Haddonfield Named New Jersey's Best Town To Live In By Website

HADDONFIELD, NJ - A new report pegs Haddonfield as New Jersey's best town to live in. The Camden County town was named the best in the state in a new report from the financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St., which determined the best city to live in every state.

The authors acknowledged that while many things factor into what makes a place “home,” some specific attributes are commonly shared and “universally desirable.” These include essentials like safe streets, a strong local economy, affordability and diverse entertainment options.

Here's a breakdown of Haddonfield:

• Population: 11,444
• 5 year population change: -1.3 percent
• Median home value: $487,700
• Median household income: $135,700

Here’s what the authors had to say:

"Haddonfield is one of the most economically prosperous places in New Jersey and the United States as a whole. The typical Haddonfield home earns $135,700, nearly $62,000 more than the typical New Jersey household. Haddonfield lies just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, providing its residents access to the jobs that city offers. Compared to the rest of the state, Haddonfield residents are not likely to struggle with poverty. The area has a poverty rate of just 2.9%, well below New Jersey’s poverty rate of 10.9%. Though Haddonfield’s cost of living is 11% more than that of the average American city, it is still one of the lowest in New Jersey."

Most of the best cities to live in were relatively affluent. That includes Paradise Valley, dubbed the best place to live in Arizona, where the median home value is north of $1.3 million — more than seven times the national median. The median household in the town earns an income of $173,487.

But several cities and towns were much more modest.

Batesville, Arkansas, was highlighted specifically because it’s so affordable and has various attractions and amenities. The median household in the city earns $42,143 a year, while the median home is worth $120,400.

“With roots as far back as 1804, Batesville is the second oldest city in Arkansas,” the authors noted. “The city, which avoided destruction in the Civil War, has a number of historic buildings and sites. There are attractions in the area for nearly every taste and preference, including antique stores, art galleries, an annual film festival, and the Batesville Motor Speedway.”

To identify the best cities to live in, the researchers created a weighted index of more than two dozen measures in four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life and community. Some measures include ratio of median home value to median income, cost of living, unemployment rate, poverty rate, food insecurity rate, death rate and violent crime rate.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Image via Shutterstock.