Warren County New Jersey: the New York Metro location’s Undiscovered Historic Treasure
When individuals go out from New York and surrounding environments looking for weekend retreats, usually they wind up in western Connecticut, the Hudson River Valley, the Catskills and other upstate New York locations, the Jersey Shore, and the Hamptons.
As locations where New Yorkers generally trip, purchase 2nd houses, star watch and more, it’s easy to understand that these places are leading of the list.
What about a location as close to Manhattan as any of the previously mentioned hotspots that provides practically whatever we discover charming about our locations of option for 2nd and trip houses– historical towns and towns, incredible countryside, outside activities, farmhouses, farm markets, artists, nation dining establishments– however does not have the name or the buzz acknowledgment, at least not.
Even locations further a field like Bucks and Pike Counties in Pennsylvania and Sullivan County in New York get more press. Well let me present you to the previously depressed backwater turned practical and lovely countryside of Warren County, New Jersey.
For the a lot of part, it’s the residents who understand about or think about living in or checking out Warren County and even then, the northern and western reaches are still rather rural and unblemished. For many of its history, Warren County has actually either been a secret to those who have actually never ever seen it or a location to prevent to those who had actually heard of its biggest town, Phillipsburg– a bad commercial city that had actually fallen on tough times.
A Pleasant Surprise
Living in rural Morristown New Jersey, we were pondering a 2nd house purchase in the nation and saw a home in Bucks County Pennsylvania on a genuine estate Website that intrigued us. With map in hand, we took what looked like the most direct path to Upper Bucks County and discovered ourselves following the Musconetcong River, along Warren County’s southern border, past a collection of about fifty splendid however little 18th and 19th century stone and clapboard structures, understood as Finesville, simply prior to we crossed into Pennsylvania.
Warren County was hardly on my radar screen, as a Real Estate Agent specializing in historical houses and areas– www.gerrykasper.com–, I was flabbergasted that there was a hamlet of this size and quality in Northern New Jersey of which I was uninformed. A lot more incredible, Mark matured in eastern Warren County and we had actually gone to an auction just 3 miles far from Finesville so I had some understanding of the location.
The town was relatively flourishing for many of its history however decreased throughout the twentieth century. Some of the repairs have actually been so outstanding that 2 Finesville houses were just recently included in nationwide house and garden publications.
At the time we found it, a c. 1825 stone Georgian colonial was for sale in the town. And so we restored this home and purchased and got the Warren County Historic Preservation Award for our efforts. Even much better, since of Warren County’s distance to work, we were able to offer our main home in Morristown and move to the nation completely.
The Villages and Countryside
Warren County has plenty of stunning and covert towns and towns like Finesville and given that showing up, numerous of them have actually lured us to think about moving once again.
As testimony to Warren County’s less than outstanding credibility, the indication inviting visitors into its county seat explains Victorian Belvidere as “New Jersey’s finest kept trick”. Belvidere is a drowsy town found off the beaten course and layed out around a New England-style Village Green.
Northern Warren County provides a scene that equals the most gorgeous in New England. Hope is a one-traffic light crossroads town, established in the 18th century by a group of Moravians who left an outstanding collection of stone residences now brought back and transformed to homes and services.
North of Hope lies the somewhat bigger town of Blairstown with its just recently brought back collection of dining establishments and stores, presently under factor to consider for the National Register of Historic Places. Main Street is bookended by a distinguished prep school and the town’s age-old feed shop. This is a strolling town, helpful for an hour’s walk with weekend visitors and a poke around the shops and peaceful streets.
Simply west of Hope and Blairstown, outside activities exist in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area that includes part of the Appalachian Trail, Millbrook, a recreated 19th century town, and Peters Valley, an artists nest which shows and uses routine programs.
On the eastern edge of Warren, Hackettstown still keeps its 19th century feel with outstanding multi-colored Victorian houses, antique shops along Main Street and Centenary College in its middle.
Phillipsburg– An Industrial Town Reborn
As lovely as Warren County’s countryside is, it’s the city that we initially attempted to prevent that has actually recorded our creativity and might ultimately tear us away from Finesville. Fortunately that overlook, as in many of Warren County, has actually kept much of its historical material undamaged and over the previous 20 years, structure owners have actually been peeling off old aluminum siding to expose sensational architecture.
The town actively motivates remediation and organization advancement– organizations in Phillipsburg charge just 3% sales tax with some of that cash going to revitalization jobs. P’burg, as it is understood by residents, is exceptionally hassle-free as Routes 78 and 22 run simply outside of town as does the express bus to Manhattan, which stops at the Phillipsburg Mall.
There are numerous strategies to change Phillipsburg consisting of the redevelopment of its underutilized waterside into a domestic area, with building set to begin in 2006, and the repurposing of an uninhabited commercial park into a brand-new commerce. Phillipsburg was called as the place for the New Jersey Transportation and Heritage Museum.
Simply over the river, Easton Pennsylvania uses more dining establishments, the Crayola Factory museum, an incredibly popular regional supermarket (a branch of which might ideally turn up in Warren County), a flourishing artists neighborhood, the State Theater, and the historical College Hill community. Much more amazing, there are a number of high-end condo advancements presently under building and construction or prepared in existing historical Easton homes, such as the previous Easton Hotel, which will bring rich people within strolling range of downtown Phillipsburg.
South Main Street near the Delaware River Bridge is primarily brought back and prepared to end up being the next Cold Spring or South Norwalk or New Paltz. A couple of years back, we acquired 2 historical homes on Phillipsburg’s Main Street: an 1887 firehouse for $60,000 and a 19th century Georgian-style colonial for $90,000.
As the town continues to rejuvenate, we are thinking about a relocation into the colonial as our long-term house so we can awaken on Saturday early mornings and stroll to our preferred breakfast area down the street. We’ll most likely keep the Finesville home as our location in the nation.
Well let me present you to the previously depressed backwater turned hassle-free and gorgeous countryside of Warren County, New Jersey.
Living in rural Morristown New Jersey, we were considering a 2nd house purchase in the nation and saw a home in Bucks County Pennsylvania on a genuine estate Website that intrigued us. With map in hand, we took what looked like the most direct path to Upper Bucks County and discovered ourselves following the Musconetcong River, along Warren County’s southern border, past a collection of about fifty spectacular however little 18th and 19th century stone and clapboard structures, understood as Finesville, simply prior to we crossed into Pennsylvania.
As testimony to Warren County’s less than outstanding track record, the indication inviting visitors into its county seat explains Victorian Belvidere as “New Jersey’s finest kept trick”. Northern Warren County provides a scene that matches the most gorgeous in New England.