Clark, Garwood Named Among Best Places To Live In NJ For 2019

CLARK/GARWOOD, NJ — Clark and Garwood ranked among the best places to live in New Jersey for 2019, according to NJ Monthly's biennial Top Towns list.

Garwood came in at the 125th best town in New Jersey and 8th best in Union County. While Clark was ranked at 168th in the state and 10th best in the county. Summit took the top spot in the county and was ranked 2nd best in NJ overall.

The 565 municipalities in New Jersey were ranked based on five categories: home values, property taxes, crime rate, school performance and a lifestyle factor — that looks at the number of acute-care hospitals and live performing-arts theaters nearby, number of restaurants, and average commute time for residents.

NJ Monthly used Leflein Associates, an independent research firm based in Ringwood, to rank the towns. However, towns with populations under 1,500 were dropped from the survey.

Here is how Garwood ranked, according to NJ Monthly's data:

Property Taxes: With a population of 4,408 as of 2017, Garwood has an average tax bill of $10,136 as of 2018, which has increased 5.3 percent since 2016. The effective property tax rate is 2.501 and the 3-year average debt per capita is $160,947.

Home Values: The median home price in Garwood is $402,500 as of 2018, which has increased 5.9 percent since 2016. Homes spend an average of 29 days on the market.

Crime Rate: Garwood's crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016 is 15.2 with with 0.2 violent crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016.

School Performance: Lastly, Arthur L. Johnson High School ranked as the 123rd best in the state, according to NJ Monthly's Top High Schools for 2018.

Here is how Clark ranked, according to NJ Monthly's data:

Property Taxes: With a population of 16,109 as of 2017, Clark has an average tax bill of $10,511 as of 2018, which has increased 6.5 percent since 2016. The effective property tax rate is 2.398 and the 3-year average debt per capita is $165,993.

Home Values: The median home price in Clark is $420,000 as of 2018, which has increased 3.7 percent since 2016. Homes spend an average of 45 days on the market.

Crime Rate: Clark's crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016 is 11.8 with with 0.3 violent crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016.

School Performance: Lastly, Arthur L. Johnson High School ranked as the 123rd best in the state, according to NJ Monthly's Top High Schools for 2018.

Comparing Garwood and Clark, here is a look at how other towns in Union County ranked from top to bottom on best in the county (and overall state ranking):

1. Summit (2)
2. Mountainside (9)
3. Berkeley Heights (23)
4. Cranford (36)
5. New Providence (47)
6. Westfield (49)
7. Scotch Plains (82)
8. Garwood (125)
9. Fanwood (160)
10. Clark (168)
11. Springfield (199)
12. Kenilworth (273)
13. Union (336)
14. Roselle Park (363)
15. Rahway (394)
16. Roselle (395)
17. Elizabeth (427)
18. Linden (431)
19. Hillside (439)
20. Plainfield (491)

To see the full list of all New Jersey towns and how they ranked see the NJ Monthly article here.

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