100 Spots Separate Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes on 'Best Places to Live' List

Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff have been named to the 2013 “Best Places to Live in NJ” list, put out bi-annually by New Jersey Monthly Magazine. But, the two neighboring towns are separated by 100 ranks on the list.

On the 2013 ranking of all 514 towns in New Jersey, Franklin Lakes was named the 30th best town to live in. Wyckoff was named #130.

NJ Monthly says its ranking system is “based on the most recent available data for home prices, property taxes, crime rates, school results and various lifestyle attributes. We’ve combined the data using a proprietary formula to create the overall rankings of New Jersey municipalities.”

In the magazine’s downloadable list, Franklin Lakes is cited as having a .8% drop in average tax bills since 2010, and an average property tax of $15,826. Wyckoff reported a 4.6% bump in taxes since 2010, which average $12,455.

This year’s list reflects a drop for both towns since the 2011 ranking, in which Franklin Lakes was #12 and Wyckoff was #19.

Mendham Borough in Morris County came in at this year’s #1 place to live in the state. A strong sense of community amongst residents is one of the reasons the magazine says it chose Mendham as its #1.

“Bucolic yet posh, Mendham Borough has managed to keep its taxes relatively low, its home values rising and its schools scoring well above average,” the magazine explains.

The top town in Bergen to make the list was Norwood, which ranked 4th overall. Other Bergen towns that placed before Franklin Lakes on the list include Woodcliff Lake at #6, Tenafly at #7, Demarest at #8, Oakland at #15, Paramus at #21, Ho-Ho-Kus at #23, Old Tappan at #24, and Mahwah at #26.

You can see the full 2013 list and compare data used in the ranking by signing up for the NJ Monthly newsletter. A list of towns with their rank but without the data is available online.