Passaic County City Named One of the Best Places to Live in the U.S.

If you’re looking for an affordable place that’s welcoming, diverse, affordable and accessible to NJ’s highways and New York City, there’s a city in Passaic County that should be on your watchlist.

Livability named Clifton as one of the Top 100 Best Places To Live in the U.S.

Livability evaluated small and mid-sized cities that have a population between 75,000 and 500,000. They considered factors such as reasonable mortgage payments, affordability (the towns on the list must have a median home value of $500,000 or less), relocation rates out of and into the area, and the best places to raise a family or build a business outside of a larger metro area.

Livability partnered with Applied Geographic Solutions (AGS) to select their top places. Together they touched upon nearly 100 data points and an algorithm taking into account measures of a city’s economy, housing and cost of living, amenities, transportation, environment, safety, schools and health stats. The city has a large number of schools and nearly 3,000 students are enrolled at Clifton High School, which offers academies focused on STEM, visual and performing arts and more.

Some other questions they ask are: Where can you spend a Saturday or meet your friends for happy hour after a long day? What’s the weather like? What about the local economy and taxes? How is this city different from other places?

CLIFTON ARTS CENTER / The “One City, One Nation” sculpture by Miklos Sebek represents Clifton’s diversity and unity

When visiting Clifton, grab a deep-fried hot dog at Rutt’s Hut and then visit the sculpture park at the Clifton Arts Center and try some handcrafted beer at Ghost Hawk Brewing Co. Teach the kids about the history of the area by taking a tour of the Hamilton-Van Wagoner House Museum.

This spring, the LPGA chose the beautiful grounds of the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton for its Cognizant Founders Cup pro women’s golf tournament.

There’s lots of fun here, too. The annual Food Truck & Music Festival takes place at the Boys & Girls Club every May, plus there’s a fall fest Labor Day weekend.

Chevy’s Fresh Mex is a go-to spot for not only Mexican food but also special events, especially around the holidays. Other popular restaurants are The Hot Grill – Clifton really loves its Texas-style frankfurters – and Sharky’s seafood.