South Bound Brook

Pleasant homes, historical landmarks, a thriving restaurant scene and proximity to New York City and Philadelphia should tell you most of what you need to know about South Bound Brook. “Commuters look to this area for its distance to major cities, including New Brunswick, and lower taxes,” says Realtor Alex Monaco with RE/MAX InStyle Realty, who's lived in a neighboring town for the past six years and has been selling real estate for 10. “Compared to neighborhoods closer to New York or Philly, homes here are lower in price. They offer nothing over the top, but are nice, comfortable places to live.”

South Bound Brook features colonials and ranches that start for as little as $240,000 and can sell for as high as $650,000. Here, city blocks are densely packed around the Raritan River and Delaware and Raritan Canal, where streets are perfectly paved and the yards neatly trimmed. But there are parts south around Interstate 287 where the roads become more gravel-edged and the land more densely tree-covered, such as in the Nassau Park Buffer, giving the neighborhood a more rural feel. “Most properties are not huge,” Monaco says. “But many have decent backyards and finished basements that add living space and appeal.” Townhouses with single-car garages also sell in the $400,000 range, and condos, some with canal views, are priced in the $300,000 range.

South Bound Brook schools all received above-average grades from Niche. Robert Morris School, a PK-8 elementary/junior high, scored a B. The school recently rolled out a smartphone app that provides fast access to documents, information about events, news updates and emergency notices to users. At Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter, a K-12 school with an A rating, students utilize instructional models focused on green/renewable energy, and the school offers world languages, including French, Spanish, Turkish and Hindi. At Franklin High, a B-plus school, students can excel academically and creatively with AP courses, core subjects and its fine arts, visual arts and performing arts program.

In the heart of the neighborhood, Memorial Park is so named after a cluster of monuments to wars, such as Vietnam. Nearby, children can climb and explore the park’s jungle gyms and swings, but its main feature is a baseball diamond with bleachers. To the south, Little League fields draw crowds on game day, and to the west, Nassau Park offers a playground, basketball court and an open field for soccer. Events like reenacting the Battle of Bound Brook draw residents and visitors to the Abraham Staats House. This historic home was the headquarters for George Washington’s drillmaster Baron von Steuben. Another landmark is St. Andrew Memorial Church, a monument to Ukrainian Cossack Baroque architecture.

For food choices, Main Street near Canal Road features several stores and restaurants, such as Joe’s Meat Market, which carries a full line of Boar’s Head deli meats and cheeses and offers a full butcher shop where sausage and kielbasa are prepared. “Joe’s was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for its food,” Monaco says. The market is known for its pizza and serves hot subs, salads, pasta and pot pies. Food from other cultures is also nearby, including Kabab Paradise, located in the South Bound Brook Mall, which offers halal Afghan and American fare, and Delicias de la Gracia, which serves food from Honduras and Costa Rica. Also on Main, Amazing Taste is a soul food restaurant with favorites like fried fish, meatloaf, and baked macaroni and cheese. A quick way to sample the local fare is to attend the South Bound Brook Food Truck & Music Fest held in Memorial Park every year. A dog-friendly event, the festival features 15 vendors and benefits the local fire department.

With the Bound Brook station of New Jersey Transit just north of the neighborhood and Interstate 287 to the south, South Bound Brook is a community for the foodie, the history buff and anyone who wants to be within a short commute of major East Coast cities.

Written By

Christopher Kopczynski

Video By

Houston Knight