General Washington originally moved his army to the Middlebrook Encampment in Central Jersey because of its advantageous mountainous terrain. He also picked the spot because of its proximity to the British base of New York City—one of the reasons people still move to Finderne’s community of just over 6,000 today. Though the other reasons include great schools, lower home prices and tax rates, as well as proximity to great shopping and food, rather than defense from British forces, Finderne and surrounding Bridgewater Township are still prime real estate for those who want quick access to the Big Apple without living in a city that never sleeps. Under an hour and a half from lower Manhattan, Finderne is still minutes from shopping, diverse cuisine, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset and a school system that sets students up for success.
Students perform, academically and artistically, at Bridgewater schools
Finderne students enjoy access to the well-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, named a high-performing district by the New Jersey Department of Education and earning an A from Niche. With about 8,000 students from across Bridgewater Township, it’s the largest school district in Somerset County. The district offers thriving performing and visual art programs, landing its spot as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation five years in a row, most recently in 2023. Each year, students prepare for the four main events of the Festival of the Arts, which includes several musical concerts and a visual arts exhibit.
Finderne’s youngest students attend Adamsville Primary School, which earned an A-minus, and conclude their educational journey at A-rated Bridgewater-Raritan High School. Both schools are the only two Reward Schools in the district, recognized by the state Department of Education for student achievement.
Big-box retail and lowered prices across the road
Anything Finderne residents need, the Bridgewater Promenade most likely has. With Costco, Trader Joe’s, Target and Marshalls, among other big-box retailers, tucked in the corner of Interstate 287 and Route 28, Finderne residents have their shopping needs covered just a couple of miles away. For higher-end shopping without the premium price tag, residents traverse the interstate to Nordstrom Rack and Saks OFF 5th. Across the road, they can grab a bite while they shop at Whole Foods Market or The Container Store, both with in-store eateries.
Competitive housing market in industrial Finderne
Cape Cods and orderly, structured, Colonial Revival-inspired homes and their driveway basketball hoops wait patiently for children to get home from school on freshly mowed lawns. Because of its mostly industrial surroundings, Finderne’s housing market is less costly than neighboring Bridgewater communities. Starting between $350,000 and $500,000, Finderne homes built around the ‘50s feature from two to four bedrooms, mostly in ranch-style homes or Cape Cods. Towards the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, developers built bi-levels and Colonial Revivals with three to five bedrooms. Those with a higher budget and a need for more room will find these larger properties on the market between $550,000 and $700,000.
But the price tag on a Finderne home is going up—the median single-family home price hovers around $400,000, with values increasing around 20% each year. The market is pretty competitive, too. “They’re all pretty packed in there, but inventory is low everywhere,” says realtor Kevin Yento with Coldwell Banker Realty, who sells homes across the Bridgewater area. “I sold [homes in Finderne] several months ago and they sold pretty quickly.” However, more properties may be available soon. A developer is applying to construct four buildings of townhouses in the center of the community, near the existing low- and middle-income Mount Pleasant Villas apartments.
Bird watching at the Finderne Wetlands
Family outings to the park are a weekend favorite among Finderne residents, with township greenspaces like Bel Air Park and Harry Ally Memorial Park as popular destinations. The latter will receive new playground equipment in April 2024 to complement its three tennis courts and two basketball courts. Youth football and soccer teams practice on the state-of-the-art, multi-use turf field at the Torpey Athletic Complex, and fans cheer for their favorite players on cool aluminum bleachers come game day. The Finderne Wetlands, tucked in a bend of the Raritan River, is a hideout for scarlet cardinals, egrets and great blue herons, perched above the water on their stilt-like legs.
Take me out to the TD Bank Ballpark
Baseball fans make their way to TD Bank Ballpark for a beer and a ballgame on mild spring and summer nights. Located just behind the Bridgewater Promenade shopping center, the baseball stadium seats over 6,000 spectators, home base to the Somerset Patriots, a member of the Minor League Baseball Eastern League.
A modern suburb through and through, Finderne also has a rich Revolutionary War history. Home to two of the Five Generals Houses—five Colonial-era homes in which future President Washington and his generals stayed during the Middlebrook Encampment—Finderne features original architecture from Colonial America. Inconspicuously tucked between industrial complexes and warehouses, the Derrick Van Veghten House is a two-story brick Colonial bastion, believed to have been built around 1725. Its service as Quartermaster General Nathanael Greene’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War earned the former home its place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Jersey Shore and Lower Manhattan under two hours away
Finderne’s location is one of its main draws—its commute time to New York City is just over an hour, and it’s central to Bridgewater Promenade and the shops of Somerville. Main Street bridges Somerville and Bridgewater, running east to the Bridgewater Promenade shopping center. Route 22 and Interstate 287 delineate the community’s northern border, and Interstate 287 takes commuters to the Big Apple via Interstate 95. However, residents can also hop aboard the New Jersey Transit train at Bridgewater Station, which will bring them to the center of the action in Penn Station in around an hour and 20 minutes. Though New York is an easy day trip away, so is the Jersey shore—it’s only an hour's drive to the water.
Property and violent crime rates below state average
A peaceful community geared towards families, Finderne’s violent crime rate is lower than the state average. Around 0.5995 violent crimes are reported for every 1,000 residents in the community, lower than the state’s rate of 2.76 per 1,000 residents. While Finderne’s property crime rate is higher than its violent crime rate—at 6.223 reported instances per 1,000 residents—it’s still lower than New Jersey’s rate of 24.41 per 1,000 residents, with most of those cases being theft.
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Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
