Looking for NJ Town Recommendations: Country Feel + Real Downtown + NYC Access
My husband and I are considering a move within NJ and would love some insight from people who know different areas well.
I grew up in Monmouth County and still love a lot about it, but over time it’s started to feel more congested than what we’re personally looking for long-term. We’ve realized we’re happiest in areas that have more of a country/small-town feel without feeling isolated. One of the biggest things we’re looking for is a true downtown/main street area — walkable restaurants, coffee shops, community events, bookstores, farmers markets, etc. We love places with a vibe similar to Princeton or Lambertville/New Hope.
A few logistical things make the search tricky:
- I own a pediatric private practice, so we do need an area with families who could realistically support private-pay services.
- My husband works in NYC 3x/week, so ideally his commute would stay around ~1 hour or so.
- We also spend a lot of time in the western Catskills, so being within ~2–2.5 hours of that area would be ideal too.
We’re open to exploring western/northwestern NJ, Hunterdon County, Morris County, etc., but would love hearing from people who know the state well. Areas with an actual downtown/community feel are especially important to us.
Any towns or areas come to mind?
Thanks so much!