Magazine: Haddonfield Best Place to Live in SJ

Haddonfield retained its title as the best place to live in South Jersey, according a local magazine’s recently released rankings.

South Jersey Magazine ranked the borough the best place to live in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties in its Top Towns 2011 list. Haddonfield has held the top spot since 2009, when the magazine first published its rankings.

"There is a feeling in this community of pride that is incredible to me," said Tish Colombi, Haddonfield's mayor and one of three members of the board of commissioners, the highest elected officials in the borough.  Colombi has been a commissioner for the past 25 years. "People who live here are extraordinarily proud of this town. It's expensive to live here, but they find a way to do it."  

Haddonfield climbed the property values rankings from No. 6 in 2010. The borough slipped in one ranking. In 2010, it was No. 8 for lowest residential taxes per average residential value. 

“The consistency of Haddonfield to maintain its No. 1 rank came out loud and clear,” Niranjan Pati, dean of the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, told South Jersey Magazine.

Among the other rankings the borough achieved for towns with populations larger than 8,000 residents:

• No. 1 for high school performance
• No. 2 for top property values
• No. 10 for lowest residential taxes per average residential value
• No. 12 for lowest crime incidence per 1,000 people

South Jersey Magazine, which published the rankings in its May issue, culled data from the state Department of Education, Division of Local Government services and the New Jersey State Police Uniform Crime Report.

The criteria for the rankings include average residential property value, residential taxes per value, reported crime, SAT scores, college-bound high school graduates and performance on standardized tests.

Top Towns, according to South Jersey Magazine

1. Haddonfield 
2. Harrison 
3. Florence 
4. Medford 
5. Moorestown 
6. Mansfield 
7. Woolwich 
8. Marlton 
9. East Greenwich
10. Bordentown Township 
11. Southampton 
12. Delran 
13. Voorhees 
14. Mount Laurel 
15. Burlington Township 
16. Cinnaminson 
17. Pitman 
18. Waterford 
19. Mantua 
20. Riverside 
21. Monroe 
22. Bellmawr 
23. Lumberton 
24. Haddon Township 
25. Gloucester Township

Top Camden County Towns, according to South Jersey Magazine

1. Haddonfield 
2. Voorhees 
3. Waterford 
4. Bellmawr 
5. Haddon Township 
6. Gloucester Township 
7. Cherry Hill 
8. Pine Hill 
9. Audubon 
10. Winslow Township