| When people head out from New York and
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| | Each September, the town celebrates
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| surrounding environs in search of weekend
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| | Victorian Days, highlighting the
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| retreats, invariably they end up in
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| | prevalent 19th century architecture that
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| western Connecticut, the Hudson River
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| | lines its streets and forms the basis of
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| Valley, the Catskills and other upstate
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| | the town's small commercial district.
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| New York areas, the Jersey Shore, and the
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| | Most of the grand homes have already been
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| Hamptons.
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| | restored and there is a great sense of
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| As places where New Yorkers traditionally
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| | pride in this small close-knit community.
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| vacation, purchase second homes,
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| | Its location directly on the Delaware and
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| celebrity watch and more, it's
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| | Pequest Rivers also makes it a good base
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| understandable that these locales are top
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| | for outdoor activities.
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| of the list.
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| | Northern Warren County offers a scene
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| But what about a place as close to
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| | that rivals the most beautiful in New
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| Manhattan as any of the aforementioned
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| | England. Hope is a one-traffic light
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| hotspots that offers almost everything we
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| | crossroads town, founded in the 18th
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| find endearing about our destinations of
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| | century by a group of Moravians who left
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| choice for second and vacation homes -
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| | an impressive collection of stone
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| historic villages and towns, amazing
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| | dwellings now restored and converted to
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| countryside, outdoor activities,
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| | businesses and residences. One of which
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| farmhouses, farm markets, artists,
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| | is a former gristmill turned into an inn
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| country restaurants - but doesn't have
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| | and conference center. Stone and
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| the buzz or the name recognition, at
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| | clapboard homes surrounded by cows and
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| least not yet.
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| | sheep dot a landscape that is reminiscent
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| There is an area within the New York
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| | of the Litchfield Hills. With little
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| Metropolitan region that is still
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| | commercial development, the pace in Hope
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| overlooked by the masses. Where residents
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| | is decidedly slow but that just adds to
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| are already starting Friday night dinner
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| | its appeal.
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| in their stone farmhouses while
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| | North of Hope lies the slightly larger
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| weekenders are stuck in traffic on the
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| | village of Blairstown with its recently
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| way to Litchfield, or Rhinebeck, or East
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| | restored collection of shops and
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| Hampton. Even places farther a field like
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| | restaurants, currently under
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| Bucks and Pike Counties in Pennsylvania
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| | consideration for the National Register
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| and Sullivan County in New York get more
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| | of Historic Places. Main Street is
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| press. Well let me introduce you to the
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| | bookended by a prestigious prep school
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| formerly depressed backwater turned
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| | and the town's venerable feed store. This
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| beautiful and convenient countryside of
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| | is a walking village, good for an hour's
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| Warren County, New Jersey.
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| | stroll with weekend guests and a poke
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| Interestingly, Warren is surrounded by
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| | around the stores and quiet streets.
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| counties which consistently rank among
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| | Just west of Hope and Blairstown, outdoor
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| the wealthiest in America: Hunterdon,
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| | activities exist in the Delaware Water
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| Somerset and Morris. These are counties
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| | Gap National Recreation Area which
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| full of investors, a highly educated
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| | includes part of the Appalachian Trail,
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| workforce, an abundance of so called
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| | Millbrook, a recreated 19th century
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| McMansions, and quite a bit of disposable
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| | village, and Peters Valley, an artists
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| income. And to be sure, some of Warren's
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| | colony which offers regular shows and
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| eastern border towns have picked up
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| | exhibits.
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| developments and transplants from these
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| | On the eastern edge of Warren,
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| ever more unaffordable neighboring areas.
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| | Hackettstown still retains its 19th
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| But for the most part, it's the locals
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| | century feel with impressive
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| who know about or consider living in or
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| | multi-colored Victorian homes, antique
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| visiting Warren County and even then, the
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| | stores along Main Street and Centenary
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| western and northern reaches are still
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| | College in its midst.
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| quite rural and untouched. For most of
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| | Phillipsburg - An Industrial Town Reborn
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| its history, Warren County has either
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| | As beautiful as Warren County's
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| been a mystery to those who have never
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| | countryside is, it's the city that we
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| seen it or a place to avoid to those who
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| | originally tried to avoid that has
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| had heard of its largest town,
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| | captured our imagination and may
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| Phillipsburg--a poor industrial city that
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| | eventually tear us away from Finesville.
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| had fallen on hard times.
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| | The county's largest town is a small,
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| A Pleasant Surprise
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| | formerly industrial city and
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| Four years ago, my partner Mark and I
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| | transportation hub along the Delaware
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| stumbled across the village of Finesville
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| | River that had been neglected for years.
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| in southern Warren County completely by
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| | Think Hoboken New Jersey or Hudson New
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| accident. Living in suburban Morristown
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| | York before gentrification. Thankfully
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| New Jersey, we were contemplating a
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| | that neglect, as in most of Warren
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| second home purchase in the country and
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| | County, has kept much of its historic
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| saw a house in Bucks County Pennsylvania
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| | fabric intact and over the past 20 years,
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| on a real estate Website that interested
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| | building owners have been peeling off old
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| us. Always up for a weekend drive, we
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| | aluminum siding to reveal stunning
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| decided to find it. With map in hand, we
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| | architecture.
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| took what looked like the most direct
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| | The town actively encourages restoration
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| route to Upper Bucks County and found
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| | and business development -- businesses in
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| ourselves following the Musconetcong
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| | Phillipsburg charge only 3% sales tax
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| River, along Warren County's southern
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| | with some of that money going to
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| border, past a collection of about fifty
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| | revitalization projects. Progress had
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| small but magnificent 18th and 19th
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| | been slow, but now there are several
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| century stone and clapboard buildings,
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| | highly regarded restaurants in the
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| known as Finesville, just before we
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| | restored downtown as well as antique
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| crossed into Pennsylvania.
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| | shops and several specialty stores. Train
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| Although Warren County was barely on my
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| | rides along the Delaware River start
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| radar screen, as a Real Estate Agent
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| | downtown and are popular in the summer as
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| specializing in historic homes and
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| | well as for Halloween and the winter
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| neighborhoods -- ---, I was
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| | holidays. On Thanksgiving, Phillipsburg
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| flabbergasted that there was a hamlet of
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| | High School plays its rival Easton
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| this size and quality in Northern New
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| | Pennsylvania in their annual football
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| Jersey of which I was unaware. Even more
| |
| | game. P'burg, as it is known by locals,
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| amazing, Mark grew up in eastern Warren
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| | is extremely convenient as Routes 78 and
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| County and we had attended an auction
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| | 22 run just outside of town as does the
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| only three miles away from Finesville so
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| | express bus to Manhattan, which stops at
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| I had some knowledge of the area.
| |
| | the Phillipsburg Mall.
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| With its roots in the mid 18th century,
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| | There are several plans to transform
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| Finesville began as a collection of
| |
| | Phillipsburg including the redevelopment
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| taverns, shops and a mill along the
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| | of its underutilized waterfront into a
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| Musconetcong River run by the Fine and
| |
| | residential neighborhood, with
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| Siegel Families of Germany. The village
| |
| | construction set to start in 2006, and
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| was fairly prosperous for most of its
| |
| | the repurposing of a vacant industrial
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| history but declined during the twentieth
| |
| | park into a new commerce center. Rumor
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| century. Today, locals have bought and
| |
| | has it that a bed and breakfast is slated
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| restored many of its buildings and,
| |
| | to open in an historic stone tavern near
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| indicative of its burgeoning upscale
| |
| | the Delaware River bridge.
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| nature, two vineyards, a winery, an
| |
| | Phillipsburg was named as the location
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| antique store, and an alpaca farm have
| |
| | for the New Jersey Transportation and
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| set up shop in the hamlet. Some of the
| |
| | Heritage Museum. Sadly, legislation to
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| restorations have been so impressive that
| |
| | provide the funding to make it happen has
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| two Finesville homes were recently
| |
| | been stalled and appears unlikely.
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| featured in national home and garden
| |
| | However, the town is committed to
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| magazines.
| |
| | building its own museum and has plans
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| At the time we discovered it, a c.1825
| |
| | already in the works.
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| stone Georgian colonial was for sale in
| |
| | Just over the river, Easton Pennsylvania
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| the village. The exterior was in some
| |
| | offers more restaurants, the Crayola
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| disrepair, the stucco was cracking and
| |
| | Factory museum, a very popular local
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| peeling, and the original front doors
| |
| | grocery store (a branch of which may
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| were gone. But the setting in this
| |
| | hopefully pop up in Warren County), a
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| pristine and unusual village was
| |
| | thriving artists community, the State
|
| beautiful and the price, at $135,000, was
| |
| | Theater, and the historic College Hill
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| irresistible. Once inside, we realized
| |
| | neighborhood. Even more exciting, there
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| this was our dream house in the country.
| |
| | are several luxury condominium
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| The interior was almost completely intact
| |
| | developments currently under construction
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| with a walk-in fireplace, cupboard
| |
| | or planned in existing historic Easton
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| stairs, beamed ceilings, wide plank
| |
| | properties, such as the former Easton
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| floors, and original windows-a jewel box
| |
| | Hotel, which will bring wealthy people
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| of a house that just needed some sprucing
| |
| | within walking distance of downtown
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| up. And so we bought and restored this
| |
| | Phillipsburg.
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| house and received the Warren County
| |
| | Phillipsburg has great bones and
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| Historic Preservation Award for our
| |
| | incredible architecture. South Main
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| efforts. Even better, because of Warren
| |
| | Street near the Delaware River Bridge is
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| County's proximity to work, we were able
| |
| | mostly restored and ready to become the
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| to sell our primary house in Morristown
| |
| | next Cold Spring or South Norwalk or New
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| and move to the country permanently.
| |
| | Paltz. And prices are still a relative
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| The Villages and Countryside
| |
| | bargain. Last year we purchased two
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| Warren County is full of hidden and
| |
| | historic properties on Phillipsburg's
|
| beautiful villages and towns like
| |
| | Main Street: an 1887 firehouse for
|
| Finesville and since arriving, several of
| |
| | $60,000 and a 19th century Georgian-style
|
| them have tempted us to consider moving
| |
| | colonial for $90,000.
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| again.
| |
| | As the town continues to revitalize, we
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| As testament to Warren County's less than
| |
| | are considering a move into the colonial
|
| stellar reputation, the sign welcoming
| |
| | as our permanent home so we can wake up
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| visitors into its county seat describes
| |
| | on Saturday mornings and walk to our
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| Victorian Belvidere as "New Jersey's best
| |
| | favorite breakfast spot down the street.
|
| kept secret". Belvidere is a sleepy town
| |
| | Although, we'll probably keep the
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| located off the beaten path and layed out
| |
| | Finesville house as our place in the
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| around a New England-style Village Green.
| |
| | country.
|
