FAIR LAWN, NJ — Fair Lawn has landed on a list of the 20 best small cities in America, giving the Bergen County borough another reason to boast about what has made it a destination for families for decades.

WalletHub ranked Fair Lawn No. 20 among 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000, weighing 45 measures including education, health, safety, affordability, economic strength and quality of life.

The 5.14-square-mile borough, home to more than 37,000 people, posted a median household income of $144,574 and an overall score of 67.7.

But for many Fair Lawn residents, the appeal goes beyond the numbers.

The borough has developed one of Bergen County's largest and most established Orthodox Jewish communities, growing from a small group of families into a thriving community with multiple synagogues, Jewish schools, a mikvah, an eruv and other institutions serving Jewish families.

The community traces its modern roots to 1966, when 13 Jewish families from Paterson established Congregation Shomrei Torah. By 1969, there were only about 17 Orthodox families in Fair Lawn.

Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, who went on to lead Shomrei Torah for 50 years, became one of the community's central figures as Fair Lawn's Orthodox population steadily grew.

Today, the borough has hundreds of Orthodox Jewish families and several congregations, including Shomrei Torah, Ahavat Achim, Young Israel, Darchei Noam, the Sephardic Center, Bris Avrohom and Anshei Lubavitch.

The community's infrastructure has grown along with it. The Fair Lawn Mikvah opened in 1990, while Shomrei Torah's Community Growth Initiative helped bring young Orthodox couples to the borough beginning in 2005.

Bergen Hatzalah is also part of Fair Lawn's local Jewish infrastructure, providing volunteer emergency medical response to residents and communities throughout Bergen County.

The borough's Jewish life is also visible well beyond its synagogues. Fair Lawn Jewish Day Camp draws more than 300 campers and staff from about 30 Bergen County towns, while local kosher businesses and Jewish organizations serve residents throughout the year.

Fair Lawn ranked particularly well in education and health, coming in at No. 29 nationally in that category, and No. 49 in safety. It ranked No. 111 in affordability, No. 460 in economic health and No. 806 in quality of life.

WalletHub said its rankings are designed to identify smaller communities that combine lower costs with strong schools, health care, safety and local amenities.

"Moving from a bustling metropolis to a small city could drastically cut down your cost of living," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "The best small cities offer strong job markets, high-quality education, good health care, safe living conditions and plenty of local flair."

For Fair Lawn, that "local flair" includes a Jewish community that has spent generations turning a small Bergen County borough into a home for hundreds of families.