4 N.J. Towns Make 2016 Money Magazine List of Best Places to Live

Money Magazine has released its annual list of Best Places to Live, with four New Jersey towns making the Top 50 list.

The coveted list is carefully compiled, with 60 factors analyzed, including taxes, education, jobs, home affordability and health care.

Topping the list this year is Columbia, Maryland, a planned community with home prices just over $300,000. Rounding out the top five are Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Plano, Texas; West Des Moines, Iowa and Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey.

Four New Jersey towns made the list:

• Parsippany-Troy Hills
• Edison
• Franklin Township (Somerset County)
• Cherry Hill

Here’s a closer look at New Jersey’s winners:

Parsippany-Troy Hills is located in the heart of Morris County, where Route 46 and Route 80 pass through. Money says, “If you’re one of those people who believe that New Jersey is all industrial sprawl and one long turnpike, you might be surprised to find Parsippany near the top of the Best Places list. You might also be surprised to know that Parsippany has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the past 40 years. Or that the local team made it to the Little League World Series in 2012. The median home price is $356,500 and property tax is $8,221." See more about Parsippany-Troy Hills.

Edison in Middlesex County is a vast municipality with two high schools, as well as a diverse set of neighborhoods that once served as home to the inventor, Thomas Edison. Money says: “Smack dab in the center of New Jersey, Edison is within about an hour’s drive of New York City, Philadelphia, and the Jersey Shore. It’s also a major commuter hub, where you can catch an Amtrak train at Metropark Station to major cities on the Eastern seaboard like Boston and Washington, D.C.” See more about Edison.

Franklin Township in Somerset County is a very diverse community not far from Rutgers University. Money says: “Located in the center of New Jersey, Franklin is about an hour’s commute from jobs in New York City, though traffic on Route 287, the major highway to get there, can sometimes be a pain. Once primarily a farming community—still evidenced by the acres of open space—it has grown rapidly to become a suburb with a diverse cultural blend.” See more about Franklin Township.

The final New Jersey community on this year’s Money list is Cherry Hill in Camden County, another vast, diverse municipality on the east side of the Delaware River from Philadelphia that once served as home to Muhammad Ali. Money says, “Living in Cherry Hill, N.J. sometimes means picking sides. There’s the high school rivalry (the cougars in the East High School vs. the lions of West). There are mall rivals (Cherry Hill vs. King of Prussia). And then there’s the big kahuna of rivals: South Jersey vs. North Jersey. (Weird historical note: several South Jersey counties actually voted to secede from North Jersey in 1980.).” See more about Cherry Hill.

See the complete Top 50 List here

Patch file photo