Morris County Winner: MENDHAM TOWNSHIP
Everything about Mendham screams small-town, and that’s a good thing. It’s a Morris County town where the cashiers at Kings on East Main St. recognize you immediately, and where Back to School night is more an end-of-summer reunion. Residents love the fact that it’s such a peaceful, quiet town without much traffic. So when resident Victoria Legacki, a mother of three, decided to move from nearby Peapack-Gladstone, it wasn’t too difficult to pick a new home.
“The thing that makes it so special to me is it’s in some ways like a sleepy little town,” she says. “It has little parades where the entire town comes out in red, white and blue. It’s a remarkable feeling of American pride.”
Mendham is also steeped in history. The township was incorporated in 1798, one of the first created in New Jersey after the Revolutionary War. Therefore, there’s no better place to celebrate with a pint or two than Black Horse Tavern & Pub, which opened in 1742 and is one of the oldest restaurants in the state.
Fun fact: Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage grew up here. Former Governor Chris Christie and his wife, Pat, live here.
See the Full 2019 List of NJ’s Best Towns for Families