Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • March 3, 2010 Mahwah Township rated one of state’s best places to live by Frank J. McMahon The Township of Mahwah has been ranked as one of the top municipalities in New Jersey by researchers at the Monmouth University’s Polling Institute. In a report in the March issue of New Jersey Monthly magazine, Mahwah was ranked number 58 of the 566 municipalities in the state. Only four other Bergen County municipalities ranked higher than Mahwah. Woodcliff Lake received a ranking of 51, Ridgewood was ranked 42, Ho-Ho-Kus was ranked 30, and Teterboro was ranked 20. In compiling New Jersey Monthly’s 2010 Top Towns list, researchers at Monmouth University’s Polling Institute considered eight categories representing the quality of life in New Jersey. They were: population growth, home values, property taxes, land development, employment, crime rate, school performance, and proximity to services. The research team selected a prototypical indicator corresponding to each of these eight categories: population growth rate since the last census as of 2008; three-year change in median home prices as of 2009; median property tax bill in 2009 combined with the change in median taxes over the past two years; percentage of land preserved as open space in 2009; unemployment rate in 2008; total crime rate in 2008; student proficiency on state-mandated standardized tests for students in grades four, eight, and 11 in 2008; and the number of acute care hospitals within 10 miles. To level the playing field, household income was not considered and home values were measured by the rate of increase or decrease over three years rather than by the current prices. To compare land development, municipalities with relatively slower growth and more open space were rated more favorably, and municipalities with lower unemployment and crime rates also scored higher, as did those close to more hospitals. An average of the eight numerical values for each municipality determined its final rank. Mahwah has been ranked high on the list of top towns in the state for several years, and was ranked in ninth place in 2008 when the researchers described Mahwah as picturesquely situated near the Ramapo Mountains, and the largest municipality in Bergen County with 26.7 square miles. They pointed out at that time that the township has more open space than any other Bergen County municipality, including the campus of Ramapo College and multiple state and county parks and reservations, which offer hiking, skiing, snowboarding, biking, archery, swimming, and fishing, and golf. They also recognized that Mahwah has attracted large commercial companies without sacrificing its beauty. In this ranking, Mahwah was found to have a 2008 population of 24,172, a population growth between 2000 and 2008 of one half of one percent, a 2009 median home sales price of $387,500, and an 11 percent drop in the median home sales price change since 2006. The median property tax in 2009 was $6,384, with a two year change in the median property tax of 10.3 percent. Forty-eight percent of the township is open space land. The jobless rate in 2008 was 4.5 percent, and the crime rate was 8.3 per 1,000 people. The 2007-08 ASK4 and ASK 8 grade achievement test averages were each listed at 91 percent. The High School Proficiency Assessment test average in 2007-08 was 92, and there were five hospitals within 10 miles of the township at the time. Bedminster Township in Somerset County was ranked as the top town in the state, followed by Chatham Township in Morris County, Caldwell Township in Essex County, New Hanover Township in Burlington County, Upper Township in Cape May County, Tabernacle Township in Burlington County, Plainsboro Township in Burlington County, Mountainside Borough in Union County, Verona Township in Essex County, and North Caldwell Borough in Essex County. The township is a natural route northward from New York City. Mahwah also has easy access to air and rail transportation. The township is bordered by Upper Saddle River, Ramsey, Allendale, Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Ringwood, New Jersey; and Suffern, New York. Helpful Hints Helpful Hints from ome “Plug your laptop’s A/C adapter into a power strip that can be turned off. The transformer in the A/C adapter draws power even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.” Pat Says... 27 Franklin Tpk, Waldwick Open Sundays 9-3 201-652-5666