A Princeton mailing address is one of the most desirable addresses in New Jersey, with a plethora of prime attributes contributing to the town’s prestigious cachet. Princeton and neighboring West Windsor, where the Bear Brook Homes community is located, offer top-ranked educational institutions, highly regarded arts and culture, superb shopping and dining opportunities, and abundant recreational amenities.
The area boasts a choice Mercer County location about one hour from both New York City and Philadelphia, with Route 206, Route 1, I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike in proximity.
Rail service is available from the Princeton Junction station in West Windsor — one of the busiest train stations in the state. Princeton Junction is one of seven hamlets in West Windsor, a town made famous when Orson Welles delivered the 1938 radio broadcast of his science fiction novel, “War of the Worlds.” In the play, a fake news broadcast announced that martians were headed to Earth and the landing site was the West Windsor village of Grovers Mill. A monument to the legendary broadcast is located at Van Nest Park, adjacent to Grovers Mill Pond.
Though many residents of Mercer County commute to northern New Jersey or New York City, there are abundant employment opportunities close to home. Research facilities, pharmaceutical labs, think tanks and other corporations are located at Princeton University office and research facilities, including Princeton Forrestal Center. Bristol-Myers Squibb has several large office campus in the region.
Education
Children who live in West Windsor may attend public schools in the highly regarded West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. * Both of the district’s high schools are ranked among the top 20 public high schools in New Jersey for 2018 by U.S. News and World Report.
For higher education, Money magazine’s Best Colleges of 2018 list ranked Princeton University No. 1. In addition, the Ivy League school was ranked first among national universities in 2018 for the eighth year in a row by U.S. News and World Report.
Other schools in the area include several vocational-technical schools, Rider University, The College of New Jersey, Westminster Choir College and Rutgers University. Mercer County Community College is located in West Windsor, and there are many private educational facilities for younger students.
Arts & Culture
The area is chock full of entertainment venues that host a variety of performances, including McCarter Theater Center in Princeton. Crossroads Theatre Company, State Theatre New Jersey and George Street Playhouse are in nearby New Brunswick, in Middlesex County. New Jersey’s preeminent professional ballet company, American Repertory Ballet, is based in Princeton, and its Princeton Ballet School has three locations in central New Jersey. Princeton University Art Museum features works ranging from ancient to contemporary, and Grounds for Sculpture is a nonprofit, 42-acre sculpture park, museum, and arboretum located in Hamilton.
Shopping & Dining
Princeton’s premier shopping and dining opportunities are concentrated at Palmer Square, where visitors can stroll tree-lined sidewalks surrounded by Colonial architecture. The downtown area features a bounty of unique shops and restaurants, plus music festivals, pop-up art exhibits and other cultural experiences that take place throughout the year on the Green. In West Windsor, shopping centers include Windsor Plaza and the upscale fashion and home furnishing shops at MarketFair. More shopping and dining options are available at Princeton Forrestal Village, Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrenceville, and Hamilton Marketplace in Trenton.
Recreation
Whether it’s kayaking, horseback riding or biking, the Princeton region offers a wide variety of recreational activities. Mercer County Park spans 2,500 acres and features an outdoor tennis center, boat marina and ice skating center, plus a 100-acre athletic complex. WaterWorks is a large family aquatic center in West Windsor with leisure and lap pools, a two-story waterslide, and more. Area golf courses include Princeton Country Club, Mercer Oaks Golf Course, Cranbury Golf Club and Forsgate Country Club. Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Pennington, Working Dog Winery in Robbinsville, and Terhune Orchards and Winery in Lawrence Township are beautiful places to learn about the art of wine making.
* Weichert, Realtors® does not warrant or guarantee that your child(ren) may attend any particular school. You are advised to contact the municipality prior to entering into the contract of sale to determine what school or schools your child(ren) will attend should you purchase a home within the development.
