I'm New Jersey born and raised and love it here. The beach is 15 minutes from my home, New York City is an hour and a half and so are the Pocono Mountains.

Yes, property taxes are high, but I moved from a high tax area (use to pay 14k a year) to an area where I now pay 3,300.

We do have our faults, but I love it here. Plus we have the best pizza and bagels lol