Lopatcong Township offers suburban convenience near Phillipsburg
Lopatcong is a township in Warren County just outside the town of Phillipsburg where residents have easy access to amenities for outdoor recreation, arterial highways and shopping. Incorporated in 1851, the township was named after an indigenous phrase that means “winter watering place for deer.” “Locals just call it Lopat, just like they call the neighboring Pohatcong Township 'Pohat',” says Moira Lindquist, a former township resident and local real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach. “Route 22 is a main road running through the area that basically divides Lopat, Pohat and Phillipsburg.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2020, just under 8,800 full-time residents were living in Lopatcong. The township has an overall CAP Index Crime Score of 3 out of 10, slightly lower than the national average of 4.
Turnkey homes range in price across the township
Homes in Lopatcong Township spend an average of 35 days listed on the market before being sold, which is a slightly shorter timeframe compared to national averages. “There’s a mix of older and newer housing in Lopat,” Lindquist says. “You have some developments that were built in the late 90s, and those blend in with the older homes from the 50s.” The average value of a home is nearly $460,000, which is higher than the average for the Lehigh Valley Metro Area. Most housing options are single-family homes, but a handful of condos exist throughout the township. Investment properties in need of repairs can sell as low as $100,000, but most turnkey homes here range from about $200,000 to a little over $600,000. A handful of larger New Traditional estates are priced a bit higher, between $650,000 and nearly $900,000.
Attending Lopatcong Township schools and Phillipsburg High
For primary and intermediate education, students are served by the local Lopatcong Township School District. Prekindergarten through fourth-grade students can attend Lopatcong Elementary, which receives an overall B-minus rating from Niche. Lopatcong Township Middle serves grades five through eight and is rated B. Secondary students in this area are zoned for the B-plus-rated Phillipsburg High School, which is housed in a newer building in the nearby town of Phillipsburg. High school students can take courses through the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department, which covers education for industries like agriculture, technology and consumer services.
Local parks, golf courses and Delaware River activities
Lopatcong Township encompasses several popular spots for outdoor recreation, including the Architects Golf Club, an 18-hole public golf course known for its challenging layout. At the center of the township is Lopatcong Park and Pavilion, a gathering space for the community that features a playground, picnic areas and athletic facilities for baseball, tennis and basketball. The park sits adjacent to the new Phillipsburg High School campus. Lopatcong Township is also bordered by the Delaware River and the Marble Hill Natural Area, where locals can find a handful of hiking trails through the woods and along the riverfront. Kayaking and canoeing are also popular activities on the water.
Lopatcong's shopping and dining scene
Most of Lopatcong Township’s shopping and dining amenities line Jersey Route 22, which curves through the community and continues south through the neighboring Greenwich Township. Convenience stores, fast-food chains and national retailers like CVS can all be found along the route within the township’s limits. Farther south on the route are supermarket options like ShopRite and several big-box stores, including Target and Walmart. Local restaurants, small businesses and boutiques are less than a mile away in the bordering town of Phillipsburg.
Drive through Lopatcong and Warren County
Lopatcong Township is a primarily car-dependent community, where commutes have easy access to arterial thoroughfares like Interstate 78 and New Jersey Route 173, which meet at a busy highway interchange south of the township. Residents are also convenient to New Jersey Route 57, a busy local highway that runs in an east-west alignment through the township and connects with Route 173. Morristown Airport is a general aviation facility approximately 18 miles away. Thirty-two miles away is the Newark Liberty International Airport, a larger hub for commercial flights. St. Luke’s Hospital – Warren Campus borders Lopatcong and has a 24-hour emergency department.
