Lots of small towns made the top 100 on our list, including lovely Mountain Lakes, with a population of just over 4,200 and a total land area of less than 3 miles. This town is home to the state’s highest percentage of families with kids under 18—which means there are always kids around for play dates, BBQs and block parties. And its educational reputation is impressive: Not only do Mountain Lakes public schools score 10 out of 10 on Great Schools, but 86 percent of the town’s adult population has a college or graduate degree. Mountain Lakes is also incredibly beautiful, thanks in large part to its nine namesake manmade lakes—some of which host sailors and swimmers in the summer and ice skaters in the winter.
| Town | Population | Overall Rank |
| Pennington | 2,587 | 1 |
| Oradell | 8,128 | 2 |
| Mendham Twp. | 5,899 | 3 |
| Frelinghuysen | 2,204 | 4 |
| Closter | 8,545 | 5 |
| Harrington Park | 4,751 | 6 |
| Mendham Boro. | 5,020 | 7 |
| New Providence | 12,332 | 8 |
| Chatham Boro. | 9,039 | 9 |
| Demarest | 4,947 | 10 |
| Mountain Lakes | 4,269 | 11 |
| Milltown | 6,996 | 12 |
| North Caldwell | 6,557 | 13 |
| Hopewell Boro. | 1,920 | 15 |
| Northvale | 4,746 | 16 |
More Best Towns:
New Jersey's Best Towns for Families
Full List of Towns
Top Town – Pennington
Editor's Pick: Best Small Town – Mountain Lakes
Highest Ranked: Morris County – Mendham Township
Editor's Pick: Mid-Size Town – Westfield
Editor's Pick: Large Town – Parsippany-Troy Hills
Highest Ranked: North Jersey – Oradell
Highest Ranked: Union County – New Providence
Highest Ranked: Essex County – North Caldwell
Editor's Pick: Central Jersey – Milltown
Methodology
Top NJ Transit Commuter Towns