By Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Originally published July 12

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Looking for nice people? At least one place in New Jersey's got em.

A Reader's Digest poll named West Orange the place with the nicest people in the state.

That's good. But, what about the rest of us? We're all nice, dammit!

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Granted, polls generally aren't kind to New Jersey.

A Business Insider poll ranked New Jersey 6th for the weirdest accent in the country. (Aight, rolls eyes. Takes sip of cawfee).

YouGov said that we're the most hated state in the nation.

And of the 12 ways to spot a person from New Jersey, them oozing kindness ain't one of them. (Although we are funny).

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It's pretty ironic that the nicest city in New Jersey was (until 1806) part of Newark, which has been ranked -- more than once -- the unfriendliest city in the country. (Clearly we're misunderstood).

Maybe we should just be happy they found a place in the Garden State with nice people.

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West Orange municipal building. (Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

So what makes West Orange so nice?

Elly Nestarez, owner of Northfield Bagels and Deli, says it's the diversity.

"We have people from all nationalities here," she said. "And being that it's such a small town, we all get along here."

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Resident Richard Prasad told Reader's Digest that, "We have great neighbors, and I've met some of the nicest people I know right at my church."

The publication also noted that astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly, who recently volunteered for a NASA's twins study, are from West Orange. Thomas Edison also lived there. And it's where Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday," which was performed by the Monkees.

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West Orange Mayor Robert D. Parisi said he was surprised by the recognition -- but he'll take it. No one from Reader's Digest reached out to town hall.

"I don't know what the criteria was, but we're delighted," Parisi said. "And most people in West Orange would probably agree with the designation."

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Parisi, himself a lifelong resident, said the town is the perfect size -- not too small, not too big -- and that it's diverse both economically and ethnically.

"I think we're a model community for this new world. People from all over the world live here peacefully," he said.

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West Orange is home to about 47,037 really nice people, according to Census estimates, and spans about 12 square miles. It's 45 percent white, 27 percent black, 7 percent Asian and 19 percent Hispanic, the Census says. The city also has a significant Orthodox Jewish population.

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Read More

How does N.J. rank vs. other states in 15 key categories?

This N.J. Shore town is better than ones in Virginia, California

This ranking says life in N.J. stinks. We beg to differ.

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Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.