Money's list of America's best small cities


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75. Hamilton, NJ
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Hamilton
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 75
Population: 88,200
Compare Hamilton to Top 10 Best Places
The 2008 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was grown in this leafy 40-square-mile township in southern New Jersey. It also boasts 64 public parks and playgrounds, including 350-acre Veterans Park and the 35-acre sculpture park Grounds for Sculpture. A major drawback: Hamilton does not have a true downtown. For independent restaurants and retail stores, locals can head to Princeton, just 20 minutes away. -- D.M.
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Hamilton stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$89,915 $96,825
Job growth %
(2000-2011)*
0.01% 25.01%
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Median home price $196,416 $269,768
See Hamilton homes for sale
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
40.7% 28.2%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
41.8% 29.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 2 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 21 20
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
2,252 3,134
High temp in July ° F 86.5° 86.8°
Low temp in Jan ° F 19.4° 18.4°
Median age 36.0 35.2
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$89,915 $96,825
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$77,984 $93,218
State sales tax 7.00% 5.57%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)
8.97%I 7.31%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)
1.40%I 3.08%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,663 $1,596
Job growth %
(2000-2011)*
0.01% 25.01%
See jobs near Hamilton
Housing
Median home price $196,416 $269,768
Average property taxes N.A. $6,517
See Hamilton homes for sale
Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)
27 8
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
40.7% 28.2%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
41.8% 29.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)
N.A./N.A. 91.5/8.5
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)
78.8% 77.3%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 2 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 21 20
Median commute time (in minutes) 20.7 22.2
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer
13.7% 14.9%
% population walk or bike to work 1.4% 3.2%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)
18 33
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
2,252 3,134
Bars
(within 15 miles)
154 199
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)
278 169
Libraries
(within 15 miles)
63 70
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)
18 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 11 6
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 2.1 1.4
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)
125 34.21
% clear days in the area 26 32
High temp in July ° F 86.5° 86.8°
Low temp in Jan ° F 19.4° 18.4°
Median age 36.0 35.2
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)
54.6% 72.6%
Married % 55.1% 57.9%
Divorced % 7.7% 8.0%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
86.1 118.4
From the September 2012 issue
Notes: *County data

Due to an error by our data provider, an earlier version listed incorrect stats for this city's number of colleges.

(I) Income tax notes:
The New Jersey rates reported are for single individuals. For married couples filing jointly, the tax rates also range from 1.4% to 8.97%, with 7 brackets and the same high and low income ranges.
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