What is the best place to live in NJ?

Moving to New Jersey can have you thinking about many bad things. High taxes, for starters, have often plagued this area, as well as overpopulation. In fact, NJ is the most densely populated state in the entirety of the U.S.! So, finding the best place to live in NJ is not as easy as it sounds. Getting there is easy enough, you simply hire a professional moving company and they will move your belongings to the state.

And while on the subject of transportation, the fact of the matter is that the traffic is also one of NJ’s issues. In fact, I can think of a lot more problems in the area, such as factory fumes, pricey homes, and landfills.

However, the fact of the matter is that every place has its highs and lows. I’ve been pointing out all of the bad ones but what about the good ones? No one can say that the location is not enviable, what with being so close to NY and Philly. Then there is the beauty of the state, which is undeniable and the schools here have some of the greatest graduation rates in the U.S.!

But I digress. Here are some of the best places to live in NJ:

North Arlington – The best place to live in NJ

We simply have to start the list with this suburb. There are more than 15,000 people living here, which makes Bergen County the most populous country in the entire state! In 2017, North Arlington was dubbed one of the best places to live in America, by the TIME. It held the spot #8, which is pretty amazing.

What makes North Arlington such a great place to live in?

This place offers a feel of a small town but with all the perks of a much larger city. Ney York is really close by and the residents of this place can easily hop in and out. I mean, it is only 15 miles away from the financial district of NY. You can get storage services in Arlington and acquire items in NY! Brilliant.

This district boasts excellent schools and a really low crime rate. Low for NJ, that is. If you are going to purchase a home here, it will set you back around $350,000, while the rent clocks in around $1,200. This is for a single-family home, of course.

Other perks include the proximity to several sports venues, such as MetLife Stadium and Meadowlands Sports Complex.

Princeton

The name does ring a bell, doesn’t it? The insanely prestigious Princeton university is here, already making it a great place to live in! Princeton University stands as one of the best universities in the entire country. The town itself has a little fewer than 30,000 people but there are a lot of other perks that it can offer.

If you are looking to go to both NY and Philadelphia often, then this might just be the perfect place for you. The reason for that is that it is positioned almost exactly between these two. If you are planning to move here, some research on interstate moving and storage would not go amiss. The cost of living is a bit high, nothing that you do not expect, however.

The worst of it is Mercer County, where median home value is whopping $780,000! However, the residents here earn some serious money, as well, well over six figures per household.

If you can afford a home in this state, there is nowhere better, to be frank. In 2017, Princeton was the third best place to live in New Jersey, according to the Niche.com. It also landed a #1 spot on the “Best College Towns to Live in” in the Smartasset.com list.

All in all, there are great opportunities in Princeton but the fact of the matter is that most of us will not be able to afford a home there. If you can, definitely go for it!

Ridgewood

Another town in Bergen County, Ridgewood is a suburb with a great mix of old farmhouses and Victorian-era homes. Everything in this state is postcard-material and it shows by really expensive homes. If you want a home in Ridgewood, you will need to be able to fork up over $715,000 for a median price home! Rent is staggering as well, standing almost at $2,000!

If you are not fazed by these amounts, Ridgewood will have a lot to offer you. You can obviously get a cheaper home (around $500,000) but the fact of the matter is that most of us do not have anything closely resembling that amount of money. If all you need is a bit of saving, try to save money on relocation. It can go a long way towards buying your house. Every little bit helps!

Which is a shame, this place has great schools and parks, a thriving downtown and really friendly people. There are always some family activities going on and it is a delight to partake in such.

Oradell

You guessed it, Bergen County again! This small place has only around eight thousand residents. Prices are lower than the rest of the larger neighborhoods, clocking at around $550,000 for an average priced home.

You can expect well-educated people in this place. Imagine a town in which almost 80% of residents have a minimum of a college degree! That is actually insane, to be quite honest. The wages follow that education, too, with average residents earning more than $140,000 annually.

Needless to say, this is a tranquil little town, one of the safest ones in the entirety of NJ. Ideal for simply strolling around and enjoying life. The major entertainment spot is the Little Firehouse Theater.

White Meadow Lake

When looking for the best place to live in NJ, it would be remiss if we did not include White Meadow Lake. This suburb, that is not in Bergen County, but Morris County has a population of almost 9,000. The happy nine thousand.

If you are looking for the happiest place to live in NJ, you have just found it. The entirety of the garden state is quite picturesque but white Meadow Lake easily tops it. There is an actual lake and meadows, the name does not lie.

Here are some of the facts: Average median income – $116,600. Excellent schools. Twenty minute commute time. Awesome nightlife. Exceptionally low crime rate. One of the lowest unemployment rates in the entire state.