
What makes a town a great place to live? The popular website Stacker just compiled a list of the best places to live in New Jersey using data from Niche. Niche is well known for its rankings of schools, towns and more and uses data like cost of living, education, health care, recreation and more to make its lists. Stacker’s ranking of NJ’s 30 best places to live also looked at things like walkability, public parks and, in some cases, well-preserved architecture and museums.
Coming in at #1 on Stacker’s list is Princeton, home to Princeton University and The Institute for Advanced Study, which means it attracts some of the brightest minds from all over the world, literally. Princeton has top-notch public schools, beautiful tree-lined streets, a vibrant downtown and great commuting options to both New York City and Philly. Princeton is also relatively close to the Jersey Shore, too. Among its stand-out dining options include Winberie’s Restaurant + Bar, Mistral and Agricola Eatery. With a population of 30,450, Princeton has a median household income of $176,695 and a median home value of $971,200 (59% of residents own 41% rent), making it among one of the state’s more expensive communities.
Lists like this one are often criticized for being filled with towns with extremely high median home values and while there are plenty of those on this list, there are also towns with more reasonable median home values, such as Clinton in Hunterdon County. Clinton came in at #22 and has a median home value of  $413,400 (and 71% own) and was named the best town for families in NJ by New Jersey Family in 2017 for its natural beauty, scenic hiking trails, farms and quaint downtown straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Clinton also has top-notch schools, is home to the beloved Red Mill  Museum and restaurants like The Clinton House, one of the area’s most popular steakhouses.
Here is Stacker’s list of the top 30 best places to live in NJ:
#30. Upper Saddle River
– Population: 8,313
– Median home value: $1,029,700 (89% own)
– Median rent: $3,501 (11% rent)
#29. Verona Township
–Population: 14,438
– Median home value: $577,100 (80% own)
– Median rent: $1,939 (20% rent)
#28. Warren Township
– Population: 15,874
– Median home value: $862,400 (88% own)
– Median rent: $2,032 (12% rent)
#27. Watchung
– Population: 6,417
Median home value: $792,400 (87% own)
– Median rent: $2,302 (13% rent)
#26. Wayne Township
– Population: 54,143
– Median home value: $565,700 (78% own)
– Median rent: $2,038 (22% rent)
#25. Westfield
– Population: 30,839
– Median home value: $890,000 (80% own)
– Median rent: $2,179 (20% rent)
#24. Westwood
– Population: 11,241
– Median home value: $535,900 (65% own)
– Median rent: $2,166 (35% rent)
#23. Woodcliff Lake
– Population: 6,096
– Median home value: $891,300 (89% own)
– Median rent: $2,120 (11% rent)
#22. Clinton
– Population: 2,775
– Median home value: $413,400 (71% own)
– Median rent: $1,466 (29% rent)
#21. Linwood
– Population, median home value and median rent not available
#20. Cranbury
– Population: 2,430
– Median home value: $749,100 (87% own)
– Median rent: $1,712 (13% rent)
19. Chesterfield Township
– Population: 9,144
– Median home value: $505,300 (95% own)
– Median rent: $2,165 (5% rent)
#18. Hopewell
– Population: 1,825
– Median home value: $509,700 (77% own)
– Median rent: $1,672 (23% rent)
#17. Waterfront
– Population: 45,401
– Median home value: $895,290 (18% own)
— Median rent: $3,217 (82% rent)
#16. Peapack and Gladstone
– Population: 2,561
– Median home value: $826,900 (75% own)
– Median rent: $1,832 (25% rent)
#15. Manasquan
– Population: 5,921
– Median home value: $865,600 (87% own)
– Median rent: $1,408 (13% rent)
#14. East Brunswick Township
– Population: 49,462
– Median home value: $461,600 (83% own)
– Median rent: $1,877 (17% rent)
#13. Iselin, New Jersey
– Population: 18,511
– Median home value: $369,700 (69% own)
– Median rent: $1,999 (31% rent)
#12. Raritan Township
– Population: 23,649
– Median home value: $522,900 (88% own)
– Median rent: $1,897 (12% rent)
#11. Lawrenceville
– Population: 3,759
– Median home value: $365,300 (86% own)
– Median rent: $1,874 (14% rent)
#10 Hopewell Township
– Population: 17,521
– Median home value: $530,700 (87% own)
– Median rent: $1,987 (13% rent)
#9. Hillsborough Township
– Population: 43,007
– Median home value: $504,200 (83% own)
– Median rent: $2,191 (17% rent)
#8. Robbinsville
– Population: 2,836
– Median home value: $430,100 (77% own)
– Median rent: $1,622 (23% rent)
#7. Princeton Meadows
– Population: 15,585
– Median home value: $584,500 (41% own)
– Median rent: $1,847 (59% rent)
#6. Belle Mead
– Population: 5,867
– Median home value: $673,300 (64% own)
– Median rent: $2,559 (36% rent)
#5. Pennington
– Population: 2,780
– Median home value: $563,000 (81% own)
– Median rent: $1,862 (19% rent)
#4. Plainsboro Center
– Population: 2,766
– Median home value: $461,200 (32% own)
– Median rent: $1,839 (68% rent)
#3. Montgomery Township
– Population: 23,558
– Median home value: $700,800 (85% own)
– Median rent: $1,984 (15% rent)
#2. Princeton Junction
– Population: 2,022
– Median home value: $633,700 (79% own)
– Median rent: $1,286 (21% rent)
#1. Princeton
– Population: 30,450
– Median home value: $971,200 (59% own)
– Median rent: $2,320 (41% rent)
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Read More:
The 20 Best Places to Live in NJ, According to Niche
The Best Places in NJ to Raise a Family