It’s okay to leave your door unlocked in this Jersey city. Brick Township, which is right outside of Manhattan, has easy access to the Big Apple but prides itself on its small-town charm. The 32-square-mile city, with a population of just over 78,000, hovers consistently around the top of the list of America’s safest cities, according to the FBI.

The commercial development of big-box stores, department stores, and chain restaurants has made it a shopping destination for much of northern Ocean County.