Looking to move out of their apartment in Jersey City after their first child was born, Angelina and Scott Peters scouted communities in nearby Essex County, N.J. The couple fell in love with Montclair. “But it was a little out of our price range,” said Mr. Peters, 43, who works in the back office of a bank. Then they found Bloomfield, just next door.

In the summer of 2019, the couple, who now have two children, bought a four-bedroom colonial in the northern part of the township for $430,000. They liked the easy access to New York City, the diverse population and the well-regarded Oak View Elementary School in the neighborhood.