Best Towns in NJ

New Jersey's Best Towns for Families – Most Diverse

Terrific schools, a gorgeous nature preserve and a culturally diverse community make Plainsboro in Middlesex one of the most diverse spots to raise your family when we looked at the highest ranked towns on our list.

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Plainsboro Township 

One of New Jersey's Best Towns for Families 2016 Most Diverse Towns

Population: 22,908
Average Home Price: $422,132

In Plainsboro Township, great schools and reasonable house prices come with the added bonus of a wonderfully diverse population. This Middlesex County town came in at #5 when we looked at the racial and ethnic makeups of the highest ranked communities on our list. Residents here are 48 percent Asian, 37 percent white, nine percent black and six percent Hispanic, according to the latest Census poll, and that quilt of colors and backgrounds is a big reason families of all ethnicities flock here.

After living in India and Chicago, Rashmi Bhat, who is Indian, moved to Plainsboro with her husband and young sons, now five and nine. “My [older] son was not very keen on coming here,” says Bhat. He was worried that after living in a big city, he wouldn’t find the same kinds of kids in suburban New Jersey. Luckily, he did. “It has been amazing—he had a diverse group of friends in Chicago and he has a diverse group here as well,” says Bhat.

The Bhats chose Plainsboro for its well-regarded schools and relative affordability compared to nearby tony Princeton and West Windsor, but the town’s varied ethnic makeup was a big bonus too, she says, since her kids get to grow up taking part in traditions from cultures other than their own. They go to Greek and Italian festivals at Mercer County Park, and Chinese New Year celebrations and Black History Month events at the Plainsboro Public Library.

And the draws here aren’t just cultural. Thanks to efforts by the community to preserve town land as open space, the Plainsboro Preserve encompasses more than 1,000 acres where families can hike and go bird-watching along McCormack Lake or visit the environmental education center run by the NJ Audubon Society.

New Jersey's Best Towns for Families 2016

Most Diverse Towns 

Diversity Rank Town County Overall Rank
1 Montgomery Twp. Somerset 2
2 River Edge Bergen 13
3 Closter Bergen 17
4 Demarest Bergen 21
5 Plainsboro Middlesex 23
6 Cresskill Bergen 32
7 Norwood Bergen 33
8 Alpine Bergen 40
9 Northvale Bergen 42
10 Tenafly Bergen 49
11 Leonia Bergen 54
12 South Brunswick Middlesex 66
13 West Windsor Mercer 70
14 Parsippany-Troy Hills Morris 71
15 Maywood Bergen 72
16 Swedesboro Gloucester 80
17 Flemington Hunterdon 84
18 Chesterfield Burlington 85
19 Englewood Cliffs Bergen 87
20 New Hanover Burlington 88

 

   More of New Jersey's Best Towns for Families 2016
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   The Full 2016 List: New Jersey's Best Towns for Families 
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Most Diverse Towns for Families in NJ
Most Affordable Towns for Families in NJ
Safest Towns for Families in NJ
Towns With the Best School Districts in NJ
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Best Somerset County Town: Montgomery Twp
Best Morris County Town: Boonton
Best Union County Town: New Providence
Best Essex County Town: Essex Fells
Best Large Towns in NJ
Best Mid-Size Towns in NJ
Best Small Towns in NJ 
Methodology for New Jersey's Best Towns for Families

   
    See New Jersey's Best Towns
    for Families for 2015 list