If you’re like the rest of us, you’re looking for the perfect place for your family. But you have a strict criteria; the city has to be safe, affordable, and stimulating. Basically, the place you move – or even visit – has to be outright perfect.
Is that attainable? Perhaps not, but we’ll get you as close as we can.
Promise.
According to the United States Census, the number of American families who move is trending downwards Why is that? Perhaps it has to do with the safety net’ factor: We get comfortable where we live, and we’re afraid to try a new move. What if the schools are bad? What if it’s dangerous?
Well, we can pretty much guarantee that if you choose the cities we’re mentioning below, you won’t lose any sleep whatsoever.
So, where are the best cities for families in New Jersey? We’ve got the answers here.
These are the best cities to raise a family in New Jersey for 2019:
- Madison (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- New Providence (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- River Edge (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Glen Rock (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Hillsdale (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Summit (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Westwood (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Tenafly (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Kinnelon (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Westfield (Photos | Homes For Sale)
If you’re thinking of making a move to New Jersey, and want a family-friendly place, we’ve got you covered. And if you already have kids, we’re surprised you made it this far into the article and hope your little ones give you a couple of more minutes of free time.
Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out some more reading about New Jersey and the best places for families in the country:
- Best Places To Live In New Jersey
- Cheapest Places To Live In New Jersey
- Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
- Best States To Raise A Family In America
How do you determine which place is best for families in New Jersey anyways?
To give you the places in New Jersey which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what’s family-friendly and what isn’t.
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Garden State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of New Jersey, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)
We then gave each city a Family Score.
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For New Jersey, that meant a total of 97 cities.
Read on to see why Madison is where all the families are headed, while Somers Point is probably a place made for singles.
The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey For 2019
/10
Population: 16,080
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 71
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 38.4%
More on Madison: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Madison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 15,845, reflecting a drop in population of 685 from the 16,530 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 680 from the 15,850 counted in the 1990 Census. It is known as “The Rose City” and was named in honor of President James Madison.
/10
Population: 12,716
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 32
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 41.3%
More on New Providence: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
New Providence is a borough on the northwestern edge of Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on the Passaic River, which forms the county boundary with Morris County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,171, reflecting an increase of 264 from the 11,907 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 468 from the 11,439 counted in the 1990 Census.
/10
Population: 11,648
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 46
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 34.5%
More on River Edge: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 11,962
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 49
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 43.6%
More on Glen Rock: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 11,601, reflecting an increase of 55 from the 11,546 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 663 from the 10,883 counted in the 1990 Census.
/10
Population: 10,520
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 34
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 36.0%
More on Hillsdale: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 22,155
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 41
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 42.6%
More on Summit: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city’s population was 21,457, reflecting an increase of 326 from the 21,131 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,374 from the 19,757 counted in the 1990 Census. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census.
/10
Population: 11,246
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 62
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 35.2%
More on Westwood: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Westwood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 10,908, reflecting a decline of 91 from the 10,999 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 553 from the 10,446 counted in the 1990 Census. Westwood is part of the New York metropolitan area. Many of its residents regularly commute to New York City for work and leisure, many using public transportation.
/10
Population: 14,882
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 47
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 48.3%
More on Tenafly: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 10,242
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 50
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 37.1%
More on Kinnelon: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 30,591
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 44
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 42.2%
More on Westfield: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Westfield is a town in Union County of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town’s population was 30,316, reflecting an increase of 672 from the 29,644 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 774 from the 28,870 counted in the 1990 Census. According to a 2014 nationwide survey, Westfield is considered to be the 30th-safest city to live in the United States.
There You Have It – The Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in New Jersey ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
Here’s a look at the best cities for singles New Jersey according to the data:
- Somers Point
- Lindenwold
- Pleasantville
For more New Jersey reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In New Jersey
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In New Jersey
- 10 Best Places To Live In New Jersey
Where is the search button? I’ve been clicking all over these different categories trying to find my hometown. Simple little thing: SEARCH. Right at the very top, even before the word “cities.” Try to make the website as user friendly as possible. Very frustrating.
Where is Pequannock????