One of our favorite downtown boroughs is in the spotlight again, this time thanks to Money Magazine, which named it one of 2024’s Best Places to Live in the country.
Metuchen topped the list because of its relative affordability (median listing price is $616,000), great schools and strong job market (4.10 percent unemployment rate).
We love Metuchen for more than just its numbers. To start, this charming Middlesex County borough with a vibrant downtown won the 2023 Great American Main Street Award. It’s no surprise that the Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA) was one of three winners chosen from among eight semifinalists. There’s a train station so you can commute to NYC or Trenton easily along the Northeast Corridor Line, or there are hundreds of businesses so you can stay and work in town.
The borough is diverse, holding major celebrations in Town Plaza for everything from Lunar New Year, Juneteenth, Pride and Hispanic Heritage Month to Halloween and Christmas. Other events include pre-prom and school-year ending parties, Restaurant Week, pro wrestling shows, sidewalk sales, and a weekly farmers market.
Restaurants range from the uber-popular tequila bar Meximodo and Namkeen Hot Chicken + Waffles, to the elevated Mangia Toscana and The Greek on Main, to mom-and-pop shops like Brainy Borough Brewing, Brewed Awakening, What’s the Scoop or Pastry Lu bakery.
Shopping ranges from Book Store for used books, FK Living for Home Decor, Genus Boni for toys and games, and Papillon & Company for unique furnishings.
If walking through the downtown doesn’t get all your steps in, take a stroll along the Middlesex County Greenway, which includes walking, hiking and biking trails through Metuchen, Edison and Woodbridge.
The place is so great, it even has its own American Girl doll! Last year, the 2023 Girl of the Year doll, Kavi Sharma, was crafted as a Metuchen tween who is proud of her Indian-American heritage.
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