Top New Jersey towns for older adults revealed by AARP

AARP just put out a ranking of the top 100 places in America that are the most livable for older Americans. New Jersey showed up in impressive numbers.

How it's ranked

Because they ranked areas by population categories, nine New Jersey towns appear on the list but also three New Jersey counties. Those fell in the category of 500,000+ population, so here a whole county could be considered the same as a major city.

Before I give you which Jersey towns did so well, let me explain this isn’t based on any one thing like most affordable. It’s based on a number of factors like how walkable a town is, affordable housing, health, environmental, transportation, etc. Then metrics were assigned point values.

Shannon Guzman, AARP director of housing and livable communities, says there is no such thing as a perfect community.

“All of these communities are on a continuum of livability,” Guzman says. “We score communities on a scale of zero to 100. The average score is 50.”

Photo by David Vives on Unsplash

New Jersey did very well.

In the 500,000+ population category, San Francisco was No. 1 and has been for several years.

But Bergen County, Hudson County and Union County were ranked at 10, 15, and 21, respectively.

In the population category of 100,000 to 499,999, Elizabeth shows up at 25th place.

Of American towns with 25,000 to 99,999 people, New Jersey not only takes six high-ranking spots but also has the top spot in the entire nation.

Cliffside Park in Bergen County was chosen by AARP as the best town for older Americans. Compared to the national average, Cliffside Park “offers more convenient access to a diverse mix of jobs, libraries, groceries, parks, and farmers' markets, resulting in impressive scores in the neighborhood category.”

Photo by Chase Baker on Unsplash/ Canva/ TSM Illustrations

Fort Lee was No. 2

Bergenfield, Union City, Lodi, and Hoboken were 11th, 12th, 14th, and 17th.

We even show up in the best small communities of 5,000 to 24,999.

Fairview was 12th best and Wallington was 16th.

Read the full report here.

Small towns in New Jersey you didn't know existed

There are so many small towns in New Jersey that you may have heard of, especially in our listening area of Central and North Jersey. In the southern part of the state, where we have less reach and interaction, there are towns almost guaranteed, you've never heard of. Many of them in Atlantic, Cumberland and Salem Counties. Some are even in Burlington and Camden County. Here's a quick look at just of few of them.

Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy