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No way! I'm telling you, no way!
Why look for problems. I have kids and I found a gorgeous home there. I thought it was South Bound Brook. As soon as I saw Franklin on the spec sheet, we hightailed!
No way! I'm telling you, no way!
Why look for problems. I have kids and I found a gorgeous home there. I thought it was South Bound Brook. As soon as I saw Franklin on the spec sheet, we hightailed!
yeah, what you said. have coworkers who live there - they ALL send their kids to private/catholic school.
Every"ONE" Keeps Confusing These Towns... There Is A Franklin (just plain Franklin) "AND" A Franklin Township aka Franklin Park the Zipcode is approx 08823.... Please Learn The FACTS before posting details and find out which Town to be EXACT!!!
As far as Franklin Park... It's QUIET and FAMILY Like ALWAYS!!! Once you leave this little town and yes it is a town in itself... and head down route 27 toward N. Brunswick and other surrounding areas esp Brunswick it can be in looks as far as my opinion on the rougher looking side... as most ppl stated, every town, city, and area have the Good, The BAD and The UGLYYYYY!!! Franklin Park/ Franklin Twp itself is by far NOt a bad place to live... I am out and about often driving up and down these roads, eating in the restaurants, shopping and just SIGHT SEEING and I know I can see out both eyes and this area may not be 100% best but it is not even 50% Worst I do think the ranking of # 5 is good for that small circle. Franklin Park is NOT considered apart of the other areas which are considered BAD (sorry) but this is true)... This little "small" portion of a town has such great qualities to raise a family!
Speaking as someone who has lived--very happily--in the Somerset section of Franklin Twp for 16 years, I can tell you that almost all of this 47 square mile township has a very low crime rate and a very high quality of life.
The area adjoining New Brunswick, along both Rt. 27 and Hamilton St, does have a high crime rate. However, that area constitutes--perhaps--2 sq miles out of the total 47 sq miles. The rest of the township--which encompasses Somerset, Middlebush, Pleasant Plains, Griggstown, Zarephath, East Millstone, Little Rocky Hill, part of Kingston, and Franklin Park--is beautiful, bordering on idyllic. Those who tell you otherwise are simply not very familiar with the township.
You would be hard-pressed to find another area this close to major highways that has the type and scope of open spaces, clean air, and recreational facilities that Franklin Twp has.
Yes, the high school and the middle school do suffer from a reputation somewhere between mediocre and poor, but the elementary schools are fine.
When I want to go hiking, I can choose from the path along the D & R Canal (where the loudest noises are the calls of the birds), to the Butler Road Natural Area, the Bunker Hill Natural Area, the Franklin Park Natural Area, the Griggstown Grassland Preserve, and the Negri-Nepote Grassland Preserve. The diversity of wildlife is incredible, and I have encountered Great Blue Herons, Ring-neck Pheasants, various types of ducks, and an almost uncountable number of other bird species on my hikes. When you are in these areas, it is difficult to believe that you are only a few miles from New Brunswick, Rt 1 and Rt 287. "Unspoiled" is a word that is truly appropriate for the widespread open areas available for recreation.
When I want the most costly poultry for the dinner table, I only have to drive as far as Griggstown in order to buy their fancy game birds and chickens. During the summer, the same folks run a Community-Sponsored Agriculture program, giving me a large quantity of organic produce each week during the growing season.
If I want to see a reasonably-priced, decent-quality community theater production, I can go to The Villagers Theater, located within the municipal complex. If I want to see a professional theater production or a concert, I can be in New Brunswick in 15 minutes. If I want to dash down to Princeton for the cultural offerings there, I can be on Nassau St in ~25 minutes.
The municipal services are good, and I have found municipal personnel to be both respectful and quick to respond to requests for services.
You owe it to yourself to take a long ride around the township in order to see the diversity in home sizes, ages, and types. Those who think that the blighted area adjoining New Brunswick is typical of the overall ambiance of the township are just not knowledgeable about the total scope of the situation in Franklin.
Last edited by Retriever; 03-11-2011 at 11:52 AM..
Every"ONE" Keeps Confusing These Towns... There Is A Franklin (just plain Franklin) "AND" A Franklin Township aka Franklin Park the Zipcode is approx 08823.... Please Learn The FACTS before posting details and find out which Town to be EXACT!!!
As far as Franklin Park... It's QUIET and FAMILY Like ALWAYS!!! Once you leave this little town and yes it is a town in itself... and head down route 27 toward N. Brunswick and other surrounding areas esp Brunswick it can be in looks as far as my opinion on the rougher looking side... as most ppl stated, every town, city, and area have the Good, The BAD and The UGLYYYYY!!! Franklin Park/ Franklin Twp itself is by far NOt a bad place to live... I am out and about often driving up and down these roads, eating in the restaurants, shopping and just SIGHT SEEING and I know I can see out both eyes and this area may not be 100% best but it is not even 50% Worst I do think the ranking of # 5 is good for that small circle. Franklin Park is NOT considered apart of the other areas which are considered BAD (sorry) but this is true)... This little "small" portion of a town has such great qualities to raise a family!
Unfortunately, the above post is riddled with misinformation.
Please refer to my other post for a more complete, much more accurate description of Franklin Township, of which Franklin Park is one small part.
I lived in Franklin for a couple of years. I'm not there anymore thank God! It is going downhill in every way. Definitely agree with Anthony B not to move anywhere near Hamilton St./New Brunswick area. The elementary schools are OK but middle and high schools are not rated high at all. They spent millions of dollars on a beautiful state of the art high school for the gangs to destroy, yes, I'm talking about crips and blood gangs. Taxes are high and can find decent housing more towards the town offices, but be prepare to update old homes. Franklin is a huge township. The areas around Griggstown and Franklin Park are OK...more towards rural Griggstown and off Middlebush Road are very nice. Good luck!
Yup lived off willow ave in the town homes, and saw black kids pummeling another black kid while a soccer mom was walking her kids in a stroller across the street. Didn't get involved as I am no wuss but i don't carry weapons like a knife or gun so I don't know what those idiots were carrying
The area is a such a mixed pot , gorgeous high cost homes and 2 blocks away crap homes and 4 blocks away the hood. You can avoid those areas by not walking there and driving through but your KIDS are going to be stuck going to the same school and sitting next to these idiots. Most people I knew when i lived there send their kids to rutgers prep and other private school but they also bought in 1998 - 2000s before the housing bust so they can make ends meet. In todays world its next to impossible, if you can afford it you are better off living in Livingston or another nice town instead of blowing all you cash..
Oh an WAIT till you see the traffice going up 287 in the morning you will loose your mind... it is literally stop and go and take a good 30 minutes to drive past 2 exists ... and that is on a good day!
I wouldn't be that freaked. The gang thing is pretty limited to wannabes and it is no more prevelant than in any other towns in the area.
I would put the dividing street as JFK, the neighbourhoods are appreciably nicer on the side AWAY from Hamilton. Levitt is very pleasant, a really nice, quiet family oriented neighbourhood with good housing stock.
As the previous person mentioned, the Franklin Park area (where I live) and Griggstown are lovely and you will find nice sized lots, especially Griggstown. The local school there is Franklin Park and is the highest rated of the local elementary schools. My kids go there and I was wary because people from other towns kept obsessing about the schools, but the resources and quality of education they have recieved has exceeded my (and the doubters) expectations. And of course if you are thinking of private, there are plenty in the area.
The only houses to ever flood were the few lie between the Raritan river and Easton Ave and a couple of low lying ones on River Road. Only about 20 in all. Franklin isn't an appreciable flood zone.
Can't imagine paying for a private school on top of very high property costs and property taxes!
OMG! You scared me there, we almost bought a house by Bartle Rd (Inglebush area) and I see it's near Hamilton St. It was a beatiful well maintained half acre property but they already accepted an offer before we even got the disclosures. Thanks for the tips!
Winning!.
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