Nestled in central New Jersey at the base of the Sourland Mountains, through the heart of Rt. 206, lies a 55sq miles suburban farm friendly town known as Hillsborough.
When George Washington moved his troops from the Battle of Princeton to their winter head quarters in Morristown, he decided to travel through Hillsborough. The rest is history. Or, maybe, what happens when history meets a small mountain town. It is said that Washington used Hillsborough as a make shift training ground. Low on supplies and with British troops on his tail, Washington armed his men with corn stalks and had them practice formations and drills
around Sourland Mountain. Seeing this, British forces thought they were outnumbered and retreated to hunker down in New Brunswick. Since then, Hillsborough has been known as an important site during the Revolutionary War and as a location steeped in American pride. You may be asking why Hillsborough? Well Why not? This quiet town is home to nearly 40,000 happy residents, who have access to not only dozens of local highlights but equal access to New York City, The Jersey Shore, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, airports and more! Hillsborough itself gets to boast about a lot of great characteristics such as; its Low Crime rate, Great schools, many local eateries, and is consistently sited as one the best cities in the Garden State. Hillsborough is home to the 36th best school system in NJ; a blue ribbon education that has 6 elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school, and a High School that has an array of clubs and sports.
When looking for things to do, Hillsborough has a very active lifestyle pertaining to 13+ gym’s, fitness clubs, and classes which includes big names like Planet Fitness, Next fitness, Retro & the local ymca and racquet ball club and many more activities to choose from.
Hillsborough has a large movie theater, A 2-18 Hole Golf Club, several sports complexes ranging from Disc Golf Courses to the multi sports Iron Peaks Arena. It is also known for its lush hiking trails along the Sourland Mountain Preserve . If you’re not much for hiking there are plenty of walking paths all throughout the town and in specific parks such as Ann Van Middlesworth, Mountain View Park, and the world famous Dukes Estate.
Dukes Estate is well known for its 339 acres of preserved land that once belonged to the American Billionaire Tobacco Heiress, Dorris Duke who always wanted the land to be open to the public. Here you’ll find a cafe, a historic well preserved manor and 8 total miles of walking paths accompanied by several sculptures, fountains, lakes, agriculture and botanicals all to make a great day outdoors with family and friends. All of this just promotes the natural landscape and scenery of Hillsborough.
Even though Hillsborough has an impressive number of 3,000 registered small farms it has a $152,800 median household income with an average of 2.75 people per household. How do they eat you may ask? Conveniently placed on the 2 ends of RT 206 there are the local grocery stores Shop Rite and Weis Markets. Or if you dont feel like shopping you can order take out at one of the many locally owned eateries.
You can find pretty much every type of cuisine you can think of from Thai and Indian to Italian. Some of the local favorites, mine included, are BEER yani City, a great locally operated indian spot praised for authenticity. Catered Affair is a great SANDWICH spot to go when you’re craving MORE THAN the normal ham and swiss. THERE IS ALSO A very popular italian restaurant called Caffe Piazza, locals enjoy the BYOB option they offer, along with a delicious menu and authentic tastes of italy. Or if you’re more a fan of spicy there’s the Thai Chili house which has great balance of quality and portions. When looking for a bit more than the average cheese pizza Hillsborough is home to AMA known for its it impressive Sicilian oven, out door dining patio, and BYOB atmosphere.
If you’re looking for more of a night out there are luckily a few local options within walking distance of the center of town, they include; Petrock’s Bar and Grille, which has one of the states top ranked liquor stores attached to it; The Landing which not only has a good menu, but
hosts several community game nights throughout the week, there is ALSO the new local and delicious Flounders Brewery & Distillery, Chilango’s Tequila Bar, and the timeless classic Old Man Rafferty’s.
If you’re a family looking to move and YOUR parents are looking to join you, Hillsborough is home to several great assisted living communities. All within just a mile of the town center. Which makes family get togethers a breeze.
Hillsborough is a lovely continuously growing community. It is diverse, fulfilling, and active. More importantly it makes great homes, great memories, and great lifetimes. So don’t wait for tomorrow. Consider moving to Hillsborough, today.
