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Raritan Borough

Raritan, NJ

What We Love About Raritan

  • Lovely old town / new town feel
  • Proper Walkable Main Street
  • Top rated DeLucia’s Pizza (9.4 on On Bite Pizza Reviews)
  • Above Average Schools
  • Lower Taxes
  • Great for Commuters
  • Good Home Prices
  • Amazing Food Options
  • Brand New And Older Housing Options
  • Train Station
  • Culturally Diverse
  • Parades, Street Fairs, Fun Events For The Family
  • River Town
  • Several Great Parks
  • Wegman’s, Trader Joe’s, Shoprite and Whole Foods (under 10 minutes)
  • Mall Big Box Store Shopping (Under 10 Minutes)
  • Fast Food, National Chain Restaurants, Diners and Ethnic Eateries Nearby

Raritan is located in Somerset County, New Jersey – Skylands Region – an hour from NYC by car.

From NYC it takes barely an hour to get here by car. Raritan is part of the Skylands region of NJ, which is made up largely of farms, fairs, rivers, mountains, parks, wineries and outdoor activities. Even though you have some rural living, as with most of NJ, you are not far from shopping, groceries, dining and work.

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Ratings and Reviews

Coming soon!

Quick Facts

Raritan is located in Somerset County, New Jersey – Skylands Region – an hour from NYC by car.

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Quick facts about Raritan:

COMMUTE TIME (Hour:Minutes) ⓘ

These times are based on info from New Jersey Transit and Google Maps. Shortest times are given. Use our map above to calculate more accurate commute times to any address.
0:50+

Car ride to NYC.

1:25+

Train service to NYC.

2:00+

Bus service to NYC.

SIZE ⓘ

People per square mile gives you an idea of how much breathing room a town has. NYC has around 27,000 while a well equipped walkable town might have around 5,000. Smaller towns with more single family homes and large yards usually have under 1,000. Click on more info below to see where we get our data. 
7,765

Population estimate, July 1, 2019

1.99

Square miles

3,453

People per square mile

HOUSING ⓘ

Median cost to rent or own is basically the average cost of renting or owning per month in any given town. It’s not exact. Median values include the most expensive dwellings and the cheapest dwellings all averaged together, but with some weight added to higher concentrations in the data set. Just gives you some basic basis of comparison between towns. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.

$1,667

Median gross rent, 2014-2018

$2,228

Median selected monthly owner costs – with a mortgage, 2014-2018

$335,200

Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2014-2018

PROPERTY TAX ⓘ

Approximate tax on $100K of home value. Ex: If you pay $500K for a house, multiply the number in the left column by 5 to get an idea of what you will have to pay each year in property taxes.

$2,571

Property taxes per $100,000 in home value.

Compare tax rates in the Raritan area.

EDUCATION ⓘ

Gives you the ability to quickly see how much of a town has graduated from high school or higher ed. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.
91.60%

High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2014-2018

15.10%

Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2014-2018

INCOME ⓘ

Gives you an idea of how much people make in this town compared to other towns you look at. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.

$127,358

Median household income (in 2018 dollars), 2014-2018

AGE DISTRIBUTION ⓘ

Gives you an idea of how old your neighbors might be. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.
19.50%

Persons under 18 years

15.10%

Persons 65 years and over

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE STATS & INFO ON RACE, INCOME AND HOUSING

See more stats on race, income and housing
(Hint: Sort by using the “All Topics” pull down menu)

See more stats on property taxes in NJ (green is lower, red is higher)

Does it flood? (FEMA flood maps)

Local Events Calendar

There’s a lot going on in the area. Come to a local event and share in the fun with the whole family! Here’s what’s going on around Somerset County this month

Schools

The schools in Raritan are generally above average.

See the school scores

Walk & Bike Score

NOTE: All scores over 50 are actually good! Scores under 50 mean you would have a more difficult time

See walking and biking scores

Rate Your Own Town

Coming soon! – Do you live here or in NJ? Let the world know what you love about your town.

Local Political Climate

Historically New Jersey has elected more Republicans to office; however, in recent elections conservatives are being edged out somewhat, in part because there are fewer registered Republicans than Democrats in most of the state. About 80% of the counties have more registered Democrats than Republicans, but elections are still tight. In general Republicans are better at getting out the vote on election night than Democrats.

Somerset County Voting Results by Town

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School Scores – click on schools please

Walking and Biking Score – any score over 50 is good​

The Full Story of Raritan Borough, NJ

What is it like living in Raritan, NJ?

Raritan Borough is known for its small-town feel, where many neighbors know each other by name. The town takes pride in its Italian heritage, celebrating WWII hero and congressional Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone in a parade every September. Everyone is invited to attend the family-friendly annual St. Ann’s Italian Festa during four days each June to play festival games, enjoy locally-made Italian delicacies, and chat with friends and neighbors. Italian family-owned and operated businesses like Randazzo’s Bakery, DeLucia’s Pizza, and Espo’s Restaurant and Bar are mainstays of the town’s character. While you can still hear many older folks speaking Italian, these days you’re just as likely to hear Spanish and Tagalog while walking down the town’s main street, as new people arrive, open up businesses, and contribute to the town’s economy and cultural life. Raritan residents enjoy all the conveniences of modern suburban life while maintaining more of a walkable, neighborhood feel than is found in neighboring towns.

That’s Raritan in a nutshell!

Click to read more

The borough, which contains affordable mid 20th century homes on small lots and a small, walkable downtown, is beginning to transition to a transit-oriented commuter hub. A brand new apartment complex on First Ave is only one block from the NJ Transit train station for trips to Newark and NYC along the Raritan Valley Line. The station has fairly ample permit parking for commuters and NYC entertainment seekers especially on weekends. 

The borough’s central avenue (called Somerset St., not Main St) has a medium sized downtown area with some restaurants, bakeries, an ice cream shop, pizza places, convenience stores, a public library, post office, a liquor and wine shop and more, interspersed with residences and a few office buildings nearby. The NJ Transit train station is only a few blocks from Somerset St. and an easy walk from any neighborhood (a mile or less). Just a block off Somerset Street is the picturesque, turned pedestrian-only Nevius Street Bridge constructed in 1886. It spans over the Raritan River and to a paved walking path leading to Duke Farms, a major outdoor recreation and environmental education destination, in neighboring Hillsborough. Great spot to go in the afternoon or evening any time of year. 

 

Apartment Buildings in Raritan Borough

Crossings at Raritan:  A brand new apartment complex between 1st and 2nd Avenues (59 2nd Ave. address) about a quarter mile from Rt. 202, and within a few blocks of the NJ transit station, and walkable to downtown.  Apartments will be available any day now. The rents are not yet listed. Pets allowed. Dog Park is across the street.

River Park at Raritan, an approximately 10 year old apartment complex a short block away from downtown and close to a strip mall and golf driving range. It has not become the high end residences once touted, but its prices still are high for the location.  One and 2 bedroom apts. Rents from $1,660 to $2200 and 2 bedroom loft units orig at $2800.

The Lena Apartments (100 River Park Dr.; 1-3 bedroom units range from $1676 to $2629. Units are large and fairly recent (10 years old); less than a block from main street.

Stone Ridge in Raritan (luxury apts a few years old) are on the outskirts of the borough along Rt 202 (925 US Rt 202) not far from the Wegman’s and Home Depot shopping center. They are located a little over a half mile from the NJ Transit station.  Apartments rent for about $2,225 for 2 brm/2 baths with 1,315 sq ft.

Other apartments in nearby Somerville and Bridgewater round out the range of apartment options in the area. See those town profiles on our website for more information.

 

The Commute to NYC and Newark

Train:   NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line station is located a few short blocks from downtown; shortest trip to NYC is a bit over 80 minutes. Most trains to New York City require a transfer at Newark Penn Station which may add 10+ minutes to a trip. A few trains go straight through to NYC during weekday rush hour. Proposals exist to improve the commute by: adding a second tunnel under the Hudson River, but construction has not started. Additional NJ transit stations with parking nearby are in Somerville and Bridgewater. Details about those stations, including their parking fees, can be found in their profiles on our website.

Bus routes:  Rush hour commuter buses are available to Port Authority/NYC: from the Bridgewater Commons mall, from the Park & Ride lot on Rt.22, and from The Hills in Bedminster (Lakeland Bus) for a 70 min. trip costing $13.75 one way and $118.50 for a 10 trip ticket.

Automobile:  Major Highways dot the Raritan/Bridgewater area: for commuting there are Rts. 287 and 78.  Time to Newark Liberty Airport is about 40 minutes. Key local roads are Rt 22, Rt. 28 and Rt 202/206.  By car the shortest time to NYC is about 1 hour.  

 

Schools

Raritan and Bridgewater have a highly revered combined public school system; Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. According to Niche.com ratings: overall rating of A+ and 4th best system in Somerset County, with an A+ in academics and college preparation, A in sports, B in diversity and B+ in food. The schools are a central attraction for newcomers looking for great towns to raise school-aged children.

Elementary:  

VanderVeer: preK-5th grade, 900 students, rated 4 of 10 by GreatSchools.

John F. Kennedy: K-4th grade, 400 students, rated 4 of 10.

Eisenhower: 5-6th grade, 800 students, rated 5 of 10.

 

Middle:  

Bridgewater-Raritan, located in neighboring Bridgewater, 7-8th grade, 1400 students, rated 7 of 10.

 

High school:

Bridgewater-Raritan, located in Bridgewater, 9-12th grade, 2800 students, rated 8 of 10.

 

Parochial schools: 

St. Ann’s School, preK- 8th grade, located in Raritan.

Immaculate Conception preK-8th grade, located in nearby Somerville.

Immaculata High School, 9-12th grade, located in nearby Somerville.

Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School, located in Bridgewater, see full description in our Bridgewater profile.

 

Public Colleges in the area:

Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC): two-year community college at attractive tuition rates is about 5 miles away in Branchburg, offers associate’s degrees and certificate programs, very cost effective way to complete first two years of a bachelor’s degree. Partnered with Rutgers and NJIT gives students full credit transfer in several degree programs. 

Rutgers University, about 13 miles drive to New Brunswick.

 

Parks and Recreation

Several small parks in town offer recreational activities (pools, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc.). Duke Island Park is in neighboring Bridgewater but very close to Raritan; North Branch Park also in Bridgewater is the location of the annual Somerset County 4H Fair in August. Duke Farms is a closeby outdoor recreation destination with environmental education programs for children and adults. Drive time to Jersey shore towns like Bradley Beach and Belmar is about 1 hour even on weekends.

 

Key employers

LabCorp, large facility off 1st Ave., particularly important for Coronavirus testing.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Beerse, Belgium and owned by Johnson & Johnson.

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is an in vitro diagnostics company that makes products and diagnostic equipment for blood testing. 

Many more large employers in the area as described in our Bridgewater profile for local job opportunities.  Industries are in the county:  insurance (MetLife, Aon Hewitt), technology (Qualcomm, Juniper Networks), financial (Merrill Lynch), pharma (Roche) and the Bridgewater Commons Mall.

 

Population (2010 census) of 6,881 up 8.6% from year 2000. 

Distribution 2010 census: 76% white, 16% Latino and Hispanic, 2% African-American.

Size: 2.037 square mile borough.

Area cultural attractions:  RVCC theater, Princeton McCarter theater, Patriots independent league baseball in Somerville, Rutgers sports in New Brunswick, for more see our regional profile.

Library system:  The Raritan Library is part of the Raritan Valley Federation of Municipal Libraries. One of two or so large library systems in the area. 

Hospital: RWJ/ Barnabas has one of its large hospitals in East Main St. Somerville, just a few miles from Raritan.

 

Neighborhoods

Check back for more information about the neighborhoods that are either in this town or nearby.

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The information provided on this site is for promotional purposes. Not all statements are verified before publishing. It is strongly suggested that always contact the school district and the local municipality directly to verify important information before deciding to move or buy in that location. LovableTowns does not discriminate against any state or federally protected class as it relates to Fair Housing Act and The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD).
Photos by: Casey Kittel, Google Street View, etc.