Based on mid-size NJ towns with a population between 15,001 and 34,599 that ranked high on our overall list. Our number one overall town tops this list as well, thanks to its 23K population. Montgomery is a a bucolic Somerset County township that offers a little bit of everything in its 32 square miles. Founded by a mix of Dutch and English settlers, it was incorporated in 1798 and sits nearly halfway between Philadelphia and New York.
No town could win top billing in New Jersey without stellar schools, and Montgomery is certainly no exception. The proverbial trophy case for the district includes past designations as a National Blue Ribbon School for both the high school and one of the town’s two middle schools. And there’s nary a list of top schools statewide that doesn’t include the township. Hang at the 4,000-acre Sourland Mountain Preserve or the 256-acre Skillman Park while you’re there. Or, hit local restaurants like Aja Asian Cuisine and Lounge, a primo spot for sushi, Sahara Restaurant, whose a Middle Eastern favorite of Mayor Sadaf Jaffer, and Tiger’s Tale, a local institution where beers and pub fare are the way to go.
Other Somerset County towns that made the cut include Bernards and Warren. See the rest of the mid-size list below.
| Town | County | Population | Overall Rank |
| Montgomery | Somerset County | 23,584 | 1 |
| Bernards | Somerset County | 27,061 | 5 |
| West Windsor | Mercer County | 28,491 | 6 |
| Raritan Twp. | Hunterdon County | 22,106 | 8 |
| Plainsboro | Middlesex County | 23,504 | 16 |
| Hopewell | Mercer County | 18,265 | 23 |
| Cranford | Union County | 24,439 | 25 |
| Moorestown | Burlington County | 20,540 | 27 |
| Warren | Somerset County | 16,029 | 31 |
| Readington | Hunterdon County | 15,963 | 33 |
