These 2 NJ Towns Are Among The Best Small Towns in the U.S.

ISTOCK.COM/RON AND PATTY THOMAS / Old Red Mill at the Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton

New Jersey has everything from farm areas to small towns to downtowns to boroughs to large cities. If you live in a smaller, quaint area with fewer than 10,000 residents, you know part of the charm is smaller class size, less traffic, more quiet time and more nature.

Far & Wide named two New Jersey towns to its 100 Best Small Towns in America list for 2023.

Cape May is No. 49 on the list. With a little under 2,800 residents living in town, it’s definitely attractive for tourists, who love the beaches, B&Bs, shopping area, lighthouse and restaurants. The Victorian houses are cute and colorful. The area is pedestrian- and bike-friendly so you get the small-town feel right off the bat. There are plenty of things to do year-round, from fishing and crabbing to haunted mansion tours to Dickens-style Christmas celebrations.

Clinton in Hunterdon County placed 50 on the list. Also with fewer than 2,800 residents, people like the area because it’s near the Raritan River, and is only an hour from Manhattan and 90 minutes from Philadelphia. There are boutiques lining Main Street for shopaholics, which make the town look like a Norman Rockwell painting; and the Red Mill Museum Village dating back to the 1800s is perfect for history lovers. Clinton also has its own version of Dickens Days; in addition to the Great Rubber Ducky Race over the falls; and kayaking, hiking and fishing along the river.

Both towns were also recently named worthy of a Hallmark movie set by Country Living because of their picturesque streets and neighborhoods.

Here are the Top 10 Best Small Towns in America according to Far & Wide:

Monowi, Nebraska
Mooresville, Alabama
Stockholm, Wisconsin
Medora, North Dakota
Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Rocheport, Missouri
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Keystone, South Dakota
Trinidad, California
Grand Rivers, Kentucky