In the summer of 2005, Money magazine named Moorestown as the best place to live in the nation. And while Moorestown didn’t retain the title in the magazine’s most recent survey in 2013, you wouldn’t know it by talking to local residents.
“I think it still is the best place to live,” councilman and 29-year resident Greg Newcomer said.
Each year Money looks at a number of data points, including job growth, housing prices, median family income, education quality and diversity with a heavy emphasis on certain factors depending on the economy at the time. It narrows down the list from there and looks at more fun factors such as weather, community and culture. When the list is narrowed down further, Money sends reporters to the towns to see what really makes them special to create a top 10.
Donna Rosato, senior writer at Money, visited Moorestown back in 2005 and was struck by the charm of the town, the educational system, the convenient location to major cities, the history and the loyalty of residents coming back to raise a family.
“I found it to be a very charming town. It struck me that so many people grew up and wanted to move back so their children could have the same experience. They were really thrilled about the schools, there were major employers, and there wasn’t much overdevelopment. That is what I remember from the town,” Rosato said. “Our list is aimed at people looking for a place to raise their family.”
These same factors are still true in Moorestown today.
David Lewis of Coldwell Banker Preferred was interviewed in 2005 as a resident who grew up in Moorestown, moved away and came back to raise a family. As a Realtor, he finds many people coming back to Moorestown for a number of reasons, but mostly to raise a family.
“There are three things that make Moorestown special: the school system, Main Street and the tree canopy,” Lewis said. “It is a great place to grow up and a great place to raise a family.”
Newcomer moved to Moorestown initially for a beautiful house and the excellent school system. Since then, he has grown to love the town for its many jewels. For him, the big three are the school system, the parks and the people, especially with their volunteerism.
“We have the small town feeling where people know each other and care about each other,” Newcomer said.
For Gina Zegel, a 39-year-resident of Moorestown, her husband wanted to move to Moorestown due to its charm. Raising her family here and making great friends, she now calls it her new hometown.
Her favorite part of Moorestown is the history and the community, like Julie Robenhymer, former Miss New Jersey, said in 2005. She feels it is great to have a town with rich history and knows its roots. She also likes the diversity of people in the town who all want the same things, creating a community.
“In other towns, you don’t have the same sense of community like we have here,” Zegel said.
According to Rosato, a number of different criteria could bump a town off the list, such as a higher income average and housing prices, low job growth, over development or poor education. And each year different factors are put into consideration. In 2005, Rosato suspects that Moorestown had high job opportunities and was more affordable at the time, helping it make the list that year.
“The towns were a mix of different places across the U.S. But the №1 thing we looked for (in 2013) was strong job market. It has taken a long time for solid job growth. Those that hit the list had job growth, diversity and industry,” Rosato said.
This year Money will once again release its best places to live list for 10,000 and 50,000 population towns. According to Rosato, there is nothing a town can do to make the list as their numbers play a big factor. But if the numbers are right, Rosato said towns can stand out by keeping things fresh.
“I think one of the things a town can do is always try to keep it fresh: attract new employers, do what you can to keep the town’s charm, don’t over build, add something like a new art gallery or stadium, just keep improving,” Rosato said.
Newcomer said that though Moorestown has a lot of good attributes, he still feels there are things Moorestown can improve upon, like any town. For Moorestown he feels the town can improve with the expansion of citizen groups; looking at history objectively; listening to long-time residents for ideas; and the way the town does government.
Moorestonians aren’t too perturbed if they make the list. Lewis felt once a town is on the list, unless something drastic happens, they are always on the list. For Zegel, she’d like to keep Moorestown to the locals.
“I’d like to keep it as our little secret,” Zegel said.
The 2015 best places to live article will be live on Aug. 17. To see if Moorestown made the list, visit money.com.
