If anyone ventures to define and describe the Borough of Raritan, New Jersey, they’re sure to be in for a delightful dilemma. Can the area be classified as a charming small town, a booming metropolis filled with abundant professional and occupational opportunity, or a mecca of natural beauty and historical landmarks? Actually this scenic community qualifies as all three—and then some!
Many people flock to Raritan in search of the job of their dreams, which can be found easily at the Raritan Center business park, which includes a full 2,350 acres of occupational opportunities at Fortune 500 companies that include Campbell Soup, Marriott, Macy’s, Verizon, Wells Fargo, and Exxon-Mobil.
Additional opportunity can be found both at other business sites within the community—which boasts a thriving mass transit system–and in nearby cities; easily accessible via a network of major highways that surrounds Raritan. And the community boasts a Blue Ribbon school system and is located near the campus of the internationally renowned Rutgers University.
Yet if it is occupational and educational opportunity that draws people to Raritan, then it is the borough’s rich history, beautiful natural landscape and fun family friendly atmosphere that make them stay.
With a name that translates to “forked river,” Raritan finds its origins as the home of Lenape Indians and later Dutch, French and English settlers. The community quickly became known as a thriving farm town and trading center along with a birthplace of industry, as well as for its proximity to a navigable river. Alexander Hamilton established a canal here, and the borough still reigns as a place of historical significance, serving as the home of preserved buildings ranging from the Middaugh Tavern to classically designed churches, as well as the Coejeman House—the one occupied by Lafayette during the Revolutionary War. And the borough still maintains a historic committee, where residents can do their part to keep the legacy of this classic town alive and thriving.
A visit to this family friendly community is like taking a step back in time, to a place where homes are built in the classic Colonial style and your neighbors become a part of your extended family. This is a town where they still host old-fashioned Christmas festivities, Easter egg hunts, Fourth of July and Halloween parades, Memorial Day remembrances, pool parties and cookouts, and outdoor movies. You can join adult and youth sports teams and partake in recreation days, take the pets to a dog park, and attend the much celebrated Riverfest concert.
Additional fun can be had at the many food and hospitality centers located in Raritan, including four star hotels; restaurants that include grills, classic Americana, delis, healthy cafés, Asian, Italian, French, and Greek; as well as shopping malls, centers, and plazas.
Raritan also happens to be a bountiful Mecca of environmental beauty and consciousness, where you can visit multiple parks as well as a nature preserve, walk scenic trails, join an environmental commission, as well as participate in high tech recycling as well as Raritan River cleanup day programs.
Come home to Raritan.
