Pros and Cons of Living in Teaneck
Teaneck's core trade-off pairs a real, nationally significant civil-rights legacy and genuinely favorable safety data against an above-average property-tax rate and a bus-only (not rail) NYC commute.
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Learn morePro: a real, nationally significant legacy and genuinely favorable safety
Teaneck was the first US town to voluntarily desegregate its public schools (1964-1965), a legacy independently reflected in today's Niche diversity rankings, alongside a crime rate NeighborhoodScout finds noticeably safer than similarly-sized communities nationally.
Pro: real, substantial local healthcare and university employment
Holy Name Medical Center (~4,000 employees) and Fairleigh Dickinson University's Metropolitan Campus (1,500+ staff) anchor a genuine local employment base beyond the NYC-commuter draw.
Con: an above-average property-tax rate and a bus-only commute
Teaneck's 2.05% effective property tax rate runs above New Jersey's own already-high statewide average, and Teaneck has no direct NJ Transit rail station -- residents commute by bus across the George Washington Bridge instead.
Con: a solid but mid-tier school-district ranking
Teaneck's school district carries a solid B+ grade but ranks #116 in New Jersey -- well below Summit's (#7) and Westfield's (#18) rankings, two other NJ Tier B markets built alongside this record.
Key takeaways
- Pro: a real, nationally significant civil-rights legacy and genuinely favorable, independently-verified crime data.
- Pro: real, substantial local healthcare (Holy Name Medical Center) and university (FDU) employment anchors.
- Con: an above-average 2.05% effective property tax rate and no direct NJ Transit rail station.
- Con: a solid but mid-tier (#116 in NJ) school-district ranking relative to other NJ Tier B markets in this batch.
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