You don’t even have to be a long-time New Jersey resident to quickly find out that New Jersey is the punchline to every state joke.

Why do we here in NJ get so much negativity? Well, it's hard to say. Maybe it's because everyone is just so jealous of our breathtaking industrial landscapes.

Who wouldn't want to gaze upon a lovely skyline dotted with smokestacks and chemical plants? It's truly a sight to behold.

Now, let's talk about the joy of navigating the jug handles. They're like little puzzles designed to test your driving skills and patience.

And how can we overlook the state's reputation for corruption? It's truly heartwarming to know that someone in Trenton is always looking out for his or her own self-interests.

So I get it. There’s a lot to hate. But every state has its bests and worsts. To that end, Reader's Digest came up with a list of the bests and worsts in every state. And along with the things that we’re the worst at, Readers Digest found what we’re the best at, too.

And here’s what they said we do best. And you really can’t disagree.

We’re known as the “Diner Capital of the World,” for a reason. We have over 500 of the best diners in the country with everything from classic diner food to modern takes on classic diner, food to outright really chef-worthy cuisine.

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You’re not going to argue with what they say we’re the worst at, either.

Property taxes — obviously ours are the steepest in the country and there’s no getting around that.

What people in Delaware or North Carolina pay $1,500 a year for, we pay $15,000 for.

According to the article, our average property taxes are $8,696 compared to the national average of $3,399.

So our diners and our property taxes. Of course, we who live here can name a lot more great things about the state, like our beaches, our food, and our diversity. On the other hand, we also know about the taxes, restrictions, and the suburban sprawl.

Now the only question is, does the good outweigh the bad?

NJ Diners that are open 24/7

The 30 best rated schools in New Jersey

Here are the top 30 schools statewide, based on their 2021-2022 New Jersey School Performance Reports — involving scores for language arts, math and attendance. (For an explanation of how the state calculates the "accountability indicator scores" and overall rating for each school, see page 90 of this reference guide.)

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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