When Clifton was named the best place to live in New Jersey, in last month's ranking from U.S. News & World Report, it wasn't shocking. Clifton has been in this spot before.With diverse and close-knit neighborhoods, a wide range of housing options, an abundance of amenities and a convenient commute, Clifton has a lot more to offer than what meets the eye. The Passaic County city took the No. 1 spot on this list of the Best Places to Live in New Jersey for a second straight year.Jersey City and Bayonne took the No. 2 and 3 s...
When Clifton was named the best place to live in New Jersey, in last month's ranking from U.S. News & World Report, it wasn't shocking. Clifton has been in this spot before.
With diverse and close-knit neighborhoods, a wide range of housing options, an abundance of amenities and a convenient commute, Clifton has a lot more to offer than what meets the eye. The Passaic County city took the No. 1 spot on this list of the Best Places to Live in New Jersey for a second straight year.
Jersey City and Bayonne took the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively, after U.S. News evaluated communities using several factors, including housing affordability, desirability, the local job market and quality of life. The rankings draw on data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Federal Reserve and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Located about 15 miles outside New York City, Clifton is one of New Jersey's most populated communities, taking up five ZIP codes and housing more than 88,000 residents. The city borders the Passaic River to the east, the mountains of Garret Mountain Reservation and Rifle Camp Park to the west and 11 other North Jersey municipalities, including four in Passaic County, four in Bergen County and three in Essex County.
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U.S. News lists Clifton's median household income at $105,422 and its unemployment rate at 5.74%.
Clifton's neighborhoods
Clifton, which spans 11.26 square miles, is broken up into more than 10 distinct neighborhoods. This includes Clifton Center, home to multi-family colonials on smaller lots and the city's downtown along Main Street; Allwood, with Tudor-style homes on the southernmost border; Albion, with small Cape Cods in the shadow of Garret Mountain Reservation; and Montclair Heights and Rosemawr, which have the city's grandest and most expensive properties.
Centrally located between several different highways and home to two train stations, Clifton has several options for traveling available that provide an easy commute. Between bars, community organizations, clubs and places of worship, Clifton offers residents many different ways to get involved in the community.
U.S. News & World Report rankings
Here is the full New Jersey ranking, more than half of which is from North Jersey.:
1. Clifton
2. Jersey City
3. Bayonne
4. Vineland
5. Union City
6. Passaic
7. Elizabeth
8. East Orange
9. Paterson
10. New Brunswick
11. Newark
12. Camden
13. Trenton
14. Atlantic City
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: