Living in Cranbury, N.J.
Marc Steiner for The New York Times
When the Helstrom family decided to downsize last summer, they moved just nine houses away from the home they had been living in for 10 years in Cranbury. Jane Helstrom said it felt as if they had moved not just to a new neighborhood but to another region of the country, such as from New England to Nebraska.
“When we were on Main Street, we’d see people walking by, kids riding their bikes,” she said. “Then we moved around the corner and we could hear the roosters. We’re still in Cranbury, but if feels like we’re in a whole different world.”
The dual personality of Cranbury, a Middlesex County town that consists of a historic downtown surrounded by 13 square miles of sporadic residential neighborhoods and extensive agricultural lands, is all the more notable when compared with nearby municipalities like the Windsors, the Brunswicks and Plainsboro that are largely defined by their suburban sprawl. Many people, like the Helstroms, have moved to Cranbury from one of these adjacent towns in search of what a newcomer, Craig Vachris, described as “a stronger sense of community.”
N.Y.
PA.
1 MILE
MIDDLESEX
NEW
JERSEY
NEW JERSEY
Cranbury
EXIT 8A
SOUTH
BRUNSWICK
ROSSMOR
PRINCETON
MEADOWS
MAIN ST.
Cranberry Museum
VILLAGE PARK
615
615
Brainerd Lake
MONROE
Cranbury
95
EAST WINDSOR
130
Since moving here from West Windsor last June, Mr. Vachris has participated in events like “porchfest,” a neighborhood open house, as well as pumpkin-carving and Little League with his sons.
Other appealing elements include the convenient commuter highways serving Cranbury, which is equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, the lower property taxes of Middlesex County, and Cranbury’s school system, where public school students all attend the same prekindergarten-to-eighth-grade school, then move on to the highly rated Princeton High School.
But most are initially drawn to Cranbury’s quaint central village, where a mix of historic residential and commercial properties offer a central gathering place for many of the town’s 3,857 residents, even if they don’t all choose to live there.
“You have some who say being within walking distance of the downtown is crucial,” said Anita O’Meara, a broker with Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International who moved to Cranbury 17 years ago from Plainsboro. “And then there are others who don’t care if they’re in town. They want a newer home and more land.”
The town’s history, which dates back before the Revolutionary War, was a big draw for Don and Fran Davidson, who moved here from West Windsor in 2005, first to an adult community, and 18 months later, after realizing they weren’t yet ready for the 55-plus lifestyle, to a long-admired 1840 colonial house in the historic district.
A four-bedroom two-and-a-half-bath colonial built in 1840 on 0.35 acres, listed at $799,000
(609) 915-8030. Marc Steiner for The New York Times
“I had almost a visceral connection to this house when I first walked by it, so when I saw a ‘for sale’ sign go up, I told my wife we had to buy it,” Mr. Davidson said. They bought their five-bedroom house for $835,000 in 2007, he said, and spent another $200,000 in renovations. The house is now back on the market, for $799,000, as the Davidsons are moving to South Carolinato be near their son and daughter-in-law. While they wait for their new house to be built, they plan to move into an apartment above a popular ice cream shop on Main Street.
“It’s the social place in Cranbury, and it reopens on April 1st,” Mr. Davidson said. “That’s where we’ll be in the interim.”
What You’ll Find
The housing mix includes the historic homes in Cranbury’s central village, where some 200 buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as ranches and split levels near downtown and surrounding Brainerd Lake, and large newer colonials on bigger parcels in the outlying farm areas.
Owners of historically designated properties wishing to alter the exteriors must go before the Historic Preservation Commission. While some may find this cumbersome, “for the most part, people regard it as a good thing, realizing it keeps the value of your property high,” said Bobbie Marlowe, the chairwoman of the commission.
A three-bedroom one-and-a-half-bathcolonial built in 1850 on 0.16 acres, listed at $588,000.
(609) 395-0444Marc Steiner for The New York Times
When the Helstroms bought their four-bedroom Craftsman bungalow on Main Street in 2003 for $450,000, they knew they would have to get the commission’s approval to expand the 100-year-old house and restore its historic details. “It needed so much work, they were just happy someone was taking care of it,” Ms. Helstrom said of her appearance before the board.
Cranbury has resisted the lure of developers in part through an aggressive land-preservation program, buying land from farmers and placing more than 2,000 acres in permanent preserve to date. Shadow Oaks was Cranbury’s last major housing development, consisting of 150 homes on one-acre properties built in 1983, before the town instituted six-acre zoning for all land west of Main Street. Smaller developments have been built since then, like the 10-year-old Woods at Cranbury where houses sell for more than $1 million.
What You’ll Pay
In early February, there were 17 homes listed for sale in Cranbury, with the highest-priced home being a 1980 seven-bedroom three-and-a-half-bath brick colonial on 19.7 acres listed at $1.65 million. The lowest-priced home on the market is a two-bedroom one-bath bungalow built in 1900 on 0.14 acres, listed at $219,900.
The average price of the houses sold in Cranbury in 2013 was $730,298, with an average time on the market of 93 days, as compared with an average price of $658,605 in 2012 and an average time on the market of 101 days, according to the Middlesex County Multiple Listing Service. Lars Mann and his wife, Marlynne sought to downsize after most of their seven children were off to college, selling their six-bedroom newer colonial in Cranbury for $900,000 in 2012. After renting for a year in Princeton, they returned to Cranbury, buying a fixer-upper near the historic cemetery for $195,000. Mr. Mann, a financial consultant, travels often and finds the proximity to Newark airport a plus.
A three-bedroom one-bath ranch built in 1951 on 0.46 acres, listed at $389,900.
(609) 732-9987.Marc Steiner for The New York Times
For some, living downtown may mean paying a premium. For instance, an 1850 three-bedroom one-and-a-half-bath colonial on 0.16 acres on South Main Street is listed at $588,000, while a four-bedroom two-bath 1953 ranch house on 0.40 acres near the lake is listed at $549,000, and a newer five-bedroom two-and-a-half-bath colonial on one acre in the farm outskirts is $575,000, according to the multiple listing service.
What to Do
The 17-acre Village Park and Brainerd Lake (currently undergoing dam repair) provide much of the town’s recreation, from skating in the winter, to an annual camp out in August and a Fifth of July celebration, both of which take place in the park.
The Schools
About 545 students in prekindergarten through Grade 8 attend Cranbury School, which has twice been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. For grades 9 to 12, they move on to Princeton High School, where there are 1,445 students. The 2012-13 SAT scores at Princeton High School were well above the state average: 608 in reading, 629 in math and 611 in writing at, versus state averages of 495, 521 and 496. For private schools, some choose the Peddie School in Hightstown, with 510 students in Grades 9 to 12.
The Commute
The closest train station is at Princeton Junction, about a 10-minute drive away, where the trip to New York City takes 53 to 96 minutes, depending on the stops, and costs $14.75 one way. Many residents commute by car to Manhattan, which is about 45 miles away, using Interstate 95 or Route 130. The four-mile stretch of Route I-95 that passes near Cranbury, is at the heart of a five-year, $2.5 billion project to widen the New Jersey Turnpike from exits six to nine, which is expected to be completed later this year.
The History
George Washington’s troops set up field headquarters here before the Battle of Monmouth, a major turning point in the Revolutionary War. Named to the state’s historic register in 1979 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, Cranbury’s downtown was described as “the best preserved 19th Century village in Middlesex County.” A map for a self-guided walking tourof the town’s historic sites is available online.
via:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/realestate/cranbury-nj-one-town-many-personalities.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
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