BERNARDSVILLE, NJ (Homes For Sale In Bernardsville, NJ)
Just an hour west of Manhattan is a charming and historic town named Bernardsville, NJ. This serene, upscale community features some of the finest homes and premier estates in New Jersey. Bernardsville has a population approximately 7700 people. This small town has long been a sanctuary from the rigors of New York City. Bernardsville has been home to celebrities, industrialists and high-ranking government officials. The area allows one to enjoy the scenic landscapes, peaceful ambiance, as well as town-wide events. If you are looking for homes for sale in Bernardsville, NJ, here is some helpful information.
Bernardsville boosts abundant parks, playgrounds, and sporting fields. There is a centrally located a town pond host to the annual Fishing Derby, private golf courses, as well as bike and walking trails at the Audubon. Bernardsville has a beautiful public library, scenic country roads, and a town pool complex with three pools and a swim team. The Chamber of Commerce and the volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Responders provide annual community events such as Sounds Around Town, Unity Day and Blast off to Summer festivities. Downtown Bernardsville has retained much of its historic charm, but has also extended north to accommodate the needs of its residents. Bernardsville has a quaint downtown feeling with small elegant shops, sophisticated restaurants, and an elegant hotel and restaurant at The Bernards Inn. Bernardsville has family eateries, a movie theatre, ice cream shops, coffee shops, and grocery stores.
Bernardsville is also rich in American history as the American Revolutionary War was fought on Bernardsville's land and much of the property of Jockey Hollow Park. There are homes and shops that date back to the Revolution in town as well as historic museums to visit in the surrounding areas of Morristown. Bernardsville's public school systems are some of the best in the state and offer a premier education and extra-curricular activities. There are also excellent private schools and preschools to meet each family's needs. Bernardsville is centrally located to Newark Liberty International Airport, New York City and the Jersey Shore each less than an hour away. All are accessed by local highways, bus service, as well as mid-town direct train service from the Bernardsville Train Station. Bernardsville borders on the towns of Peapack-Gladstone, Far Hills, Basking Ridge, Bedminster, Mendham and New Vernon/Harding. Bernardsville is just 12.85 square miles in total area from the downtown to the prestigious mountain neighborhood. The welcoming neighbors are proud to ensure Bernardsville, NJ homes are a comfortable and friendly place to call home.
EDUCATION
Bernardsville, NJ has a reputable public school system. People often move to this area because they want homes for sale in Bernardsville, NJ to reap the benefit of the strong public school system. This adds value to their home purchase while positively affecting their children or children in the community. The Bernardsville Public Schools located in town include the Marion T. Bedwell Elementary School, Bernardsville Middle School, and Bernards High School. These three schools are part of the Somerset Hills Regional School District which serves students from Bernardsville, Far Hills, Bedminster (which has its own K-8) and Peapack-Gladstone. The district has a support and dedicated parent role through the Home and School Association and The Somerset Hills Education Foundation.
The Marion T. Bedwell Elementary School (about 720 students) provides education for Kindergarten through 4th grade as well as an inclusionary Pre-K program. The Bernardsville Middle School (about 555 students) supports grades 5-8. These two schools are housed in separate state of the art facilities on the same campus. The buildings neighbor the Polo Grounds sports fields, six tennis courts, the town pools and the school playground while backing up to the Audubon open space. The roads nearby and leading to campus are sidewalk lined for walkers and bikers and the schools have busing, including a late bus service for Middle School students who need to stay after school.
The Bernardsville High School for grades 9-12 is less than a mile away from the primary schools and has multiple state of the art facilities, science labs, theatres, library and fields. The school is located near town within walking distance from the main downtown section of Bernardsville. The school has an enrollment of about 760 students with a student-teacher ratio of 12.9. The school has been recognized for its International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) as well as Advanced Placement (AP) courses which have been offered and can lead to college credits. The school was ranked high in both Newsweek's annual study listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States as well as in New Jersey Monthly magazine coverage of the state's Top Public High Schools. The school takes much pride in its sports, music, clubs and other extra-curricula opportunities, as well as its academics.
There are ample, fine preschool and private schools to choose from in Bernardsville and the surrounding area as well.
HOUSES OF WORSHIP
One of the simple qualities of buying a Bernardsville, NJ home is the opportunity to easily walk about town, even for church services or to enjoy the beauty of these buildings. There are many quaint and well supported larger churches in Bernardsville, NJ. A few are Bernardsville United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Bernardsville, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Saint Bernard's Episcopal Church, and Saint John on the Mountain. Other religious temples, synagogues, and congregations are in neighboring towns.
ATTRACTIONS, RECREATION, and GROUPS
The Polo Grounds consist of football fields, baseball fields, and a multi-purpose field for soccer and field hockey as well as other town recreation programs. There are also six tennis courts. There is a new playground and fitness course at this location as it backs up to the elementary school and middle schools. The Bernardsville town pool which hosts three pools and a diving tank is located in the area of the Polo Grounds and schools.
Kiwanis Park consists of two Little League playing fields and Peter's Park Playground.
Claremont Field consists of a Little League field, Tiny Tot Playground, and the Recreation Field House. The Rosebowl is a lighted softball field located off of Route 202 near Borough Hall and the town pond, named Nervine Pond which hosts the annual Fishing Derby and Bernardsville's Unity Day. Sounds Around Town is a bi-annual town wide event which promotes the local businesses, brings people out to socialize, listen to local bands, dance, eat and enjoy the basics of living in a small town. It runs from one end of town by the pond to other by the local hardware store.
The Bernardsville Public Library is central to town and offers great programs for all ages and backgrounds. The volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Rescue Teams are well supported by the townspeople. Besides offering emergency support for Bernardsville, they host the Blast off to Summer event, a pancake breakfast, a pasta dinner and other year round fundraisers that are fun for the family, singles and the elderly.
The Bernardsville Garden Club, the Lions Club, Heartworks, the Somerset Hills YMCA, the Chamber of Commerce are some of the numerous groups to get involved with or support while making your home in Bernardsville, NJ. Bernardsville is centrally located to other beautiful outdoor opportunities including Jockey Hollow Park, the Audubon, Lord Stirling Park and The Rapture Trust. It is a priceless amenity to have such culture, recreation and prominence in one's backyard. Homes for sale in Bernardsville, NJ are sure to maintain their values due to the prestige of the attractions and recreation of this community.
HISTORY OF BERNARDSVILLE, NJ
Bernardsville, with roots rich in the Revolutionary War era, has managed to maintain its small-town charm in the face of modern-day development pressures. Bernardsville was once a section of Bernards Township known as Vealtown. During the American Revolutionary War, General Charles Lee rested his soldiers in Vealtown near December 12th, 1776. General Lee and some of his troops spent the night about three miles SE at White's Inn on the SE side of Basking Ridge, NJ, near the manor house of Lord Stirling, also known as American General William Alexander. The next morning, General Lee was captured by the British and removed to New York. In 1840, Vealtown was named Bernardsville after Sir Francis Bernard, a Colonial governor of New Jersey from 1758 to 1760. Quietly located in the northern most part of Somerset County, just 12 miles south of Morristown, New Jersey, this pastoral community lays in some of the very last vestiges of the Great Eastern Forest.
Many affluent and well-known New Yorkers moved into the area, first as summer visitors, then as permanent residents of the prestigious Bernardsville Mountain. The railroad line was built through Bernardsville in 1872 and played a significant role in the borough's development. Bernardsville become an independent municipality in 1924, when it split from Bernards Township.
The town utilizes a Borough form of New Jersey municipal government in which it is governed by a mayor and six-member Borough Council. All positions are elected at large in partisan elections and the Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council's six members are elected to serve three year terms on a rotating basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. Bernardsville's Borough Hall, circa 1800, was previously known as Bunn's Mill. It also operated as a grist mill, sawmill, cider mill and distillery in the mid 1800s. More information about the borough can be found at www.bernardsvilleboro.org.
The New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites recommended the Olcott Avenue historic district be designated in early 2009. The stately Olcott Avenue School is one historic structure within Bernardsville's first historic district area. The neighborhood's appeal and historic significance illustrated the rise of the middle class in Bernardsville and how this vicinity impacted the entire community, from the downtown, to Little Italy, and the Bernardsville Mountain.
Bernardsville is an ideal location to make one's home as it has something for everyone from the first time homebuyer and renters, to those downsizing to classy townhouses, families appealing for neighborhoods, or those desiring an estate property. Bernardsville is well supported by its leaders and its involved townspeople. It is a place I have called home for over 36 years and in which I am proud to raise my family. To learn more about Bernardsville, NJ call me, Chuck Hendershot, at (908) 256-4285. It will be my pleasure to discuss your specific needs and help you find a home to meet them. For home listings in Bernardsville and the surrounding areas, visit my website at www.topsomersethomes.com and my blog at www.familyrealestateadvice.com.
Comments(4)