Secaucus Voted Best Town In Hudson County To Raise A Family

SECAUCUS, NJ — If you live here, you know it's true. Last week, Secaucus was rated by NJ Family as the best town in Hudson County in which to raise a family.

The website pointed to first, the sheer number of parks and playgrounds in Secaucus: There are dozens scattered throughout town, and the town is constantly building new ones, such as the new playground that will be built at the base of Millridge Road. There are serene nature trails that etch the perimeter of town through the Meadowlands and multiple public kayak launches. You can even launch your motorboat or Jet Ski at Laurel Hill Park to explore the Hackensack River and New York Bay! Plans are also in the works for a second rec center to be built on Meadowlands Parkway.

On days when it's too cold for the playground, there is an indoor tot center for children under five and a teen center, where teenagers can meet to play video games, Foosball, pool, air hockey and other games. Both of those are free to Secaucus residents.

Then there's the Secaucus swim club, which boasts five pools, including a kiddie pool with a giant pirate ship and water slides, fountains, a deep water diving pool, an Olympic-sized pool with a massive slide for older kids, and an adults-only pool. Rates are very reasonable to join the swim club in the summertime, and the town offers ticket packages of 10 tickets for just $75. No wonder everyone else from other towns is always dying to get in!

Let's not forget about the Secaucus Rec Center, which offers a plethora of fitness classes and programs for both adults and kids alike. Secaucus' recreational sports program is strong; they start by offering swim lessons to six-month-old babies and peewee soccer to 2-year-olds. Both rec sports leagues and Secaucus school leagues are competitive; the town offers youth football, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, cheerleading and wrestling. Teams from Secaucus are nationally ranked in cheerleading, volleyball and wrestling. Spring baseball season starts off this weekend and the ball fields are right in the center of town.

Secaucus takes its youth sports so seriously that the town even hosted the Little League World Series state tournament last summer; hundreds of families from across New Jersey descended on Buchmuller Park in the center of town to watch some great baseball and enjoy Secaucus' friendly, small-town atmosphere.

There is an ice rink in the center of town and it's only $5 to rent skates in the winter months. Finally, the town offers events for children and families all year round, from multiple Halloween parades, Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations, indoor St. Patrick's Day parties, an Easter egg breakfast and egg hunt, a Holi event, a three-day town festival in June with rides and live music and a Fourth of July party at the swim club. Local high school kids put on a "haunted high school" every October and they also spend days converting Schmidt's Woods into a spooky forest, which younger children can tour for free for a night of silly, scary fun.

Secaucus schools are moderately ranked and they improve in test scores every year. Secaucus High School jumped from No. 155 in 2014 to No. 92 of all public schools in the state in 2016. That was the first year Secaucus High cracked the list of the top 100 schools in the state.

To top it all off, property taxes — usually the bane of any New Jerseyite's existence — are very low in Secaucus, averaging about $4,000 to $6,000 a home, even for some of the biggest homes in town. Taxes are offset by many of the hotels and industry in Secaucus.

And let's not forget to mention Secaucus' proximity to Manhattan: We are just a five-minute train ride away from all the jobs, nightlife, theater, restaurants and activity that is New York City and the five boroughs. We're also one hour's drive from the mountains of western Jersey and the Jersey Shore. Ah, Secaucus! No wonder everyone wants to live here!