New Jersey Monthly recently published the best places to live in NJ. While several years ago Oakland was voted one of the top 50 places in America to raise kids by BusinessWeek Magazine, no towns in Bergen County made the top ten list in the poll commissioned by NJMonthly.com. The first Bergen County town to make the top 100 places to live is ranked at number 20 and it is….drum roll…Teterboro.
The Borough of Teterboro is known for being very small and noisy. Census estimates put the total number of residents at under 50; its airport provides a level of noise and pollution that many NJ residents would find disconcerting. There does appear to be some hope for positive developments as one of the largest contaminated sites in North Jersey, the Bendix property, will one day be cleaned up and house office space, a hotel, and retail chains.
While Teterboro was the number one ranked town in Bergen County, 20th overall, Oakland eked out a respectable 15th ranking countywide and 110th statewide. Neighboring Wykoff appeared as the 31st best town to live in county wide, and 196th statewide. Franklin Lakes came in at 53rd countywide, and a mediocre 386th statewide.
There are no residential listings of available homes in Teterboro, so anyone looking to relocate to the best town in Bergen County will have to wait till one of the few dozen residences come up for sale.
What exactly were the criteria for what these towns were judged on? I would guess it included things to do, safety and crime, and cost of living. It is interesting to see which areas make the list and then try to get a place there in the future though. Somethings gotta open up!