Hamilton

Franklin Park is tucked below the sprawling suburb of Hamilton Township, edging near the Delaware River and South Trenton. Developers at the turn of the 20th century thought Franklin Hill could become a suburb too, boosted by the momentum of industrial businesses, but newcomers were responsible for building their homes – and so the neighborhood flew below the radar for some time. As a result, the land was continuing to undergo development even after World War II, bringing an interesting mix of midcentury styles alongside the Victorian era rowhouses. History lives on through street names like Howell, Brown and Vroom, which pay homage to prominent local politicians and pastors. A pair of early 20th century churches bestow a touch of the past, too: the turquoise turrets of St. Vladimir Orthodox overlook Dunn Middle School, while St. Bartholomew Lutheran, which was founded in 1914, continues to hold events like community barbecues and theological workshops. It's a denser place than it was 100 years ago, but plenty of nature provides balance. “The houses are close together, but there’s a big park along the water,” says Rana Bernhard, a Realtor with Weichert Realtors. Despite its mix of midcentury and Victorian styles, Franklin Park has always been steadfast about keeping trees around, and contemporary residents say the neighborhood’s leafiness is a prime perk. People often compare the neighborhood to nearby Hamilton Township, touting it as more affordable. “Franklin Park is a perfect spot for first-time homebuyers to establish themselves in the housing market,” says Stefanie Prettyman, a Realtor with Keller Williams Premier. “The school system isn’t as desirable as surrounding markets, but that makes it easier for young people to afford a new home.” Those late 19th century and early 20th century rowhouses and semi-detached homes can be found congregating along main thoroughfares like Clinton Avenue and Genesee Street, presenting colorful facades next to shaded sidewalks. Prices range from $165,000 to $280,000. Detached single-family homes in the form of Cape Cods and other modest styles are priced between $300,000 and $430,000. Most of Franklin Park’s retail is clustered along Broad Street. Residents can bounce over to Independence Plaza, which has a Sav A Lot and sits next door to a Walgreens and Aldi. Diners, pubs, pizza places and Latin American restaurants make up much of the dining scene in this area. Blue Danube has a charming Old World façade, too, except it serves Eastern European cuisine like pierogies and potato pancakes. Lalor Street intersects with Broad, and it’s another reliable go-to option when searching for eateries. Malaga is a Spanish restaurant housed in a white stucco building, serving meat and seafood entrees alongside sangria. Students can start at Lalor Elementary, which has a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio and receives a C from Niche. In summer 2024, the school established a Community Camp in conjunction with the Hamilton Area YMCA. Grace Dunn Middle sits between Lalor and Broad, putting it within walking distance of many homes, just like the elementary school. Hamilton West High scores a B, and is known for its football rivalry with Steinert High, which gives rise to the annual showdown game every Thanksgiving. Roebling Memorial Park spills across the southeast side, adding to the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets with vast swaths of greenery. It’s largely a freshwater marshland ecosystem that presents various opportunities for recreation: visitors can hike, fish, kayak and observe wildlife. There are also remnants of Franklin Park’s Victorian past, like a concrete staircase that once led to an amusement park. Duetzville Park on the west end has playground equipment and athletic fields. Broad Street is one way to connect with Interstate 295, but there’s also Route 29 along the south side, which leads to Interstate 195. Buses can be picked up within the neighborhood, either on Lalor or Broad – the two main thoroughfares that residential streets feed into. The Trenton Transit Center is about 2.5 miles north, offering train service to New York City and Philadelphia, which are 60 and 30 miles away, respectively.

Groveville is an exurb of Trenton, which dwells 8 miles to the north. The neighborhood’s expansive green swaths have rural tendencies, especially Banner Farm, a wooded nature preserve cut through by Crosswicks Creek. “It’s a nice little town with a thick creek in the woods, and it’s a good place for kids to grow up, where they can enjoy nature and camp out and do things that kids should do,” says Paul Matlock, a third-generation resident who’s spent over 70 years in Groveville. With only around 3,000 inhabitants, life here leans towards peace and quiet. Homebuyers shouldn’t expect concentrated retail strips or nightlife spots. A car is necessary to reach these destinations. But by sacrificing dense development, residents get access to an outdoorsy lifestyle. There’s also a touch of history: the Groveville-Yardville Memorial Day Parade is the state’s oldest, and almost the country’s oldest, second only to the Independence Day Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island. Housing is one of the unique draws to Groveville, because it’s an ongoing record of the neighborhood’s evolution. Change can be tracked through home styles and construction dates. There are plenty of properties from the 1870s through 1890s, reflecting an agricultural heritage. Boxy three-bedroom colonials sit on back on lots that are sometimes neatly landscaped but just as often rugged and naturalistic with random plantings. Prices range from $360,000 to $500,000. Midcentury homes are integral players, too. They show up as Cape Cods, ranches and cottages – each presenting a simplified, streamlined look that meshes well with the late 19th century colonials. But the setting is more suburban, with flat lawns, sidewalks and unobstructed facades decorated by diminutive hedges. Prices range from $330,000 to $500,000. Also in the neighborhood is housing that speaks to the 1990s rather than the 1890s. These modern traditional homes, whether in brick or siding, usually opt for sharply gabled rooflines and a two-car garage. Prices range from $550,000 to $800,000. For public school, students attend Steinert School District. They can start at Yardville Elementary, which covers kindergarten through 5th grade and has a 14-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Niche gives the school a B-minus rating. Reynolds Middle also receives a B-minus and is distinguished by a nationally recognized history teacher who does George Washington reenactments in nearby Trenton. Steinert High is a B-rated school known for its range of Advanced Placement courses, from Computer Science to English Literature. Samuel Alito, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, is a former student of the school. Driving is a way of life here, with no buses running through Groveville. But there are convenient pathways nearby. Interstate 95 runs across the north side, putting Philadelphia about 45 minutes away. Or, instead of going west, drivers can go 60 miles north to New York City – it takes about 90 minutes. Commuters can also drive 9 miles north to the Hamilton train station, and reach either city that way. For longer journeys, Rana Bernhard, a Realtor with Weichert Realtors points to Trenton-Mercer Airport. “It’s a small airport, but Frontier Airlines flies out of there a couple times during the work week,” she says. Within the neighborhood, York Road is the main east-west path, leading to Allentown and Yardville, where retail amenities can be found. One of the most reliable ways for residents to find food is to drive a mile north into Yardville – particularly to Route 156. Along this stretch are numerous restaurants. Diamond’s is known for serving wines, desserts, pasta entrees and classics like Beef Wellington. Old Yardville Inn focuses on crowd favorites like pizza, paninis and sandwiches that it labels as “Tavern Fare.” For a more casual sports bar feel, residents can hang out at Wildflowers Too. For groceries, drivers can hook onto Broad Street and shop at Acme Markets. Just down the street is Hamilton Marketplace, a strip mall with Shop Rite, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Home Depot and fast-food joints. For lounging and creative loitering, there are coffee shops 5 miles east in Allentown. Woody’s Towne Café feels like an American diner straight out of a Hallmark movie, while The Moth Coffeehouse is an airy, rustic space serving beverages, baked goods and vegan lunch items like beet burgers. Hamilton Township is just 7 miles north and shouldn’t be disregarded, either. Bernhard mentions Rat’s Restaurant, a fine dining establishment and a favorite of locals. “The food is excellent and there are events like wine dinners,” she says. People move to Groveville for the less urban lifestyle, so there’s an abundance of outdoor recreation options. Sawmill YMCA Day Camp and Recreation Center has multiple ways to stay entertained, from a pool and a playground to an indoor gym and athletic fields. Evergreen Orchard Farm offers a place to pick fruit, including rare and unusual varieties, like the Singo pear – only grown at 5 other farms in America. Crosswicks Creek is always a reliable option when seeking an immersion in local scenery. For a small traditional park, it’s back to Yardville, where Apollo Park has play equipment and tennis courts.

With its soccer fields, Italian restaurants and wide selection of pediatricians, University Heights is a typical New Jersey suburban neighborhood. Commuters to places like Princeton, Philadelphia and New York City move to this fringes-of-Trenton community because of its highway access, proximity to public transit and neighborhood accoutrements like lakes, ice skating rinks and pizzerias. “It’s a prime location, centrally located between Mercer Elementary School, Lawrence High School and Mercer Community College,” Realtor Evelin Grajales of Florostone Realty says. “Residents can enjoy nearby shopping, dining, and transportation with direct lines to NYC, while the large Mercer County Park is just minutes away.” Hamilton Township, named after founding father Alexander Hamilton, developed as a cheaper alternative to nearby West Windsor Township. Homes came online throughout the 20th century. Single-family homes sit next to each other on suburban streets behind grassy front lawns with trees, shrubbery and paved driveways. Suburban streets are interconnected and lined with sidewalks, making it easy for neighbors to jog or walk their dogs. Colonials, bi-level homes, Cape Cods and rambler-style homes can cost between $250,000 and $800,000. A 100-acre wood called the Van Nest Wildlife Refuge hugs the east side of University Heights. Trails link the wildlife area to Mercer County Park, a massive outdoor community gathering spot with basketball courts, baseball diamonds and multi-purpose fields for other sports. Within the park is the glistening Lake Mercer. A boathouse allows water access to the lake, which has a crew course and picnic areas lining the shore. Kids learn to skate at an ice skating center with a scoreboard for hockey games. A disc golf course, bocce courts and cricket pitches also exist within the park. On the weekends, parents take their children to Sky Zone Hamilton, an indoor trampoline park known for hosting kids’ birthday parties. Chain restaurants and locally owned eateries both exist in University Heights. People grab coffee in the mornings at Dunkin and take the kids to Five Guys after soccer games. Villa Maria serves thin-crust pizza and antipasto in a relaxed setting. Caesar’s Bagels & Deli makes bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches on bagels and K.K. Sweets is a French-style bakery serving macarons and custom cakes. Neighbors can shop for groceries at stores like Aldi and ShopRite 5 minutes away by car. Within University Heights is Mercer County Community College, whose open-door admission policy gives opportunities to locals seeking higher education. Kids in the neighborhood can attend University Heights Elementary School (rated B-minus by Niche), Crockett Middle School (rated C-plus) and Nottingham High School (rated B) through the Hamilton Township School District. The high school offers a robust selection of clubs and activities for kids, including book club, dance team and orchestra. University Heights sits along Interstate 295, a highway that connects with Interstate 76 just south of Philadelphia. Philly is 45 minutes away by car, Trenton is 15 minutes away, Princeton is a 20-minute drive and commuting to lower Manhattan takes about an hour and 30 minutes by car. Commuters can avoid traffic and take the train from Hamilton on the Northeast Corridor Rail Line. They'll be at Penn Station in Manhattan in 2 hours.

Hutchinson Mills may initially feel similar to many other small suburbs outside Trenton, New Jersey. But for longtime real estate salespeople like Stefanie Prettyman, an agent with Keller Williams Premier who has sold hundreds of homes in the Trenton area, the Hutchinson Mills neighborhood is unique. “The biggest selling point is that, unlike other neighborhoods, Hutchinson Mills has a sort of ‘Main Street’ at its center,” says Prettyman. “More and more people are looking for neighborhoods that offer walkability, convenience and locally owned establishments.” Most of the homes sit on quiet side streets and dead-end cul-de-sacs off Klockner Road, Hutchinson Mills’s “Main Street'' and the community's hub of commerce and culture. Large retail centers, natural areas and commercial facilities occupy the neighborhood's outskirts, diverting traffic away from the residential blocks. Many streets lack sidewalks, but with off-street parking and no through traffic, it’s easy to take the dog for a walk after work without worrying about oncoming cars. Architectural types include raised and extended brick ranches, move-in ready colonials with attached garages and Cape Cods with large front porches. Houses in Hutchinson Mills sell for a median price of $300,000, far below the national average and slightly lower than other neighborhoods in Hamilton County. Rare finds such as Dutch Colonials sometimes hit the market, but those homes – along with those that back up to one of the neighborhood lakes – sell quickly for up to $500,000. Grounds for Sculpture is the pride of Hutchinson Mills, a one-of-a-kind outdoor sculpture garden, museum and arboretum spread across 42 acres of picturesque hills and streams in the neighborhood's southwest corner. Most locals purchase GFS Memberships, enjoying year-round access to programming and exhibits, including hands-on classes, contemporary dance performances and horticulture walking tours. Grounds for Sculpture is also home to Rat’s Restaurant, an award-winning French bistro named for Ratty from the children’s storybook The Wind in the Willows. Rat’s Restaurant is a one-of-a-kind fine dining experience, a locally sourced, chef-driven French menu served on a candlelit outdoor grotto that will transport you into a 19th-century French impressionist painting. The sculpture garden is illuminated at night, creating an unforgettable ambiance and earning Rat’s Restaurant the distinction of “Most Romantic Restaurant” from Philadelphia Magazine. Most local restaurants and retail are located along Klockner Road, where small businesses like Victor’s Meat Market and Bliz’s Tavern operate out of rezoned colonial homes. La Casona’s Latin Fusion menu features empanadas, ceviche and housemade margaritas in a laid-back, cozy dining room, while Mario’s Pizza sells pizza by the slice in an old-school counter-style pizzeria with wood interior paneling and vintage chandeliers. Most grocery and retail shopping happens at The Court at Hamilton, a shopping mall built around the neighborhood Walmart Supercenter. There are plenty of ways to stay active in Hutchinson Park. Take a morning stroll through the 42-acre campus at Grounds for Sculpture with a cold brew from the Van Gogh Cafe. Harness yourself in at Rockville Climbing Center, New Jersey’s favorite indoor rock climbing facility, open to the public for birthday parties, youth climbing programs, summer camps and private lessons. If you’re afraid of heights, ride your bike to the diamond at Hamilton Girls Softball Association, a fastpitch softball organization for girls ages 5-17. You can also drive 40 minutes on Interstate 95 to Long Beach for some fun in the sun, or catch a train to New York or Philadelphia at the Hamilton Train Station, both less than 90 minutes and $20 from Hutchinson Mills. Children in Hutchinson Mills begin their education at Klockner Elementary School, a C-plus-rated institution for K-5 students located at the heart of the neighborhood, before moving on to Crockett Middle School. For high school, students attend Nottingham High School, a B-rated school on Niche with a highly regarded college counseling program and athletic teams that consistently compete for district championships. In 2018, Nottingham High School received a Bronze recognition from the US News & World Report, and the boys’ basketball team won their first-ever state championship.