Dear Editor:
In September, Money Magazine came out with its “Best Places to Live in America” list. Shockingly, Parsippany has lost significant ground, going from #5 to #33 in just one short year. Having been on the Money Magazine list at least five times going back to 2008, this is the worst rating the township ever has been given.
Some of the factors used to judge the best places to live are fixed and do not change from year to year. Parsippany is fortunate to be located at the crossroads of three major interstate highways, giving residents easy access to jobs, and as the largest municipality in Morris County, Parsippany contains an abundance of parks, golf courses, local theaters, restaurants, shopping options and recreation.
Other factors, however, vary from year to year. So where has Parsippany lost ground? It’s hard to pinpoint given the data provided.
According to Money Magazine, this year the greatest weight was put on economic health, cost of living factors, and public school performance. In order to understand Parsippany from a resident’s point of view, the magazine sent reporters out to neighborhoods to interview people about quality of life issues that can’t be determined by statistics. Perhaps the burden of ongoing lawsuits, which could effect not only the cost of living but an overall feeling of unrest in the township contributed to its crashing numbers.
“All I ever see in the paper and online is lawsuits and fighting within our local government, employees suing the town, development, like Waterview that nobody seems to want. I don’t feel that anyone is steering the town in a direction that residents want.”
Lorraine Sola
