8 Best Places to Live in New Jersey in 2024
New Jersey has had an unusual reputation among other states. Many assume there is not much to appreciate in New Jersey or that it is a poor and undesirable state. But in actuality, New Jersey is a remarkably modest and humble place to call home, especially in some of the best places to live in 2024. Beyond the casinos of Atlantic City or the traffic jams of Newark, there are a number of towns and smaller metropolises that you can afford and appreciate to live in. From thriving seaside towns like Cape May and Ocean Grove to the dynamic cityscapes of Hoboken and Jersey City, there is no shortage of locations where you can choose to spend much of your daily life. So spend your dinners in the “Diner Capital of the World,” and find your own home in the best places to live in New Jersey in 2024.
Cape May
Less than an hour away from Atlantic City, Cape May is luxurious, seaside abode with perfect views of the Delaware Bay, Delaware, and the Atlantic Ocean. Living in Cape May is no problem since the town has a median household income of $71,875, a poverty rate of 5.09%. With 99.6% of the total populace having health coverage, Cape May is healthy and affordable, and you can enjoy all the fun of the land and water in fine places like Sunset Beach. Once you make Cape May your home, you will be greeted to majestic birds every day at Cape May Point State Park and Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area. You will most certainly feel like you are living in the Victorian age while touring the aged halls of the Emlen Physick Estate, a living museum illuminating everyday Americana life in the 1870s. Make yourself a home in the seaside retreat of Cape May.
Spring Lake
Spring Lake sparkles glamorously as the “Jewel of the Jersey Shore.” With a poverty rate of 4.05% and around 99.6% of the population having health coverage, you will not feel alienated or uncomfortable while strolling through some of Spring Lake’s many attractions. The Sea Girt Lighthouse, for example, is both a local history museum preserving much of Spring Lake’s past while still serving as a guide to ferry ships to safe harbor. Residents can lounge at Spring Lake Beach or go exercising and exploring through the Divine Park and the Wall Township Reservoir. Most of all, you might be interested in an annual theatrical production called Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, a comedic and romantic story starting every April 12. Only 43 miles from Trenton, find yourself a home at a median house income of $119,659.
Lambertville
At a median property value of $429,400, Lambertville can be a moderately expensive place to live. However, thanks to its 5.45% poverty rate and health coverage on 96% of the population, you can still feel safe and protected while strolling the banks of the Delaware River. Once a lackadaisical, agricultural village in the 1700s, Lambertville has been a crucial site of transportation and delivery for the East Coast during the Industrial Revolution. The James Wilson Marshall House Museum provides more contexts about this past, especially how, in 1915, the Liberty Bell was carried by train through the historic Lambertville Station. And during the War for Independence, George Washington rested at the Holcombe Farmstead which can be visited today. If you want to enliven your home, you can always furnish your house with antiques from the Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market.
Ocean Grove
About five miles south of Spring Lake, Ocean Grove is a remarkably pleasant and attractive seaside town in New Jersey’s eastern shores. Renowned for well-preserved quaint Victorian houses, some of which come at a median house income of $65,078, Ocean Grove beckons all with its many historical and natural charms. Vibrant performances revitalize everyone at the Great Auditorium, a massive wooden theater often hosting Sunday worship services and choral concerts for your spiritual and cultural needs. At a poverty rate of 4.9%, you will feel relaxed and easy while gallivanting through Ocean Grove Beach and Boardwalk for bracing breezes from the Atlantic Ocean. Even though only 90.7% of the population has health coverage, there is no need to feel unwell and unsafe in Ocean Grove. Where water and land clash, a home of pleasant and simple delights waits for you.
Frenchtown
At the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and only minutes away from Lambertville, is the fanciful town of Frenchtown. Where the Lenni-Lenape tribe once dwelt on the Delaware River, Frenchtown now serves as a bucolic homestead for many who wish to live a relaxed and easy life. Indeed, back in the 1800s, Frenchtown was where French immigrants fled from guillotine executions in France. Nowadays, people travel the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park for the scenic sights of New Jersey’s wilderness. This 2024, three major festivities will entertain residents—the Wine and Art festival in May, Bastille Day in July, and RiverFest in September. If you do wish to live in Frenchtown, be aware that the median house income is $95,500 and the poverty rate at 7.67%.
Ho-Ho-Kus
Ho-Ho-Kus is a thriving and mesmerizing borough about 27 miles north of New York City. Originally, the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans (whose name meant “original people”) where the original inhabitants of the land where Ho-Ho-Kus is now situated. Today, Ho-Ho-Kus is populated by a population with a 0.0471% poverty rate, each given a median household income of $244,493. Although expensive, one’s living experiences in Ho-Ho-Kus is a rich and enlivening reward not to be disregarded. Peruse the many restaurants and stores along Wearimus Road, so named after Chief Wearimus of Saddle River. You can keep on touring the Hermitage, a Revolutionary War-era house preserving much of the early Americana lifestyle, or learn more from the charming Ho-Ho-Kus Public Library. With a health coverage that encompasses everyone in Ho-Ho-Kus, you will surely feel safe and relaxed while living a splendid life in the borough.
Hoboken
As a city within minutes of New York City and Jersey City, Hoboken is a proud and magnificent place on the banks of the Hudson River. Deriving from the Delaware word Hobocan Hackingh (“Land of the Tobacco Pipe”) and established by Colonel John Stevens, builder of the first American steam locomotive in 1825, Hoboken only has a poverty rate of 6.83% and a median house income of $160,890. One can find almost anything in Hoboken, especially bistros and bars and global eateries along Washington Street and Frank Sinatra Drive, the latter named after the famed singer. You can even explore the first place an organized baseball game was played in 1846. If you ever feel oppressed by the concrete buildings, the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway is connected to several green and healthy spaces for outdoor relaxation. But if you want to see more of the bigger cities, you can roam Pier A Park for scenic views of the Manhattan skyline.
Jersey City
On a peninsula sandwiched between the Hudson and Hackensack rivers, Jersey City is a smaller though equally as impressive brother/neighbor of New York City. Although the poverty rate is at a concerning 16.1% and only 90.2% of the population have health coverage, the median household income is at a reasonable $81,390. Still, people live in Jersey City not merely for monetary or medical concerns. Rather, they stay for the liberal atmosphere of the metropolis, particularly in Liberty State Park. There, one can appreciate science and technology at the Liberty Science Center or admire the endearing symbol of American freedom with views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. Time can fly by in an instant even as the iconic Colgate Clock reminds you of the hours, while the nearby Empty Sky Memorial commemorates the victims of the 9/11 incident, one of the worst terrorist attacks in history, as a substitute for New York City, Jersey City is as desirable a treat as the Big Apple.
The Takeaway
Though not as popular as its neighboring states, Pennsylvania and New York, New Jersey still has many desirable features that make it a place worth living this 2024. Uncover more about the war for American independence or the war for the civil rights of slaves, specifically from pivotal battles like the Battle of Trenton, the Battle of Princeton, and more. Lounge and relax in panoramic villages and boroughs such as Lambertville and Spring Lake, and do not feel overwhelmed or fearful of big cities like Jersey City and Hoboken. Rethink your assumptions about New Jersey while living a splendid and heartfelt life in some of the best places to live this 2024. Most of all, savor your memories and experiences in the Diner Capital of the World.
