Hillsborough Neighborhood Guide

  Located just 35 miles from New York City, Hillsborough is what is often referred to as a “distant” suburb.  Many areas of Hillsborough are rural in nature, yet there are densely populated sections that are much more suburban in nature, replete with condominium apartments, townhomes and single-family homes.  Covering nearly 55 square miles, the Township is the largest municipality by area in Somerset County, and has a 2010 U.S. Census population of 38,303.  The area was originally populated by the Lenni-Lenape Indians, but they moved away as European settlers moved into the area in the seventeenth century. Over the course of its history Hillsborough has absorbed several small villages, including Neshanic, South Branch, Flagtown and portions of Blackwell’s Mills and Belle Mead. 

Hillsborough schools are well-regarded, and have been cited in the past as good example of “more bang for the buck” in terms of the quality of education relative to the cost of education.  The school system consists of six elementary (K-4) schools, an upper elementary (5-6), a middle school (7-8) and a high school.   There are several private pre-schools in the town as well.  Hillsborough is less than a half-hour drive from Princeton and Rutgers Universities, and 15 minutes from Raritan Valley Community College. 

Hillsborough is cut into quarters by the east/west artery Amwell Road, and the north/south Route 206, which meet in the town center of Nelson’s Corner.  Although there is no local connection via rail or bus to New York city, for several years there has been talk (and preliminary engineering) of re-opening the West Trenton rail line that would connect to the Raritan Valley Line of New Jersey Transit, and would have stops in Hillsborough as well as Montgomery and Hopewell.  That’s still some years off, however.  Currently under construction is a bypass of the town’s center, carrying Route 206 traffic around the new commercial main street, scheduled to be completed within a few years.

Several thousand acres of Hillsborough have been preserved from development, including more than 2000 acres as farmland in perpetuity.  The Sourland Mountain Preserve has nearly 3000 acres in preservation as parkland and wilderness.  There are many other recreational opportunities within the Township as well, such as lighted ball fields and tennis courts, and a YMCA facility with indoor pool.  One of the most interesting places in Hillsborough is Duke Farms, the former estate of Doris Duke.  It is in the process of becoming an outstanding environmental center.

With all the advantages of living in Hillsborough, Hillsborough real estate is very attractive to a wide variety of buyers.