Oceanport has bragging rights as top N.J. town
Magazine ranks boro fourth best place to live in state
BY JENNA O'DONNELL Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Wharf Park is one of the amenities in Oceanport.

OCEANPORT - Borough residents weren't surprised to learn recently that their town has been named the fourth best place to live in the state of New Jersey, indeed the best address to have inMonmouth County.

There was general agreement last week when New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked the borough of Oceanport high on the publication's 2008 list of the "100 Best Places to Live" in the state.

"Now everyone knows what we already know," Councilman Joe Irace said about the borough's high standing among the state's 566 municipalities.

New Jersey Monthly credited location, active sports, volunteer and senior programs and a "vibrant sense of community" for Oceanport's high ranking and its residents could not agree more.

Borough Clerk Kim Jungfer said that many borough residents had grown up in Oceanport and never left.

"I grewup here andmoved away," Jungfer said. "Then I realized that itwould be the best place to raisemy kids, so Imoved back."

Councilman Jay Briscione, a lifelong resident of the borough, was in agreement.

"Having grown up in Oceanport I've always known what a special place it is. However, being recognized by New Jersey Monthly is a wonderful accomplishment," Briscione said. "It is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and pride of all of our employees, volunteers, recreation coaches,Board of Educationmembers and elected officials."

The 3.75-square-mile borough, with just fewer than 6,000 residents, is located at the head of the Shrewsbury River. It's many amenities that include: open space in the form of parks and sports fields, a marina, yacht club, proximity to shore beaches and the Garden State Parkway.

Oceanport is the home of Monmouth Park Racetrack, one of the premier thoroughbred racing parks in the country, and is one of the host towns of Fort Monmouth.

According to New Jersey Monthly's Web site, in compiling the list of top towns, researchersweighed eight categories that define the quality of life in New Jersey towns: property taxes, home values, population growth, land development, employment, crime rate, school performance and proximity to services.

Indicators included factors like median property tax, increase in home values, population growth rate, percentage of open space, crime rate, student performance on standardized tests.

All 566 municipalities were ranked according to eight indicators and an average of the eight numerical values for each municipality determined its final rank.

ChathamTownship topped the "100 Best Places to Live" list for 2008.

Other Monmouth County towns that placed in the magazine's Top 100 ranking include:Manasquan at No. 22, Spring Lake Heights at 28, Shrewsbury Township at 45, Sea Bright at 51, Sea Girt at 60, Spring Lake Borough at 62, Interlaken at 63,Monmouth Beach at 67,Howell at 73,Allentown at 83, and Farmingdale at 96.