Growing up in North New Jersey right outside of New York City, I always thought that anything south of Newark was pretty much either a cow town, or a wasteland of factories and warehouses with no cultural significance. I was sure that everything interesting that was happening in New Jersey was happening up north, in the shadow of The Big Apple.
How wrong I was!! Now, grown up, married, a father, and a resident of Middlesex County, the geographic center of NJ, I am suddenly realizing that there is a wealth of culture, nightlife, dining, art, jobs and education in Central NJ. The majority of the action is centered around the city of New Brunswick, a geographically small city of about 50,000 people, and the seat of Middlesex County. Small in size, New Brunswick’s population swells during the workday to over three times that amount. New Brunswick is home to county and state offices, as well as Saint Peters Hospital, and Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center, two of NJ’s leading medical research hospitals. Some major companies that have their headquarters in and around New Brunswick are Bristol Meyers Squibb, Johnson and Johnson, Mellon Bank, The Dow Jones Co. and Pfizer. New Brunswick is also home of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the largest school of medicine in the country. All these establishments in the medical field have caused New Brunswick to be dubbed “The health care city.
While Central Jersey is obviously playing a major role in the world of health care, it is also a major player in other forms of education. Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey’s main campus, home to about 40,000 students and faculty, is in New Brunswick and neighboring Piscataway. The Cook, Douglas, Livingston and New Brunswick campuses as well as Rutgers Stadium offer state of the art learning and recreation facilities for students and area residents alike. About a 15 minute drive south on US Route 1 in Princeton, NJ is Princeton University. Chartered in 1746, this Ivy League university is one of the most well respected learning institutions in the country. Princeton University’s Nassau Hall held meetings of the Continental Congress in 1783, and the entire campus is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Central Jersey is also home to a number of cultural institutions including several world class theaters and art galleries, as well as some very popular nightclubs and 5 star restaurants. Theaters such as The Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, The Strand in Lakewood and the State Theater in New Brunswick all have been in existence since the 1920’s and their deco style architecture and rich history of world class performances is renowned for hosting great international acts. Bands, singers, plays, comedians and other performers have graced the stages of Central Jersey for a century.
While it is always hard to keep up with the latest trendy nightclub or bar opening, Central Jersey always has something to do, and the weekends equal fun in some of the hot spots, such as Glo Lounge or Perle Nightclub in downtown New Brunswick. Deko Lounge in Sayerville and Studio 9 in Woodbridge have also been popular hot spots for a night out. For those of you looking for a good restaurant, downtown New Brunswick is home to more than one 5 star restaurant. Nova Terra serves Latin inspired cuisine and offers entertainment nightly, while Stage Left, right next to the State Theater is a top rated restaurant by Zagat’s Review. The list of restaurants, ranging from small eateries to cozy inns to trendy lounges and sidewalk cafes is too long to list here.
Central Jersey is not to be left out when you mention the NYC or Philadelphia metropolitan areas. Located smack in the middle, right between these two great cities are the bustling cities of New Brunswick and Edison, the suburban enclaves of Jackson, Manalapan, and South Brunswick and the farms of Dayton and Lambertville. Full of surprises, Central New Jersey has something for everyone, from your hard partying college kids, to your theater goers, to your families looking to live somewhere with good schools, museums and a low crime rate. It even has enough for someone like me, who thought that there was nothing going on south of Newark.
