People like lists: The Top Ten, The Top 100, The Top 20, and when the magazine NJ Monthly recently released their top 100 towns to live in New Jersey, Oakland made the top 15 overall, and the best for young families.
Crunching the numbers on residential tax bills, property tax rates, home sales price, total crime rate, and state-mandated standardized tests for students might make it easier to judge places – but not always so reliable. (The NJ Monthly 2010 list where Teterboro was the only town in Bergen County listed is one example.)
The crunched numbers added up for the 2013 list, the school scores add up, the crime rate looks right; statistically speaking, the numbers on Oakland put the town into the top of the NJ Monthly list… but the numbers don’t tell the real story.
There are things which cannot always be quantified… but they should be recognized.
The NJ Monthly methodology looks at the “number of full-service restaurants within two miles of the municipality’s main zip code”, but not whether you can walk to a river or lake and catch your own dinner.
The NJ Monthly methodology looks at whether there is a “live performing-arts theater within 10 miles of the municipality’s main zip code”, but they don’t look at the artists in a community or a shared passion for creativity.
The NJ Monthly methodology gives extra weight to the “results on standardized tests for students in grades 4 and 8”, but that does not quantify when teachers instill a love of learning in children.
The NJ Monthly methodology looked at the “total crime rate combined with a score for violent crime rate”, but not how first responders work with compassion and volunteers put their lives on the line.
The NJ Monthly methodology might look at the “average commute time for those working away from home”, but they don’t look at the commute time to hike in the woods.
It’s great that Oakland was ranked so high based on the numbers, but the numbers don’t tell the story of Oakland.
The numbers don’t reflect how many friends and neighbors volunteer to help those in need when crises strikes – and Oakland has suffered a major natural disaster every autumn for the last three years.
The numbers don’t reflect that one of the best Recreation programs is powered by an all volunteer force.
The numbers don’t reflect that when a house is on fire or medical emergencies arise, it’s an Oakland volunteer who will respond.
The numbers don’t reflect that Oakland students succeed mostly because Oakland parents are involved: raising funds, attending meetings, creating after school programs, offering cultural classes, and hovering over homework assignments.
The numbers don’t reflect that when personal tragedy strikes, friends, neighbors and strangers appear to offer support.
A town might be a great place to live because of the numbers, but at the end of the day – it’s mostly the people who make a place.
For those who serve, those who volunteer, those who live and work here, for those who moved away with the fingerprints of Oakland on them – for many of them – Oakland is number one.
Submitted by Charlie McCormick
Well said! And thank you to all the volunteers and out pouring of donations – it helped us put our lives back together after the floods.
Very well said!