BY WARREN BOROSON

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

New Jersey has struck gold on Money magazine’s list of Best Places to Live 2013. The state did so well that a few residents of other states have posted testy letters of complaint on the Internet. (CNNMoney.com.)

The state’s communities receiving the highest honors were Berkeley Heights, Montville, and Hillsborough. The list, Money reports, was limited to three towns per state — so New Jersey might have deserved more than three places among the top 50. Also, only one community per county was allowed. Berkeley Heights is in Union County, Montville in Morris, Hillsborough in Somerset. No communities in Bergen were among the top 50.

Not a single community in Florida made the list. New York also struck out. California had only two, as did Virginia. Other states with three winners: Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, Utah, and Ohio.

Only towns with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 qualified.

Other New Jersey towns singled out for special mention: Ridgewood, Colts Neck, Tenafly, Madison, Haddonfield, and Cranston.

Sixth on the list of 50 of America’s Best Towns was Berkeley Heights, with a median home sales price of $461,500 and 4.7% unemployment. (The median is the mid-point in a series — not necessarily the average.) Money notes that the town is near major pharmaceutical companies (good for jobs), with a 50-minute commute to New York City. It has several new restaurants, and the 2,000-acre Watchung Reservation is good for picnicking, canoeing, and horseback riding. Something negative the magazine noted: The town has few major retailers.

Median house prices in Montville, 13th on the list, are $470,000. Money writes: “You'll find everything from luxury homes to modest townhouses in Montville, which is just a 50-minute train ride from New York City. Schools are a big draw here, with Montville High ranked among the best in New Jersey.” The town is also sprucing up Towaco Center, with houses, shops, and a high-end steakhouse.

As for Hillsborough, 16th on the list, its median house prices are $340,000. One-third of its land is undeveloped. Money writes: “It’s home to the 2,700-acre Duke Farm, the estate of heiress Doris Duke, which opened free to the public last year for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing. Located off a busy highway, Hillsborough is developing a pedestrian-friendly town center that will bring shops, restaurants, and housing to its Main Street.”

Highest-ranked among the top 50 small towns throughout the country was Sharon, Mass.

To choose the top 50, Money eliminated places with disproportionately high family incomes, retirement communities, and towns with big job losses; also towns that weren’t racially diverse and those with poor crime or education scores. Other factors considered: job growth, schools, health care, arts and leisure activities, traffic, parks, community spirit, and so forth.

Ridgewood ranked 12th among towns with the highest family incomes, with a median income of $198,122. The median price for a house: $611,000. Wrote Money: “Today, thriving commuters enjoy a downtown full of mom-and-pop stores, an ever-expanding array of restaurants, a park, and an old-fashioned movie theater, surrounded by well-preserved architecture from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“In the fall, residents plant up to 6,000 bulbs for the spring daffodil festival. Add to that a high school ranked in the nation's top 200, and you have a well-rounded winner.”

Ranking 14th among towns with highest family incomes is Colts Neck, with a median family income of $196,747 and a median house price of $612,500. Writes Money: “You’ll find plenty of stables and horse farms here, as well as five separate golf courses and a solid school system…. Residents love the spread out, private feel, as well as the beauty of the area. The Jersey Shore is a 15-minute drive away, and Manhattan is about an hour by car — close enough for commuters but far enough away that Colts Neck feels like a rural haven.”

As for Best Places for the Rich and Single, Tenafly weighed in at 7th, with 30.1% of its residents single, and median family incomes of $150,088. “The center of Tenafly's bustling downtown is Café Angelique, a former train station turned eatery,” wrote Money. “Grab a cup of coffee, take a stroll through hilly tree-lined streets and price out your future homestead. If you still need to spread out, then head down to the Hudson for breathtaking views from the Palisades in more than 400 acres of green space.”

Madison was 11th on the same list, with 32.2% of its residents single, and median family incomes of $146,353. Writes Money: “The borough is a longtime favorite of film and television shows looking for a place that oozes small-town ambience…. Madison is also home to The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, which now offers adult classes in classical theater.”

Haddonfield was 16th on the list, with 32.2% of its population single and median family incomes of $136,541. Though the town is dry, Money claims there are plenty of opportunities for socializing. Residents say: “Shopping is for the civilized, courtesy is the norm, and friendliness is common.”

Cranford was 20th on the list of Rich and Single places, with 30.4% of its residents single, and median family incomes of $131,480. Called the Venice of New Jersey (it’s on the Rahway River), it boasts both a conservatory (Hanson Park) and an observatory (Sperry).

New Jersey’s glittering performance on the lists annoyed some residents of other states.

One wrote to Money’s website:

“Give me the peace and quiet of Alabama any day of the week. I pay $600 property tax per year, and the schools, roads, and infrastructure in my little town are excellent. Add to that a crime rate that is extremely low, and FREE rec facilities that include lighted tennis courts and ball fields that anyone can use at any time. Keep NJ and MA and all the other so-called ‘best’ places.… NO, I won't tell anyone where this is. I want it to stay just as it is without hordes of New Jersey and Massachusetts folks coming down here.”

Someone’s defense of New Jersey elicited this response: “Give me a break. I grew up in Atco, NJ before relocating to Alabama. The only place in NJ with a lower crime rate than all of Alabama is the warden's office of your state pen (not counting white collar crime which is likely rampant in that office). NJ? Ha! Have a happy life there and good luck to you.”

And there was this letter: “According to Money Mag, New Jersey has three great small towns ranked higher than California's first, at #31. [La Palma.] New Jersey? Really?”

There was also a message from Governor Christie congratulating Berkeley Heights, Montville, and Hillsborough.