Bergen or Essex

I’m moving to NJ in a year and looking to buy a house when I move. I am currently split on moving to either

Essex county (Montclair, South Orange, Maplewood, West Orange)

or

Bergen county (Ramsey, Allendale, Ridgewood, Upper Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, Wyckoff).

Both areas seem nice. Essex towns seem a little younger and more diverse from what I can tell. Bergen towns seem a little more boring but are further away and slightly better deals with bigger lot sizes for what you pay.

Proximity to NYC isn’t a big factor, however proximity to those North Bergen towns is a medium priority.

The safe choice would be one of the Bergen towns, but don’t want to rule out the Essex towns either because they kind of seem like they have it all. The one time I was able to visit the essex towns, I did wonder if the towns had an awkward east/west poor/rich split with the houses on the hill seeming significantly more desirable.

If anyone has first hand experience with any of the above towns, I would love to hear about them.