Fanwood, Scotch Plains Named Among Best Places To Live In NJ

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ — Scotch Plains and Fanwood were once again named as one of the best places to live in New Jersey for 2021, according to Niche.com's latest "report card".

Fanwood ranked higher on the list at 33rd and Scotch Plains at 62nd best place to live in New Jersey. Fanwood went up in the ranks from 44th best in 2020. Scotch Plains went down from 57th in 2020.

Niche.com uses up-to-date data from dozens of public sources including the Department of Education, FBI and U.S. Census to compile a comprehensive assessment of the overall livability of an area.

The website compiles statistics throughout the year and also takes into account thousands of reviews.

Rankings are based on cost of living, higher education, housing, public schools, diversity, nightlife etc. Each community is then assigned a grade, on an A+-to-D- scale.

Fanwood received an overall Niche grade of A+ for 2021. Here's how Niche graded Fanwood in the following categories:

• Public Schools: A+
• Crime & Safety: B
• Housing: B+
• Nightlife: A-
• Good for Families: A+
• Diversity: B
• Jobs: B
• Weather: B-
• Cost of Living: C
• Health & Fitness: A
• Outdoor Activities: A
• Commute: B

Scotch Plains received an overall Niche grade of A+ in 2021. Here's how Niche graded Scotch Plains in the following categories:

• Public Schools: A+
• Crime & Safety: B
• Housing: B
• Nightlife: B+
• Good for Families: A+
• Diversity: A-
• Jobs: B
• Weather: B-
• Cost of Living: C
• Health & Fitness: A+
• Outdoor Activities: A
• Commute: B

In Union County, New Providence ranked the highest at number 8.

The top 10 best places to live in New Jersey are:

1. Princeton Junction
2. Princeton
3. Ridgewood
4. Mountain Lakes
5. Upper Montclair
6. Princeton Meadows
7. Ho-Ho-Kus
8. New Providence
9. Glen Rock
10. Monmouth Junction

See the full list of ranked towns here. Learn about researchers' methodology here.

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