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These are fairly new apartments and can't seem to find anything about them. They are in Somerset,NJ. I have read where there are some not so good parts of Somerset,NJ. Have already secured an apartment there. Is this a fairly safe area. Is Somerset a diverse area. They are on Bristol Court off Easton.Any info and suggestions
Yes, they are very new.
The property was originally going to be a very upscale senior citizen condo community, but that developer went belly-up in the wake of the Bush Recession. Avalon bought the property, and decided to build a large complex of reasonably-priced apartments.
The area is exceptionally safe, although you are adjacent to very busy/congested Easton Avenue. The good part of that location is that you are only 2 minutes from I-287, and about 15 minutes from the theater and restaurant district of New Brunswick. There is a Stop & Shop supermarket (a very over-priced chain) about 2 minutes away. The convenience may trump their pricing policies.
Somerset is the largest community in Franklin Township, and although some people have the mistaken idea that Franklin Twp/Somerset is a dangerous area, the reality is that the Twp encompasses 47 square miles, and the only part of the township that could be considered ghetto/dangerous consists of only about 1.5 square miles, and that area is nowhere near the Avalon apartments.
Additionally, you may like to know that fully 1/3 of the township consists of the following: The Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, farms, forests, and "protected" open spaces where nothing can be built.
Most of the remainder of the township consists of well-kept private homes, very nice condo communities, and upscale "active adult" developments. In other words, not at all a ghetto environment for almost all of the residents of the township.
Your location puts you mid-way between the healthcare facilities of St. Peter's Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center (both in New Brunswick) and Somerset Medical Center in Somerville. Somerville, the county seat, is a community that is rapidly redeveloping, and is a restaurant destination town in its own right.
Once you get settled, you might want to explore the truly bucolic rural parts of the township. Anyone who visits Blackwells Mills, East Millstone, Griggstown, Pleasant Plains, Little Rocky Hill, and Middlebush--all of which are only a few minutes drive from Easton Avenue-- would soon realize that, overall, this township is not a dangerous area, and--in fact--has a very high quality of life and a low crime rate.
Thank you so much for the post. The apartments are beautiful and reasonable. You have put my mind at ease. There was also an area called the Meadows which is close by. Seems like a visit there would be nice also. Looking forward to being part of the neighborhood.
Thank you so much for the post. The apartments are beautiful and reasonable. You have put my mind at ease. There was also an area called the Meadows which is close by. Seems like a visit there would be nice also. Looking forward to being part of the neighborhood.
You are probably referrring to the Syman VanWickle House (named The Meadows), which is diagonally across Easton Avenue from your new apartment complex. That house, built in 1722, is the oldest surviving Dutch homestead in the township. Many years ago, when it was threatened with demolition, some concerned local citizens formed The Meadows Foundation to preserve it. Today, The Meadows Foundation owns a number (possible 8?) local, historic properties, keeps them in good condition, and opens to the public several times each year.
At the southern end of the township, in the community of Kingston, is the historic home known as Rockingham. This is the home that served as Washington's headquarters during a period of the Revolutionary War, and is where the general wrote his Farewell To The Armies. This home is owned by the state of NJ, and due to our esteemed governor's budget cuts, it now has very limited visiting hours. If you want to view this extremely historic site, it is best to phone ahead in order to determine if it is open when you want to visit. http://www.rockingham.net/
As a little bit of trivia about the township, the aforementioned community of Kingston has the distinction of being located in three townships (Franklin, Princeton, South Brunswick), and in three counties (Somerset, Mercer, and Middlesex). I don't know of any other community in the state that is divided that way. The historic little town was once one of three early English settlements in this area (Kingston, Queenston, and Princeton), all named to honor members of the British Royal Family. Queenston was enveloped by Princeton, and no longer exists.
As you may have gathered, this township is one of the most historic areas of the state, as well as one that contains an incredible amount of natural beauty. For recreation, I visit the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park several times each week, as I live adjacent to it, and the variety of birds and other animals that you can view there is truly incredible.
The canal's walking path also plays host to many bicyclists and equestrians, and is a beautiful, relaxing, and shady place to visit on a hot summer day. When you walk along that path, isolated from the sounds of traffic and other parts of modern life, you could imagine that you are actually hundreds of miles from civilization, rather than just minutes away.
This all sounds great. Now am very excited to see everything the town has to offer. When you think New Jersey, we in the south often remember the things we hear on the news,which is often bad. You really sound like you enjoy living in this area.
This all sounds great. Now am very excited to see everything the town has to offer. When you think New Jersey, we in the south often remember the things we hear on the news,which is often bad. You really sound like you enjoy living in this area.
In my 65 years, I have lived in many different locales, and when I "discovered" this area 17 years ago, I decided that this was the place where I would put down my permanent roots. After the passage of 17 years, my opinion on the quality of life in this area has only been strengthened.
In my earlier messages, I unintentionally omitted the largest recreational/open area in the township, namely the Six Mile Run Reservoir Site. Back in the '70s, the state of NJ purchased a large number of farms in the central core of the township, with the intention of excavating a huge reservoir to serve Central NJ.
More than 3 decades later, nothing of the sort has been built, and likely never will be. So, after a lot of urging from environmentalists and naturalists, the state designated it as a recreational area and laid out hiking trails that take you through varying landscapes of forests, meadows, wetlands, and farms (both abandoned farms and working farms).
If you park your car in the lot net to the Ranger Station for the D & R Canal State Park, you can access the trails (of varying degrees of difficulty) that spread out from that parking area. Bring your hiking boots, and prepare to walk through bird sanctuaries that typically are visited by a few hundred species of our feathered friends. Naturally, deer abound, and you may see foxes, flying squirrels, and--perhaps--even some of the elusive Coyotes in the area.
In addition to the Six Mile Run and D & R Canal state facilities, the township maintains several of its own wilderness areas with designated hiking trails, and the county-run Colonial Park features a nice golf course, paddle boats, tennis courts, soccer fields, a Rose Garden, a Perennial Garden, and walking trails.
If you are interested in community theater productions, the township maintains The Villagers Theater on the grounds of the municipal complex on Demott Lane. Decent-quality, very low-cost amateur productions are done year-around.
If anyone says that "there is nothing to do around here", then they surely have not explored very deeply. And, for those who view the township as some kind of ghetto hell, they have likely never driven very far from a few neighborhoods bordering Route 27 and Hamilton Street.
I'm a southern girl but you make a very good argument for making it a good spot to actually consider living there after retiring. I just like hot weather as opposed to the snow. But I have lived with the snow before.
I just like hot weather as opposed to the snow. But I have lived with the snow before.
Just wait until August, when we have temps in the high 90s, with humidity to match.
So, while we do get snow (not that much in recent years, actually), we also get hot weather for about 1.5-2 months each year. Something for everyone?
Speaking of summer, if you are into healthy eating, there is a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) project at the Griggstown Quail Farm, in the Griggstown section of the township. If you sign up for a 1/2 share, each week you will get more than enough incredibly fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers for 2 people. I am really looking forward to the first pickup date at the farm, most likely in the last month of May.
Just wait until August, when we have temps in the high 90s, with humidity to match.
So, while we do get snow (not that much in recent years, actually), we also get hot weather for about 1.5-2 months each year. Something for everyone?
Speaking of summer, if you are into healthy eating, there is a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) project at the Griggstown Quail Farm, in the Griggstown section of the township. If you sign up for a 1/2 share, each week you will get more than enough incredibly fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers for 2 people. I am really looking forward to the first pickup date at the farm, most likely in the last month of May.
"...most likely in the last month of May."
Whoops!
I meant to say, "...most likely in the last week of May".
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