Clifton, New Jersey in the top 15 on list of the most livable cities in the nation
CLIFTON, N.J. -- A new ranking of the most livable cities in America has placed a town in New Jersey among the best.
Passaic County's Clifton was placed in the top 15. CBS2 recently had a chance to visit the town and find out what makes it so special.
"It's just like peaceful compared to other places," resident Max Torres said.
On livability.com's list of top 100 places to live, Clifton ranks 12th with a quality of life score 831 out of 100.
Amanda Ellis, edit-in-chief for livability.com, said, "So at this point we look at eight categories of data to evaluate all of our cities. Their economy, housing and cost of living, amenities, transportation, environment, education, safety, health. From 10 years of doing this, those are the eight categories we look at."
She added, "The categories we weight heaviest in our algorithm are economy and amenities."
Some may wonder what makes Clifton so special. Well, it turns out it is a melting pot of culture.
"It's like diverse. There's like a little bit of everything here," resident Yeico Valdez said.
"Clifton has a reputation for being open to diversity. There's a lot of community activities," resident Brenna Sanson said.
It's home to multiple parks to walk, run or even frolic.
CBS2 asked resident Jose Miguel Caraballo if Clifton is a magical place to live. He responded, "Honestly, it is. It's gonna be hard to leave. I am ready for bigger and better things."
With a high graduation rate, Clifton is considered the third-best school system of this list of the top 100. Plus, Clifton is close to New York City, providing a good work-life balance.
"We can commute to the office for work and have the suburb feel," another resident said.
Clifton has become a haven for nature lovers in a town boasting fantastic community spirit and a warm sense of belonging.