The Raritan borough is a quiet community surrounded by the action of Central Jersey, with access to highways and trains, and with its very own food scene. Embracing a bend of Central Jersey’s Raritan River, and immediately next to the regional business and cultural hub of Somerville, Raritan offers residents the opportunity to live just an hour outside New York City and a half-hour from the bustling college town of New Brunswick.
Somerset Street is the center of Raritan’s culinary scene, and perhaps the most famous restaurant in town is DeLucia’s Brick Oven Pizza, which has its origins as a bread bakery in 1917. Founded by an Italian immigrant, this local pizzeria has been serving its specialty since the 1950s and was even featured on influencer Dave Portnoy’s “Barstool Pizza” channel. Somerset Street is not only home to a wealth of Italian restaurants, but also diverse flavors from across the world, including Filipino baked goods at Kafe de Manila and traditional recipes at the Lutong Bahay Restaurant, and Costa Rican tortilla and rice dishes at Delicias De Lore.
Raritan’s name means “forked river” in the Lenape language, and this borough sits along a bend of the Raritan River, across from which lays the scenic Duke Farms historic estate and nature preserve. This borough has its origins as a subdivision of the larger Bridgewater Township during the 1860s, and Raritan became an independent borough in 1948. Since then, Raritan has gone the way of many Central Jersey communities, experiencing waves of suburbanization; many of its homes date to the early and mid-20th century, and colonial-style residences dominate its streets. Raritan’s homes tend to be of older stock, and thus sell for between $400,000 and $500,000, making Raritan a much more inexpensive community than many other New York-area suburbs.
Raritan’s students attend the schools of Raritan and neighboring Bridgewater. John F. Kennedy Primary School received a B-plus rating from Niche while Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School received an A-minus. Bridgewater-Raritan High School is a Blue Ribbon-awarded institution that has ranked among the top hundred schools in both the state and country. It received an A-rating and offers courses in career and technical education, such as culinary arts, home and interior design, business and entrepreneurship.
Fans of the HBO series "The Pacific" may recognize the man commemorated at Basilone Park, where a statue of World War II Marine hero John Basilone stands near the local war memorial and honors his sacrifice at Iwo Jima. History buffs may also enjoy exploring the mansion across the river at Duke Farms, a site also perfect for hiking.
While Raritan commuters tend to work locally, New York commuters have plenty of options for their journey. Jones shares, “There’s a train station, and, if you’re driving to get into Staten Island, you would get there in under a while, while Midtown Manhattan is around an hour and fifteen minutes.”
Loren Keim
Century 21 Keim Realtors
(610) 831-4500
513 Total Sales
3 in Raritan
$335,000 Price Range
Armene Abbattista
Keller Williams Prosperity Realty
(862) 881-4487
123 Total Sales
1 in Raritan
$385,000 Price
Corey Jones
COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE
(908) 680-0076
106 Total Sales
1 in Raritan
$500,000 Price
Areli Rosado
COLDWELL BANKER REALTY
(551) 227-9118
49 Total Sales
1 in Raritan
$555,000 Price
Scott Hobbs
COLDWELL BANKER REALTY
(908) 332-8429
67 Total Sales
1 in Raritan
$385,000 Price
Nicole Haslett
KELLER WILLIAMS METROPOLITAN
(908) 651-9178
140 Total Sales
1 in Raritan
$405,000 Price