Top Towns 2024

by Staff | Jun 27, 2024

Whether you’ve called South Jersey home for decades or are new to the area, there’s no denying the allure and charm of life in the region. The proximity to major cities and the Shore make this an ideal spot to plant roots, but the area truly offers everything you could want from top-notch schools, tremendous health care providers, an ever-evolving food scene and much more. It’s no wonder why so many of us love the quality of life here.

Our annual Top Towns spotlight celebrates our local communities and recognizes them for collectively impacting the quality of life in this wonderful place we call home. Our rankings were formulated using data from the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Department of Education and the state’s Division of Local Government Services. Using a weighted formula, we combined average property values and taxes, crime incidents reported per 1,000 residents and high school performance numbers consisting of average SAT scores, graduation rates and more.

This year, Moorestown edged out the others to find itself at the top of the list, and for good reason. High property values, stellar schools and a close-knit community where civic pride runs deep are just a few of the reasons why it’s so highly regarded.

That’s no to say the rest of the bunch are any less impressive. As our area continues to grow, our communities are transforming to meet modern demands and innovative thinking has the area well-prepared for a bright future. There’s something to love about each and every one of these towns and we celebrate them all for how they contribute to making South Jersey the perfect place to live, work and play.

Top 25 Towns

1. Moorestown

2. Haddonfield

3. Harrison Township

4. Woolwich

5. Voorhees

6. Medford

7. Evesham

8. Bordentown Township

9. Mount Laurel

10. Mantua

11. Cherry Hill

12. Washington Township

13. Delran

14. Lumberton

15. Haddon Township

16. Burlington Township

17. Southampton

18. Cinnaminson

19. Florence

20. Monroe

21. West Deptford

22. Franklin Township

23. Mount Holly

24. Waterford

25. Collingswood

By County

Top 10 Burlington County Towns		Top 10 Camden County Towns		Top 10 Gloucester County Towns
Moorestown Medford Evesham Bordentown Township Mount Laurel Delran Lumberton Burlington Township Southampton Cinnaminson		Haddonfield Voorhees Cherry Hill Haddon Township Waterford Collingswood Gloucester Township Bellmawr Winslow Township Willingboro		Harrison Township Woolwich Mantua Washington Township Monroe West Deptford Franklin Township Glassboro Woodbury Deptford

Did You Know?

In the mid-to-late 1600s, Welsh and English Quakers crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania in search of farmland and religious freedom. They would settle in the area that would later become Evesham Township.

A wealthy businessman from London named John Haddon purchased land in “West Jersey” in 1668. In 1701, he sent his daughter Elizabeth to the area to occupy the land he purchased and she named the area Haddonfield in his honor.

On Feb. 4, 1847, Medford Township was officially established after previously being known as Upper Evesham. The township held its first meeting a little over a month later.

On July 12, 1928, Mexican aviator Captain Emilio Carranza Rodriguez crashed into the Pine Barrens. There is a memorial located in Wharton State Forest at the scene of the crash.

In Harrison Township, Mullica Hill’s Main Street is replete with many pre-Revolution and Victorian era homes built between 1700 and the early 1900s.

The village of Moorestown was established in 1682, but it wasn’t until March 11, 1922 that it was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey State Legislature.

After previously being known as Delaware Township, Cherry Hill was named after a farm which formerly occupied the site where the Cherry Hill Inn was built. That site is now where the movie theater is located on Route 38.

Mount Laurel’s first post office was established in 1849 inside a general store which also housed the area’s first lending library.

Voorhees is named after Foster McGowan Voorhees, a former governor of the state who granted the petition for the area to become its own township in March of 1899.

Cinnaminson takes its name from the Lenni-Lenape Tribe who first inhabited the area and named their hunting grounds Cinnaminson, which translates to Sweewater.

The name Delran is actually a combination of the Delaware River and Rancocas Creek, both of which are significant to the township’s location.

Tabernacle was originally referred to as Tabernacle in the Wilderness because of its log church established by a missionary named John Brainerd. Both Indians and settlers gathered at the church,

Bells Lake in Washington Township was owned by the Bell family from 1899 to 1954. The family started General Mills, Inc. after establishing their first mill in Philadelphia in 1801.

By The Numbers

Big Towns

MUNICIPALITY	Average Residential Article continues below advertisement Related Articles - Top Towns 2023 South Jersey’s most desirable places to live, work and play. - Top Towns 2015 From the manicured lawns and beautiful backyards to expansive entertaining areas and eye-catching décor, we put a lot of effort into transforming our houses into little sanctuaries. - A Show of Strength With the state ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, South Jersey is proving there’s more ways than one to put up a fight. Property Value	Average Total Property Taxes	Crime Rate % Per 1,000 residents
Bordentown Twp.	$242,880	$7,513	6.7
Burlington Twp.	$235,100	$6,791	14.2
Cinnaminson	$235,609	$8,191	22.9
Delran	$210,603	$7,949	11.7
Evesham	$272,616	$8,224	8.5
Florence	$222,177	$5,339	4.5
Lumberton	$301,304	$7,523	16.2
Maple Shade	$161,135	$5,938	24.4
Medford	$329,342	$10,924	9.1
Moorestown	$460,778	$12,330	7.9
Mount Holly	$174,352	$5,460	15.5
Mount Laurel	$238,196	$6,684	13.7
Pemberton	$165,189	$4,750	16.2
Southampton	$192,823	$6,125	9.1
Willingboro	$160,357	$6,870	8.4
Bellmawr	$167,839	$6,337	16.6
Cherry Hill	$227,281	$8,857	23.1
Collingswood	$232,569	$8,888	26.1
Gloucester City	$108,921	$5,450	25.5
Gloucester Twp.	$188,856	$7,533	13.1
Haddon Twp.	$232,657	$8,891	20.8
Haddonfield	$522,966	$16,667	18.2
Lindenwold	$111,261	$5,310	30.5
Pennsauken	$142,157	$5,784	28.7
Pine Hill	$117,890	$6,042	19.1
Voorhees	$262,541	$11,085	9.6
Waterford	$175,127	$7,524	7.5
Winslow	$176,985	$6,249	10.6
Deptford	$182,807	$5,973	35
Franklin Twp.	$188,310	$6,710	9.4
Glassboro	$191,806	$6,711	15.6
Harrison Twp.	$344,844	$10,814	7
Mantua	$312,660	$7,705	12.6
Monroe	$206,215	$7,495	11.8
Washington Twp.	$232,514	$7,948	9.8
West Deptford	$200,904	$6,924	12.4
Woodbury	$152,799	$7,089	37.5
Woolwich	$320,835	$10,583	3.8

Small Towns

MUNICIPALITY	Average Residential Property Value	Average Total Property Taxes	Crime Rate % Per 1,000 residents
Bordentown City	205,120	$7,243	6.8
Burlington City	139,437	$5,932	17.2
Chesterfield	393,195	$12,274	1.8
Delanco	195,592	$6,680	7.5
Eastampton	232,242	$7,486	12.8
Edgewater Park Twp.	182,701	$6,125	11.9
Hainesport	282,270	$7,206	14.7
Mansfield	239,477	$8,504	7.5
Medford Lakes	288,812	$10,382	4.3
New Hanover Twp.	182,002	$5,062	0.4
North Hanover Twp.	321,420	$7,103	2.8
Palmyra	148,648	$6,292	18.9
Riverside	152,074	$5,845	12.4
Riverton	248,032	$9,267	5.5
Shamong	309,900	$9,255	5
Tabernacle	274,309	$8,321	5
Westampton	241,438	$6,525	22
Audubon	203,320	$7,935	34.5
Barrington	193,673	$8,953	10.2
Berlin	236,007	$7,977	15.2
Berlin Twp.	187,469	$7,188	35
Clementon	120,044	$5,320	16.4
Haddon Heights	293,841	$10,000	5.9
Magnolia	148,698	$6,964	27.3
Merchantville	188,726	$9,574	16.6
Mount Ephraim	146,329	$7,544	64.2
Oaklyn	165,039	$8,411	28.2
Runnemede	148,744	$6,498	20.5
Somerdale	143,424	$6,397	46.6
Stratford	157,858	$7,296	15.6
Clayton	155,593	$6,286	10.3
East Greenwich Twp.	299,426	$9,214	8.1
Elk Twp.	212,330	$7,704	7.7
Greenwich Twp.	181,897	$6,414	10.3
Logan Twp.	214,325	$4,308	13.7
National Park	140,058	$6,556	15.3
Paulsboro	105,103	$4,619	19.1
Pitman	238,209	$8,099	5.8
Swedesboro	173,164	$7,298	5.8
Wenonah	260,238	$10,979	9.5
Westville	127,214	$6,379	24.8
Woodbury Heights	178,735	$8,483	24.5

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Published and copyrighted in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 21, Issue 2 (May 2024)

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Author: Staff