I wouldn’t want the task that someone at Livability was given. Their assignment? Find 2,000 U.S. towns and cities with a population between 75,000 and 500,000 and a median home value below $500,000. Then consider a score based on the categories of economy, housing and cost of living, amenities, transportation, environment, safety and education and offer the Top 100 Best Places To Live in the nation.
No thanks, but they did it.
“We’ve done the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to,” the report reads. “Our 2026 list highlights the small- to mid-sized cities where your paycheck goes further, your commute is shorter and your quality of life comes first.”
NJ town that made the cut
And wouldn’t you know it, for at least the fourth year in a row making the list is Clifton in Passaic County. The town’s LivScore (those eight categories) is 739 and it shows up as 17th on the list…