Frelinghuysen Township is a rural community with interstate access
Frelinghuysen Township is a remote community with just shy of 2,200 residents. U.S. Interstate 80 cuts through the community, so residents can access surrounding areas for shopping, dining or working. But close to home, farmland rolls alongside two-lane roads. “Frelinghuysen Township is all rural,” says broker Joan O’Brien with Re/Mac Town & Valley, who has lived in Warren County for 42 years. “it’s a nice balance of quiet, with greenery and not a lot of traffic, but it keeps you close to a major artery, so you can get wherever you need to go. I’ve had two houses in Warren County, and I’d never want to live anywhere else.”
Homes near fields and farmland
Homes in Frelinghuysen Township typically sit on large lots with grassy lots. Wooden picket fences surround some properties, and mature trees shade roadsides. Open fields and farmland are everyday sights, and drivers may pass horses, barns, hay bales and silos as they drive through the area. Common housing styles include Colonial Revivals, Cape Cods, New Traditionals and ranch-style homes. Prices can range from $230,000 to $820,000; costs depend on a house’s size, age and condition more than its architectural style.
Surrounded by preserved natural areas
The community is surrounded by scenic natural areas. Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve spans roughly 700 acres and offers hikes through limestone forests and beside the glacier-formed Mud Pond. The forest is home to a number of animals, including black bears and state-endangered bobcats. The Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve, which is north of the township, occupies over 280 acres. Here, six trails meander through forests and wetlands, making it popular for hiking, bird watching or mountain biking. Residents can volunteer for trail cleanups in the forest. The White Lake Natural Resource Area is just north of the community and sits on nearly 400 acres, including the nearly 70-acre White Lake. It is also a popular hiking and camping area. Jenny Jump State Forest is nearby, too. Its Summit Trail offers views of the Highlands, the Kittatinny Mountains, the Delaware Water Gap and the Pequest Valley. There’s also an observatory, which is open from April to October, and sits within one of the state’s only “dark sky” sites, which has minimal light pollution, offering virtually undisturbed views of the night sky.
Local elementary school, regional high school
For prekindergarten to sixth grade, students are zoned for the Frelinghuysen Township School District and can attend Frelinghuysen Elementary. For the following grade levels, they can attend North Warren Regional High, which also educates students from Blairstown, Hardwick and Knowlton. Both schools earn B ratings from Niche, and the high school offers dual enrollment with Warren County Community College. Warren County students may also apply to attend Ridge and Valley Charter School, which is in Frelinghuysen Township, or Warren County Technical School in Washington Borough. Both schools get C-plus scores from Niche.
Shopping and dining in nearby Blairstown and Hackettstown
Inhouse Restaurant and Bar is the only restaurant in the township. Its menu features American comfort food and lots of drink options. The restaurant regularly hosts events, like line dancing and open mic nights. To run most errands, locals will need to travel about 7 miles west to Blairstown or 10 miles south to Hackettstown. The former has spots like Buck Hill Brewery & Restaurant, with a large taproom and an extensive menu, and Doghouse Deli, which serves breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Shopping options in Blairstown include Tractor Supply Co., Advanced Auto Parts, Dollar General and an ACME Markets grocery store. Hackettstown is a little more developed. “It’s like its own little city,” O’Brien says. Here, locals will find a Weis Markets grocery store, Walmart Super Center, Target and more dining options, from drive-throughs to sit-downs.
Getting around Frelinghuysen Township
U.S. Interstate 80 runs through the area, but there aren’t any exits within the township. The closest one is about 8 miles southwest of the community’s center. New Jersey state Route 94 runs east-west in the northern part of Frelinghuysen Township. “A lot of people live in Warren County and work in New York City,” O’Brien says. “It’s a trade-off. You have a longer commute, but you get to live in a nice area and get a better value for your home.” It’s an 11-mile drive to the Hackettstown train station, which is served by NJ Transit’s Morristown Line and Montclair-Boonton Line. The closest station with direct service to Manhattan, about 60 miles east, is in Mount Arlington, about 17 miles northeast. “People can just hop on I-80, get to the station in about 20 minutes, and catch a train or a bus east,” O’Brien says. For air travel, Newark Liberty International Airport is about 55 miles east.
Written By
Adreanna DeMarino
