Main Street-style community close to lakeside destinations in Sussex C
About 60 miles from New York City, the borough of Andover, New Jersey, sits on the southern edge of Andover Township. While these two are so close, they offer strikingly different lifestyles. Distinguished by open spaces, Andover Township covers 21 square miles and has a semi-rural character. The borough of Andover, on the other hand, is a little over 1 square mile and presents a modest suburban environment reminiscent of Main Street Americana – especially with its black iron lamps lining the way. Plus, the neighborhood holds the appeal of being near dining and entertainment. “I’ll go to Stone Water at 3 Peaks Marina,” says Juliet Lopez, who lives in the area and is a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty. “If you’ve been boating, you can pull right up to the restaurant.” So, despite the small-town feel of Andover, it’s not a landlocked experience. “People like going to Lake Mohawk,” says George Perrone, a Realtor with Century 21 referring to a popular waterfront destination 5 miles east. “It’s a nice little center with a boardwalk and restaurants.”
Annual holiday events keep neighbors together
Events are a big part of life in this small town. Many of them center around annual holidays, like the Memorial Day Wreath Ceremony. In June and September, neighbors get to know one another through a weekend-long community-wide garage sale. True to the Main Street ethos, there’s also a Miss Andover competition plus a Prince & Princess Pageant held in July. Christmas and Halloween bring house-decorating contests, and every early December features a free community breakfast with Santa Claus. Independence Day is easily celebrated next door in Sparta, where a parade is hosted as well as fireworks on the lake.
Small eateries offer comfort food
Retail is located along Main Street, also known as U.S. Route 206. Antique stores, eateries and auto shops line the way. Andover Diner fits right in with the old school Main Street vibe, thanks to a red and chrome exterior. Café Pierrot is a French bakery that adds flair to the neighborhood dining scene. Spots like Vinny & Son Pizza offer a no-frills environment for comfort food. Many residents end up dining in Sparta, around Lake Mohawk, enough to attract businesses to their backyard. Lake House Café decided to open its second location here, after the owner noticed Andover residents patronizing the original Sparta location. Grocery shopping takes place in neighboring Newton, which has a Shop Rite and Weis Markets.
Split-level homes dominate the market in Andover
Streets with simple names like Tranquility Road and Old Creamery Road make up the residential portions of Andover. Homebuyers can expect to see a suburban landscape with homes pushed back on lawns. Driveways lead to attached garages, and small bushes contrast with tall mature trees on the edges of the property. Split-levels are a commonly seen style here and can have three or four bedrooms on more than a third of an acre. It’s possible to go smaller – or bigger – from here. In the smaller category are two-bedroom ranch-style homes with less than 1,000 square feet. Larger homes include colonials from the 2000s with up to five bedrooms on multiple acres. Overall, prices range from $330,000 to $620,000.
Extracurriculars at Newton High
Students can begin at Florence M. Burd School for kindergarten through fourth grade. The school earns a B from Niche and has an 8-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Long Pond School covers fifth to eighth grade and earns a B-plus overall, but an A-minus in the teachers category. Andover Township sends students to Newton High, rated B-plus and known for diverse extracurricular activities, from an award-winning robotics team to Future Farmers of America.
Andover Borough Park is a main attraction for outdoor recreation
A pair of small park spaces round out the neighborhood’s cozy atmosphere. At a little over an acre, Sunset Vista Park is the smaller of the two. As the name suggests, this large field bordered by farmland is best suited for passive recreation, like watching the sunset. At over 15 acres, Andover Borough Park is more of a main attraction. It contains a playground, plus athletic facilities for basketball and baseball.
Bikers and hikers can use the Sussex Branch Trail
Route 206 runs north-south through the middle of Andover, providing a convenient way to traverse the town and get to commuter paths. It takes about 90 minutes to reach New York City via Interstate 80. Alternative transportation is embraced: Cyclists and hikers can use the Sussex Branch Trail, which runs in parallel to Route 206. Those traveling the trail will pass by an old railroad tunnel. Andover is slated to get a long-awaited commuter rail in 2026, on Roseville Road.
