Located on the western edge of Bergen County, Oakland is woodsy and a bit remote, but its midsize homes, good schools and low crime rate make it popular with young families. Property taxes are reasonable for the area—the average 2012 tax bill was $10,318—while home prices increased 10 percent between 2010 and 2012. The median home sales price in 2012 was $462,500. “It’s a more affordable town, and you are getting excellent schools and excellent programs for the kids,” says Eileen Bassi, a RE/MAX real estate agent.
Many of the homes, Bassi says, are ranches and Cape Cod-style cottages, but newer, larger homes and townhomes are available as well. Students attend Indian Hills High School in Oakland or Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes; both stand near the top of New Jersey Monthly’s 2012 ranking of public high schools.
Oakland, with a population of 12,873, lacks a walkable downtown, but there are strip malls and restaurants along its main stretch, Route 202. Popular shopping destinations—Willowbrook Mall in Wayne and Garden State Plaza in Paramus—are about a 20-minute drive. Drivers have easy access to Routes 208 and 287, but mass-transit options are limited to a couple of NJ Transit bus stops in town. The nearest train station is 10 miles away in Glen Rock.
Top 10 Towns for Young Families
Rank | Municipality | County | Average Residential Tax Bill ($) | Median Home Sales Price ($) | HSPA % Proficiency | % Households w/ Children Under 18, 2011 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oakland | Bergen | 10,318.80 | 462,500.00 | 95% | 46% |
2 | Hillsborough | Somerset | 8,161.46 | 380,000.00 | 95% | 45% |
3 | Fanwood | Union | 10,437.03 | 385,000.00 | 94% | 50% |
4 | Bethlehem | Hunterdon | 9,940.92 | 365,000.00 | 96% | 48% |
5 | Long Hill | Morris | 11,087.86 | 445,000.00 | 94% | 43% |
6 | Green Brook | Somerset | 11,375.78 | 375,000.00 | 94% | 47% |
7 | Raritan | Hunterdon | 9,093.68 | 350,000.00 | 96% | 41% |
7 | Randolph | Morris | 11,491.06 | 487,500.00 | 94% | 42% |
9 | Alexandria | Hunterdon | 9,259.93 | 477,450.00 | 91% | 42% |
10 | Green Township | Sussex | 9,805.81 | 410,000.00 | 85% | 46% |