Fair Lawn lands in top 20 best places to live in the U.S.
The ranking places the Bergen County city among the nation's top-rated places to live out of more than 1,300 cities evaluated.
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Fair Lawn is officially one of the best small cities in the country. The Bergen County community ranked No. 20 on WalletHub's 2026 list of the Best Small Cities in America.
The ranking places the Bergen County city among the nation's top-rated places to live out of more than 1,300 cities evaluated. The finance website compared cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across 45 indicators.
Fair Lawn earned the No. 20 spot nationwide, with WalletHub highlighting strong marks in education, health and safety. The survey used 45 indicators to compile the list, including the quality of their schools systems, public safety, quality of life, number of restaurants per capita and affordability.
"Not everyone is drawn to the bright lights and crowds of big cities. In fact, almost half of Americans say they would prefer to live in the suburbs," WalletHub says.
According to WalletHub Analyst Chris Lupo, moving to a smaller city could "drastically" cut down on a family's cost of living. These locations also offer strong job markets, safer living conditions and "local flair."
"While small cities may lack some advantages of big cities, like robust public transportation systems, they make up for these shortcomings in other areas," Lupo said.
Located on the western end of Bergen County, Fair Lawn was originally incorporated on March 6, 1924, according to the municipal website. It took its name from David Acker’s estate, "Fairlawn," and was officially named Fair Lawn in 1933.
"The town’s history includes the Lenni-Lenape, the original people of northern New Jersey, whose trails and campsites became today’s roads," the website states.
