NJ Appears One Time on List of 150 Best Places to Live in the U.S.

A new report is out that ranks the top 150 places to live in America and the great Garden State didn't do too well.

(Said with New Jersey attitude: "Good. We don't like you, either. And get out of the left lane.")

U.S. News & World Report has released its annual list of the best places to live.

To determine their rankings, they look at the job market, a value index (a combination of household income and housing costs), quality of life (crime, health care, education, etc.), desirability, and net migration based on data from the U.S. census.

From their calculations, Huntsville, Alabama, is the absolute best place to live in America.

Why Huntsville? They say,

(Said with New Jersey attitude: "You want me to move to Ala-freakin'-bama so I can throw an ax in an old school?")

Anyway, rounding out the top five are Colorado Springs, CO; Green Bay, WI; Boulder, CO; and San Jose, CA.

So, what about New Jersey?

Well, we don't show up on the list until #86. And this might be a bit of a surprise.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the Trenton area is the top part of New Jersey to live in.

(Said with New Jersey attitude: "Trennnt-in? You serious?")

Now, again, it's not necessarily the actual city but the larger metropolitan area around that city.

The diverse, scenic Trenton metro area mixes the old and new. . . . and its proximity to the Delaware River means locals can participate in aquatic sports and enjoy an assortment of wildlife. Trenton’s location makes it convenient to New York; Philadelphia; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and the Jersey Shore. The abundance of major highways and local roadways allows for a smooth flow of traffic. The region is economically diverse. Trenton has a high poverty rate, but surrounding towns, including Princeton, are more affluent.

(Said with New Jersey attitude: "Assortment of wildlife? In Trenton?")

And I'm not knocking Trenton at all, it's a fine city. But according to this report, its best features are that it's near other cities and traffic usually doesn't back up on I-295.

Here's where some regional cities ranked:

35. Harrisburg, PA
61. Lancaster, PA
74. Reading, PA
89. Scranton, PA
92. York, PA
99. Philadelphia
111. Allentown, PA
120. New York City

You can view all 150 locations by clicking here.