has a cancer problem. Many iconic NJ towns with green spaces and new schools have cancer clusters due to widespread pollution. The cancer clusters are not limited to industrial areas like Elizabeth, Linden, Kearny, Carteret. All land near major corridors travelled by trucks (i.e. Turnpike, Rt 1&9, Rt 46, Rt 18, Rt 31, Rt 10, etc.) and especially the communities in south Jersey were prime targets for dumping. The trucks would get off the highway, find a farm, pay the farmer 50 bucks, and unload the chemicals onto a corner field. Fifty years later these farms were developed into residential communities. Today, we commonly have 9-year olds with leukemia and/or brain tumors throughout NJ. If you want to live in NJ, find a town with clean source of drinking water, preferably a town in the hills and mountains and no historic industry within 20 miles. Stay away from major highway corridors and military bases and areas with easily accessible water bodies. Stay away from living in south Jersey because it is randomly contaminated. Be wary of the Brunswicks, Hanovers, Whippany, Toms River.

Another criteria missing from the ranking methodology is flooding. Do not move near a flood plain, or else you will be regret it when a flood ruins your house every 10-15 years.

Posted by: Adam, Bedminster | Sep 09, 2010 19:41:30 PM |

What a moroon!

Posted by: Ken Karp, Teterboro, NJ | Oct 20, 2010 17:51:58 PM |

Your publication has tried to gain distinction by the constant ranking of everthing and everyone (best doctors, best schools, best towns, best hospitals). Not sure what you mean to do next...my suggestion for your editorial staff is to try to set yourselves apart with well researched articles on issues that really matter to us, not just another skewed, poorly-researched, meaningless ranking. I am a long time, proud resident of Morristownship who thinks that Morristown is one of the best towns for young families who like to raise their children with the clear understanding of the world they are going to inherit. It is not a town for those who wish to live in a bubble. My daughter had an incredible elementary, middle and high school experience, went on to graduate from a top university and is now studying law at an Ivy League school. You should be ashamed of yourselves for wasting your time and ours on rubbish like this. I started subscribing to your publication some years ago eager to learn more about the state that I had adopted - I stopped my subscription in disgust and disappointment after receiving yet another ranking.

Posted by: Bhavani Chandramouli, Morristownship | Nov 02, 2010 03:05:06 AM |

You got it wrong, wrong, wrong! This is an excellent example of how statistics and census information alone can not be used to make decisions that require experiences. For those of us who grew up, went to school, and live in New Jersey our experiences of the wonderfull places to live, visit, and experience decide which areas are Best to Live. And we can all see that this list falls way short of providing an accurate depiction of that.

Posted by: LS, North Brunswick, NJ | Dec 08, 2010 03:58:10 AM |

This article is proof that anything written in NJ Monthly shouldn’t be taken into consideration when making a decision...

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@ N Fault, Glen Rock | Feb 19, 2010 14:56:27 PM |... No, their stats aren’t skewed. There really is only 19 residents in Teterboro. The airport takes up the majority of the town and the rest is mostly industrial. The airport sits about 100 yds from my backyard. In fact, I don’t know where there are even houses in Teterboro but Teterboro airport sits partly in Moonachie. There are MANY more people that work in Teterboro than actually reside there.

Posted by: Rachael, Moonachie | Jan 20, 2011 03:46:13 AM |

Having lived in Pennsauken for a number of years and then moved south to North Carolina, I wanted to move back north, but not to Pennsauken. So I came across this article that I thought would help me make my decision about where in NJ to move. Well, based on the comments on here it would appear this ranking of "best places to live in New Jersey" cannot be taken seriously. Since I know exactly where Camden is (right next to Pennsauken) and the fact that it out ranks Wildwood is disturbing to me.

How would this help someone who is completely unfamiliar with NJ and was considering moving there?

Posted by: Jasmine, Pennsauken | Jan 20, 2011 14:53:24 PM |

This is how its done. Do not judge by a locale appearance, meaning do not fall in love with the appearance. You need to research and cross-reference different lists.

I believe health and safety is number one attribute. If you have kids, schools is number two. If you are not independently wealthly, property taxes is number three. After that comes the other things: commute, shopping district, food, parks, theater, entertainment, free speech, religion, etc..

How to find good health and safety? This is not documented very well. The local, county, state, and federal governments do not make cancer statistics data available for fear that people would misuse the information and cause widespread panic. Also, there are privacy issues related to medical records. They can only give you a yes/no answer as to whether your community is a cancer cluster. Invariably, they always tell you no, your community is not a cancer cluster, even though more than 25% of people you know have some type of cancer, including the young kids and pets. For cancer areas you should do some anecdotal research and make educated decisions. Here is the assumption: If you live on or near contaminated land/water, you might get cancer. Where are land/water contaminated? You need to determine the history of an area. Years ago the mob controlled businesses such as waste and chemical disposal. The mob instructed the truck drivers to get rid of the waste by dumping it anywhere, but not in Brooklyn, and not in Manhattan, nor Queens. They said take it to Jersey and dump it somewhere. That was what the drivers did. They took a highway to Jersey, found a farm, and paid a farmer $50 to let the driver dump waste. Those that did not dump on farms, dumped on open lots/parks/swamps/low lands/creeks along service roads/and anywhere else that was off the highway. Where they dumped is unknown. The farmers died of cancer. The families sold properties to developers. Well-populated areas and urban areas were generally not polluted by tanker truckers, because it would have been hard for the trucker to drive into a neighborhood to open a spigot without someone reporting it. However, what happened in some urban areas is that corrupt municipalities were paid to allow contaminated fill to be used in construction fill. Decades later NJ contaminated areas were developed into new residential houses. This was allowed because no one alive knew the land was polluted. They still do not know all the contaminated places. Even today, post-environmental laws, tankers are still dumping in hidden places. Recently, my unemployed friend went fishing before dawn at a well-known fishing area and saw a suspicious tanker truck speed away from the park. What would a tanker truck be doing at 4:30 AM at a fishing hole, and why would it speed away? Here is my clean community rule: pick a community that is hard to access by tanker trucks, and not near major highways, and not full of corrupt construction officials, and not historically industrialized. Otherwise, when you move into a luxury home in the suburbs near good restuarants, you risk living in a cancer zone. Then, you might end up like ten thousand other people in the community visiting cancer centers and cancer doctors, asking why did this happen to you?

How to find good schools? NJ school districts are documented online. You can review statistics and state test scores for any NJ district. Educators debate the value of standardized tests. The apparent pattern is that horrible schools finish at the bottom with bad test results. Good schools finish near the top. Do not be fooled by blue ribbon school propanganda. A bad school can get a blue ribbon for showing a blip of improvement. Moreover, it takes too much money and effort to apply for annual recognition, therefore, good schools do not enter the competition. If good schools entered the competition, the schools in Alpine, Mt. Lakes, and Princeton would sweep blue ribbons every year. Washington policy is to spread the blue ribbons around the country to give the illusion of national progress.

How to find good NJ property taxes? This is also documented online. Good luck with all your searches.

Do not listen to a broker for advice - they just want to sell a house and they do not know much about environmental history. Do they know how to search and review aerial photographs? Have they made freedom-of-information requests from county health departments and Trenton? Has a broker ever told you the school district of the house you want to buy is horrible?

Posted by: Adam, Bedminster | Jan 24, 2011 22:27:47 PM |

After reading everyone’s comments I’m a bit concerned and not sure where else to look to see top towns to live in? Is this the only site? My husband and I are currently looking to relocate but not sure where to go? I understand that everyone will have their own option on where they grew up and current town they live in but what’s a decent town with good schools and offer lots for the kids?

Posted by: Ava , Kearny | Jan 30, 2011 23:20:50 PM |

To everyone who has commented on this page, this data is skewed...but how?

I was also looking at places to live in NJ and have had no luck on any other site. This seemed to be the best and it seemed that there was a lot of data and number crunching so why not?

In fact, there is a lot of data and generally, reports based on average numbers for large populations have to be skewed but guess what?...They tell you how they skew it so you can understand what you’re reading and make informed decisions. If you look at the list order you say, "Wow, that is complete crap, my town is no bad and that #1 town is really crappy!" But you’re thinking about how nice or bad it is and now how all of it’s numbers look next to each other.

Think of it kind of like a bunch of apples dumped out on the table vs. a bunch of apples someone placed perfectly on the table. you can pick a good apple from the placed bunch and while it looks good, once you turn it over it looks aweful. But if you look at the dumped bunch you can pick the good one, even if it has a few dings, you’ll get the full picture and each person might be looking for a different type of apple quality.

Here is what they gave you for criteria...
population growth, home values, property taxes, land development, employment, crime rate, school performance, and proximity to services.

Most of these are based on simple up or down meaning if a town is really, really bad but it’s getting much better, it takes the grade. That goes for pop growth and home values mostly and means that if you buy a house there, people are moving in creating businesses and improving homes and your home value will go up, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OF NOT ITS AWEFUL WHEN YOU ARRIVE!

Taxes are simple numbers of middle tax amount and again, change. They do not take into account the services you get for those taxes.

On the not of the last group, you need to read how they compute the numbers, MEDIAN means middle, not average. If you have 1 $1million home and 299 $200,000 homes they count 150 homes in each direction and pick the number they don’t average them all out, so you’ll end up closer to the END with more numbers (lower or higher), NOT with and average of all homes combined.

On the contrary, Land is skewed toward slower growth meaning more stability but as one of you said, towns that are developing fast rank lower and that is not quite a good thing. however, I do believe they mean undeveloped land being developed which means renovation and renewal of old discarded properties is ok but developing on previously undeveloped land takes away green space which is becoming more crucial to towns and cities across the world. We want to have a few parks in our future right?

Unfortunately, unemployment and crime rates are also straight numbers and again, read carefully, are a rate. Meaning its based on population. It doesn’t tell you the overall number and it doesn’t care what kind it is. If camden has more murder and average theft but has 10 times the people, the small down with 15 reports of domestic violence or petty theft could give it a bad wrap.

Standardized test are, well, standardized tests. They don’t tell you how nice the school is, how friendly the teachers are, if they have good sports, grounds, programs for advancement or extra help. It also doesn’t rate the schools on improvement, just the numbers on the tests.

Lastly, the hospitals. It doesn’t rank any other services but hospitals within 10 miles that have ER services. That means if a city has 15 hospitals within 15 miles and none within 10 but all the towns next to it claim those hospitals, its going to lose even though it may be the epicenter.

The moral of the story is take it with a grain of salt. They put together hard numbers. some basics to show that a town is survivable in certain respects and other to show that it might be phenomenal in 5 - 10 years. The values ARE skewed but they tell you that and they tell you how. You have to pick through the numbers and you have to know what you are looking for for yourself. when I move I won’t have a family right away, maybe in 5 years or so, but I already have a very secure job, so I’m looking at someplace with not so bad crimerates, don’t care about unemployment, do want good schools and hospitals but if the population is growing along with housing rates and the taxes are stable, my investment makes a lot of money, the schools and hospitals and police services (referring to crime rates) will get better to keep up with population demand and quality of homes.

If you already have kids and your job is shaky you better find someplace with good employment rates, great schools and hospitals and low crime rates and probably low property values and low taxes, forgoing real estate growth and tax stability until you get a good job and your kids are farther in school.

Think it through and make your own decision, this is not about which town is the best town ever because that is a completely ridiculous thing to say, it’s about what towns have what and more likely, where to move if you’re young and have no idea what you’re doing yet.

Please don’t make false accusations at people if you yourself can’t handle the facts. Thank you.

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How did summit get in the 50’s & the 2 Chatam’s (burogh & township) get 2 & 52! Then #1 goes to Bedminster??

Posted by: Sarah Wilkonson, summit | Mar 24, 2011 02:53:11 AM |

I live in Bedminster, and it is a great town with wonderful opportunities and other resources. It’s a small town, and a great place to live. Numbers are numbers and you cannot change that...better luck next time if you don’t like it. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

Posted by: Bob Smith, Bedminster | Mar 26, 2011 00:51:12 AM |

Some excellent points here about "doing your homework." Adam from Bedminister makes a good point about health. I grew up in beautiful Pitman, home of America’s worst dump. My family suffered from one of the other tragic effects: high numbers Anacephlia in newborns, investigated by the CDC. On the other hand, Pitman’s water is artesian, coming deep from underground and pure, and naturally high in floride. Indeed, multiple factors.

Having lived in Summit too, I know why Chatham rates much higher than Summit: look at the empty storefronts in downtown Summit, the ugly unfinished construction, the racist murder this year right in the middle of Summit, and the enormous efforts to keep a synagogue from replacing its sign and new low-income housing from being built. It’s a beautiful, convenient, mean little town best avoided.

Posted by: Matt, Moorestown, NJ | May 11, 2011 14:40:40 PM |

Folks, do we really care to concern ourselves with what a magazine thinks of any particular town? Aside from the methodology used, there is only one definitive way to rate any town--and that is speaking to people who have actually LIVED there, for goodness sakes. Using abstract numbers and ambiguous statistics to rate quality of life and ambiance is like using lists of ingredients to decide which food you will enjoy. C’mon already.

Posted by: Alex, Mendham, by way of Weehawken | Jul 14, 2011 18:19:46 PM |