Bridgewater Named One of 100 Best Towns

She wouldn’t be surprised if this had happened before, but for Bridgewater Township Mayor Patricia Flannery, having Bridgewater be named one of the best towns in the state is definitely understood.

“There really is a quality of life here, in addition to the town being affordable and accessible,” she said.

Bridgewater was named to New Jersey Monthly’s list of the top 100 towns in the state, coming in at number 26.

The 2011 list, according to a press release from the magazine, was compiled by a research team in Ringwood, and is based on five categories, namely property taxes, home values, crime rate, school performance and lifestyle factor.

The last category is based on the town’s proximity to certain services, including entertainment and dining, according to the release.

For Flannery, one of the aspects of Bridgewater that makes it one of the best towns is its location, particularly at the center of so many highways, namely Routes 22, 202, 206, 287 and 78.

“It makes it easier for commuting to work, as well as access to airports,” she said. “The town is in a great location.”

Aside from that, Flannery said, the township has a great government and lots of commercial opportunities.

“We have relatively low taxes,” she said. “Bridgewater’s taxes are very well-controlled due to good government and because we have a really large commercial base.”

“The variety of industry provides well-paying jobs, a diversity of housing stock and great schools,” she added.

Ken Schlager, editor of New Jersey Monthly, said in the release that many of the towns ranking this year were the more affluent ones in northern and central New Jersey.

“In difficult economic times, these towns tend to have the resources needed to hold the line on property tax increases, maintain school performance and protect their citizens against crime,” he said in the release. “This in turn makes the towns more desirable to homebuyers, thus boosting home values.”

Flannery said the township also offers a variety of activities and options for families.

“There are amenities in the town that draw people in,” she said. “There are parks, recreation for kids, the stadium and the YMCA.”

And Flannery said she also sees a good deal of camaraderie and opportunity in the township, from the decent paying jobs in pharmaceutical and telecommunications companies in the township to other educational options.

“I think there is a real community even though there are 45,000 residents, so we are one of the larger townships in New Jersey,” she said. “There is very much a family community network throughout the schools and all the activities. We are always going to have a close-knit community centered around schools.”

According to the release, the top towns listed in the magazine, besides Bridgewater, are Ho-Ho-Kus, Peapack Gladstone, Bernards Township, Boonton Township, Rumson, Florham Park, Berkeley Heights, Bernardsville, Essex Fells, Franklin Lakes, Pequannock, Westfield, Tewksbury, Fair Haven, Chatham Township, Summit, Caldwell, Long Hill, Bedminster, Wyckoff, New Providence, North Caldwell, Branchburg, Readington, Spring Lake, Mountain Lakes, Clark, Kingwood and Upper Saddle River.

The feature on the 100 top towns will run in the magazine’s September issue, which will be available on newsstands Aug. 30.