September 23, 2016
Live in Cherry Hill? Good choice. Time's Money Magazine has the township on its 2016 "Best Places to Live List" for its affordability, good schools and low crime rate.
It snagged the 26th spot out of 50 towns and cities, coming ahead of places like Koolaupoko, Hawaii, Fremont, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
For Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn, the news came as a total – but welcomed – surprise.
"I just think being recognized nationally against great towns and cities all across the U.S. just speaks very well for how good it feels to be here in Cherry Hill and the progress we've made," he said.
The magazine breaks it down – Cherry Hill's population comes in at 72,055 people, its median home price is $217,250 and its property taxes at $7,724. The ranking also considered its 5.6 percent unemployment rate and its 26-minute average commute time.
Cahn said that these are all factors his administration has carefully considered over his five-year reign.
Here's an excerpt from the ranking:
Cherry Hill feels very much like a suburb—in fact, one if its chief attributes is that it’s only 10 miles from Philadelphia and about 30 miles to Trenton. But there’s still plenty of open space, starting with the two-mile stretch of Chapel Avenue studded with the township’s namesake flowering vegetation. There are also more than 50 parks, not including the canine-friendly section of Cooper River Park called “Pooch Park.” Looking for authentic cherry pie in Cherry Hill? Springdale Farms is a local treasure, home to an off-the-hook bakery and pick-your-own field of strawberries, pumpkins and other produce grown at this working farm.
Cahn said his office reached out to the magazine to get more details about Cherry Hill's newest title. Cahn said editors from the magazine told him that they considered more than 800 towns and cities for the list. Aside from looking at national rankings, the magazine also spoke to residents to ensure that these places really were great places to live, Cahn said.
Franklin, New Jersey, took the 23rd spot on the list while Levittown, Pennsylvania, came in at 41.
"We're very excited and honored and very proud of the fact," he said. "To be recognized by Time's Money Magazine, I think it's tremendous."
