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Best places to live

Best Places to Live: Top 100

For this year's list we focused on smaller places that offered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community.

By Kate Ashford, Andrea Bartz, Jeff Cox, Asa Fitch, Stephen Gandel, Josh Hyatt, Rob Kelley, Kathleen Knight, Joe Light, Ismat Sarah Mangla, Sarah Max, Jennifer Merritt, Brad Nelson, Donna Rosato, Ingrid Tharasook

A Colonial house in Readington

58 of 100

58. Readington, N.J.

Population: 19,000
Median home price (2006): $484,525
Average property taxes (2006): $7,775

While it's a ways from New York and Philadelphia, jobs in Readington are plentiful. Pharmaceutical giant Merck has its global headquarters there, as does Chubb, a major insurer. Despite all this economic activity, Readington is a far cry from the dirty industrial landscape to its east. It boasts scenic vistas and lots of forestland, and it's even home to a large hot air balloon festival every July. Readington's natural beauty and small-town feel so close to high-paying jobs have made it an attractive - and expensive - East coast enclave. -A.F.

See complete data and interactive map for Readington
Find homes for sale in Readington

Nether Providence (Wallingford)

Franklin (Milwaukee County)

Source: OnBoard

Best places to live

Best Places to Live: Full list

Middleton, Wis., is this year's winner. See if your hometown made the cut. (more)

25 top-earning towns

Wondering where the wealth is? Residents of these 25 places have the highest median household incomes in the country. (more)

Where homes are affordable

Residents who buy real estate in these 25 towns see their incomes go the furthest. (more)

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