What’s a small town? There is no specific population threshold, but it’s likely that people who live in the most populated nations and states might have a definition that includes larger towns than people who live in less populated locales.
Small towns in New Jersey are larger than small towns in most other places, particularly when small towns are defined as those with populations less than 15,000, because New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the United States. However, the only small town in New Jersey on NewsMax's list of best small towns in America is a town with more than 16,000 people, and Newsmax lists two other towns with more than 17,000 people.
For the purposes of this article, Movoto is defining a small town as any municipality with fewer than 20,000 people. Movoto’s selections as small towns in New Jersey to put roots down in are Cape May (population 3,607), Florham Park (11,696), Madison (16,021), Morristown (18,411), and Red Bank (12,206).
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Cape May’s motto is that it is the nation’s oldest seashore resort. It is also one of the most popular. Located at the southern tip of New Jersey, approximately 50 miles south of Atlantic City, Cape May is not a small town during the summer tourist season when tens of thousands of people visit. During the rest of the year, though, it is a small town. The magazine New Jersey Monthly’s profile of Cape May praises its quaint shops, Victorian homes, and “world-famous birding opportunities.”
Cape May’s distance away from New York City and Philadelphia means it has more affordable housing than comparable small towns in New Jersey. The median list price of a home in Cape May that’s on the market as of January 2016 is roughly $350,000, a figure that has dropped dramatically in the last year. That means that prospective home buyers could find a great bargain in 2016. The average educational and income levels of the town’s citizens are lower than other towns on this list.
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This town about 30 miles west of New York City is the top town in New Jersey, according to New Jersey Monthly. The magazine’s profile of Florham Park praises its low tax rate and superior schools. Roughly 76 percent of the town’s high school graduates earn a college degree and 25 percent of them earn a graduate school degree. Many of the grads stay in Florham Park because it is the home of 40 corporations and a thriving small business community. The most noteworthy business is the New York Jets. Their players work out at the town’s $75 million training facility. It should also be noted that the area has an excellent transit system. You can get to Manhattan via train in 45 minutes.
Prospective home buyers who are interested in moving to Florham Park have a lot of choices. As of January 2016, 33 homes in the town are for sale. The median price is $645,900, which is more than $200,000 less than one year ago. In other words, 2016 could be a good year to find a bargain in Florham Park.
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What small town offers international dining? A Shakespeare Theater? Two major universities? Madison offers all of these things and that’s why it was the only small town in New Jersey on NewsMax's list of the best small towns in America. It ranks 21st. The two universities, Drew University and Fairleigh Dickinson University, are just part of a very educated environment in Madison, which was named after James Madison, the nation’s fourth president. About 76 percent of the town’s adults have college degrees.
Madison is yet another of the small towns in New Jersey where prospective homebuyers can find a bargain in 2016. Yes, homes in Madison are pricy. The 41 homes on the market as of January 2016 have a median list price of $775,000. However, that’s $114,000 less than the median price of a year ago. If you decide to move to Madison, you should know that a large percentage of your neighbors are wealthy. About 66 percent of households have an income of at least $75,000.
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Morristown is a modern town with fancy boutiques and restaurants like other small towns in New Jersey, but what sets it apart is that it is one of the most historic towns, big or small, in the United States. It has, in fact, been called “the military capital of the American Revolution.” George Washington and the Continental Army encamped in Morristown for several months in 1777 and again during the 1779-1780 winter. There are several tourist attractions and museums in Morristown that commemorate the town’s history.
Washington chose Morristown because it was between New York City and Philadelphia. It’s about 35 miles from the former and about 80 from the latter. That means prospective homebuyers have a lot of amenities outside Morristown nearby. As for the homes in the town itself, there are 197 homes available as of January 2016 for a median list price of $798,000. The housing market is hot because prices have doubled in the last year. There’s incredible variety with $1 million homes and $250,000 homes.
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Located about 50 miles south of New York City in central New Jersey, Red Bank is just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Like Cape May, it’s a summertime hot spot because of its location, but it’s also a quaint small town for most of the year. Yet, people who live in Red Bank can attend numerous cultural festivals in the town throughout the year. While they’re downtown, they can also shop in several great antique shops.
