Maplewood Ranks No. 179 Best Town in New Jersey

Maplewood is listed within the top 200 best places to live in New Jersey, according to a recent report ranking 514 towns.

The magazine New Jersey Monthly ranked Maplewood the 179th best place to live in the Garden State in its 2013 "Top Towns" survey. The township was ranked number 14 out of 22 in Essex County only beating out South Orange, Belleville, West Orange, Bloomfield, Orange, Irvington, East Orange and Newark.

Neighboring South Orange ranked number 233 on the list and number 15 in Essex County.

In 2012, Maplewood had a population of 24,115, an average property tax of $13,435 and a median home sale price of $489,500, a decrease of 3 percent since 2010, according to the report.

NJ Monthly's survey ranked 514 of New Jersey's 566 municipalities after dropping towns with populations under 1,500 due to lack of statistical data. The rankings took into account: home values, property taxes, crime rate, school performance and a lifestyle factor, according to the website.

The towns in Essex County ranked:

• North Caldwell: 3
• Millburn: No. 62
• Livingston: No. 68
• Essex Fells: No. 72
• Verona: No. 78
• Glen Ridge: No. 94
• Caldwell: No. 107
• Montclair: No. 116
• West Caldwell: No. 118
• Nutley: No. 144
• Roseland: No. 146
• Fairfield: No. 164
• Cedar Grove: No. 170
• Maplewood: No. 179
• South Orange: No. 233
• Belleville: No. 289
• West Orange: No. 309
• Bloomfield: No. 417
• Orange: No. 452
• Irvington: No. 495
• East Orange: No. 503
• Newark: No. 506

What do you think of the rankings? Let Patch know in the comment section below!