Scotch Plains Named Among 100 Best Places To Live In NJ For 2019

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — What will come as no surprise, Scotch Plains Township ranked among the 100 best places to live in New Jersey for 2019, according to NJ Monthly's biennial Top Towns list.

Scotch Plains came in at the 82nd best town in New Jersey and 7th best in Union County. While Fanwood was ranked at 160th in the state and 9th 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 Scotch Plains Township ranked, according to NJ Monthly's data:

Property Taxes: With a population of 24,630 as of 2017, Scotch Plains Township has an average tax bill of $13,419 as of 2018, which has increased 4.8 percent since 2016. The effective property tax rate is 2.539 and the 3-year average debt per capita is $171,889.

Home Values: The median home price in Scotch Plains is $489,950 as of 2018, which has increased 7.4 percent since 2016. Homes spend an average of 44 days on the market.

Crime Rate: Scotch Plains' crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016 is 6.8 with with 0.4 violent crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016.

School Performance: Lastly, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional High School ranked as the 76th best in the state, according to NJ Monthly's Top High Schools for 2018.

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

Property Taxes: With a population of 7,808 as of 2017, Fanwood has an average tax bill of $12,390 as of 2018, which has increased 5.7 percent since 2016. The effective property tax rate is 2.715 and the 3-year average debt per capita is $155,867.

Home Values: The median home price in Fanwood is $459,000 as of 2018, which has increased 4.3 percent since 2016. Homes spend an average of 33 days on the market.

Crime Rate: Fanwood's crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016 is 7.5 with with 0.4 violent crime rate per 1,000 residents as of 2016.

School Performance: Lastly, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional High School ranked as the 76th best in the state, according to NJ Monthly's Top High Schools for 2018.

Comparing Scotch Plains and Fanwood, 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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