2021 Best Places to Retire in New Jersey

Surf City

• Town in New Jersey
• Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

• grade B+

• grade B+

• grade A+

• 1,271 Population

Washington Township

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.25 out of 5  12 reviews

Parent: My town is a close knit community. The people are all friendly and helpful. The high school experience was rewarding, we won two straight championships in football and it set me up for a great college, WPI.
Read 12 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• grade A+

• 9,237 Population

Sea Girt

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 1,655 Population

Shrewsbury

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.21 out of 5  19 reviews

Current Resident: Shrewsbury is a wonderful small town. Everyone knows each other. Most residents have grown up here and chose to stay and start their families. Our Boro may be small, but we have many community activites such as sports, food truck "Shrewsbury Day" and Santa on the fire truck events. Great town to grow up.
Read 19 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 4,086 Population

Ellisburg

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Current Resident: Moved here from, NYC and I don't regret it at all. Wish I had done it sooner. Excellent place to live.
Read 2 Reviews

• grade A

• grade B+

• grade A+

• 4,254 Population

Avon-by-the-Sea

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4 out of 5  7 reviews

Niche User: I would love to live in this area for a majority of my life. I do plan to move out west for the warm weather during the winter, but with out a doubt I will have a summer home here!
Read 7 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• grade A+

• 1,789 Population

Fort Lee

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 3.89 out of 5  79 reviews

Current Resident: Fort Lee, like many other towns in Bergen County, is known for being an "Asian centre" or "the town next to the bridge". However, I believe that Fort Lee is so much more than that. Having lived in this town for over a decade, I must say that it hasn't changed much since I first moved here. The education system, in my opinion, is one of the best ones in the county, if not New Jersey. There is a reason why I moved across the entire country from California to receive my education here in Fort Lee. Also, the accessibility to the city is very convenient, especially for teenagers who wish to hang out with their friends. However, for adults with cars, the traffic may be unbearable near the bridge; morning commutes are terrible here. Overall, Fort Lee has been my home ever since I was a kindergartener, and I love it. The overarching diversity and the bustling streets of Main Street are signs that Fort Lee is one successful city filled with all different types of people and cultures.
Read 79 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 37,430 Population

Delaware Township

• Town in New Jersey

• grade A

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 4,455 Population

Beach Haven

• Town in New Jersey
• Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Current Resident: I have lived here for eighteen years and could not imagine living anywhere else. I stayed during Super Storm Sandy and watched my house flood. This was definitely the worst part of living on such a great island. It was devastating, but the way the community came together was extraordinary.
Read 1 Review

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• grade A+

• 1,090 Population

Englewood Cliffs

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4 out of 5  4 reviews

Current Resident: I moved here about 5 month ago and I have sincerely enjoyed the town. There is a diverse community with a focus of making an impact. There is some retail and some really great food. It is very easy to walk around the town as well as drive. As someone who is learning to drive its a great place to practice. It would be very easy to get some privacy in this town if desired as well as a way to join the community.
Read 4 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• grade A

• 5,371 Population

Weston

• Suburb in New Jersey

• grade C+

• grade B

• grade A

• 1,783 Population

Avalon

• Town in New Jersey

• grade A minus

• grade A

• grade A

• 1,406 Population

Berkeley Heights Township

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.07 out of 5  28 reviews

Current Resident: The Berkeley Heights Township is a small suburban town located between Central and North Jersey. Within our community, we hold one of New Jersey's best education systems. Many of our high school graduates have done successful by attending our schools. The area is family friendly and has a variety of locations to enjoy your day, like a picnic at Snyder Park or a nice cool down at one of our two pools. Berkeley Heights contains many family owned businesses and has plenty of history. Nearly less then 10 minutes away is the Watchung Reservation. The "resz" is a place were the Native Americans from years ago sheltered and lived their lives. Here in BH we have multiple restaurants such as Delicious Heights, Dominoes, Hop Hing and East, La Rosa and many more. Coming to Berkeley Heights will leave you with a positive impact!
Read 28 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A

• 13,310 Population

Margate City

• Town in New Jersey
• Rating 4.08 out of 5  13 reviews

Current Resident: Margate City in New Jersey is one of the most diverse playgrounds: appeasing both to families and young adults. The various night life activities range from dancing at Memories to eating bayside at Lamberti's. The beach is always clean and well groomed, there are lifeguards every 100 feet, and the beach-goers are pleasant. This city is very safe because of the consistent patrolling of police officers. The beach is watched all night, though teenagers come and go, getting in all types of childhood fun. The uniqueness of the food is unmatched. South End Pizza has the best pizza I have ever tasted; the bacon, lettuce, chicken, and ranch pizza is enlightening. Two Cent Plain is the most flavorful ice cream I have ever tasted. It is blows every ice cream place out of the water. It has so many types of ice cream; my favorite is their banana. There are always people out, day and night, and most are very sociable. There is an electricity in the air, a certain shore vibe not many places have.
Read 13 Reviews

• grade B+

• grade A

• grade A

• 5,997 Population

Ship Bottom

• Town in New Jersey

• grade B+

• grade B+

• grade A

• 1,049 Population

Bay Head

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Current Resident: Truly the only detriment to the town is the noise from Route 35, which runs right through the center. Bay Head is absolutely lovely, very green - most of the town has some tree cover and the streets are lined with trees and flowerpots. There are loads of cute little shops you can go into if you are a tourist or if you are exploring the town. There are four churches: one Methodist, one Episcopalian, one Catholic, and one non-denominational Christian. The Methodist church has the most beautiful bells that it plays all the time. The beach is small but nice. The community is pretty close-knit.
Read 2 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• grade A

• 1,048 Population

New Providence

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.12 out of 5  26 reviews

Current Resident: New Providence is an awesome town to live in and particularly to raise a family in. There is a real sense of community here, it is safe, and most people are friendly. The only downside is the options for nightlife, there are very few. The downtown area is small and everything seems to shut down by 9pm, with only 2 or 3 restaurant/bars staying open past then. However, the benefits of living here definitely outweigh the lack of entertainment.
Read 26 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A

• 13,049 Population

Tinton Falls

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.03 out of 5  31 reviews

Current Resident: Have lived here 13 years. Close to everything-beach,shopping, Parkway. Very nice neighborhoods, especially northern Tinton Falls near Colts Neck and Red Bank. Nice blend of age groups. Highly recommend living here.
Read 31 Reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• grade A

• 17,632 Population

Greentree

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 3.45 out of 5  49 reviews

Current Resident: Wooded area creates great scenes. For sound, a little bit noisy at times, but good for the most part. Schools are great. Very safe.
Read 49 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A

• 11,262 Population

Ho-Ho-Kus

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.5 out of 5  10 reviews

Current Resident: Ho-Ho-Kus is a nice small town perfect for kids to grow up. There is a great public school right in town that has K-8 grades. There are many small business here and lots of friendly business owners. There is also a beautiful water stream that goes across the town of Ho-Ho-Kus.
Read 10 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A

• 4,094 Population

Bedminster Township

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.14 out of 5  14 reviews

Current Resident: Safe, clean town. Education is stellar. My children had great experiences at Bernards High School. Very good restaurants and 7 minutes from the Bridgewater mall & movie theater. Family town, yes. Do not recommend for singles.
Read 14 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A minus

• grade A

• 8,045 Population

Roseland

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 3 out of 5  2 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• grade A

• 5,834 Population

Ocean City

• Town in New Jersey
• Rating 4.13 out of 5  53 reviews

Current Resident: I absolutely love our town. We have a high school on the beach, the rides, the boardwalk, and downtown. It is so nice to just go outside for a walk or go to the local park. We get a lot of tourists but it's nice to see everyone get together and vacation here. The beaches are beautiful and we have fireworks on the weekends. We have great food and candy places too!
Read 53 Reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A minus

• grade A

• 11,132 Population

Paramus

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.18 out of 5  60 reviews

Current Resident: My home town of Paramus is the best. As a child, I enjoyed all the activities the town has to offer from the Easter Egg Hunt, Van Saun Park, the Paramus town pool, Tree Lighting event and National Night Out. Most of all I enjoyed all the recreation sports activities from baseball, soccer to basketball, all year round activities for children of all ages. Now that I am older, I enjoy the malls, movie theaters and restaurants. Paramus has one of the best malls in the state – The Garden State Plaza.

Paramus is located in a great place, close enough to the New York City to enjoy all the city life has to offer. Most of all, I enjoyed my home, my family and all the best friends I met in this town. I am fortunate to have grown up in a great town and have nothing negative to say about Paramus.
Read 60 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• grade A

• 26,503 Population

Edgewater

• Suburb in New Jersey
• Rating 4.64 out of 5  14 reviews

Current Resident: Best of both world. very safe, family and pet friendly neighbor hood. clean streets, no parking issue
Read 14 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade B

• grade A

• 12,403 Population