Manalapan, Fla. or Manalapan, NJ? You Decide!

While Manalapan is a very special town, it is not the only Manalapan in the country. The township shares the name with a small beach town in Palm Beach County, Florida. This lends the question: which Manalapan would you rather live in?

Here is a little information on both towns to help you make a well-informed decision:

As of the 2010 Census, there are 406 people living in the 2.6 square mile town of Manalapan, Fla. The median age of the population is 61 and 92 percent of the citizens are white with 4 percent being black and the remaining 4 percent Hispanic, according to the 2010 census. About 64 percent of the town is made up of family households and the mean household income is $425,956. Nearly 77 percent of the population works in management, business, science and arts occupations, according to the census. The homes are generally large, predominantly with rooms of six or nine, and 85 percent of the homes are valued at over $1 million dollars. 

The 31 square-mile township of Manalapan in New Jersey is made up of 38,872 people, as of the 2010 census, and the median age is 42. The population is nearly 89 percent white, 2 percent black, 7 percent Asian, and about 6 percent Hispanic or Latino (of any race), according to the census numbers. About 80 percent of the population make up a family household. The mean income in Manalapan Township is $126,244; 45 percent work in the management, business, science, and arts occupations and about 30 percent work in sales and office occupations, according to the 2010 census. The home sizes are large, with 53 percent of the houses having 8 rooms or more. Most of the homes are between $300,000 and $999,999, with the median home valued at $451,600, as of the 2010 census. 

So, these are the meat and potatoes - but there is one more point I would like to reiterate. Did I mention the town of Manalapan is on the beach? The town is within minutes of South Palm Beach and resides along the Intercoastal Waterway. It is also about an hour and fifteen minute car ride north of Miami. 

Manalapan Township in New Jersey also has a fantastic location. It is about an hour drive to New York City, a 35-minute drive to the shore, an hour and fifteen minute drive to Philadelphia, an hour and forty minute drive to the Poconos, and a 30-minute drive to Six Flags Great Adventure.  Plus, central New Jersey has the beautiful changing of the seasons - something which sunny Florida cannot boast. However, beach weather in the winter is not too shabby either. 

So, you decide - where would you rather live: Manalapan Township, New Jersey or Manalapan, Florida?

Tell us in the comments below!