By the almanac,
the Borough of Highland Park is just 1.8 miles square and boasts a population
of just 14,221 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2003).
Yet, small as it is, Highland Park fits a number of definitions of quality
of life. In fact, for many residents, the borough’s compactness
is itself a big asset.
While Highland
Park is the kind of town you can get your arms around, it is also rich
in cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity and lifestyle opportunities.
In the 2000 census, 13.6% of the town’s population described themselves
as Asian, 8.2% as Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% as black or African American,
3.6% as being of some other race, 2.6% as being of two or more races,
and 0.1% as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Remarkably, our schoolchildren speak nearly 50 languages, according to the latest tracking by the Highland Park Board of Education.
The many faces of
Highland Park include a bustling downtown business district--through
which State Highway 27, known locally as Raritan Avenue, passes--and
tranquil, tree-lined neighborhoods. Homes range from charmingly modest
to manorial, and are rich in architectural interest and historical significance.
Highland Park is the kind of place where you can run all your errands--grocery
shopping, banking, dry cleaning, gift-shopping, or a visit to the florist
or the druggist--and then treat yourself to an ice cream sundae at one
of the oldest original soda fountains in the state or relax in one of
our fine dining establishments, which run the cuisine gamut from Mexican
to Korean to Turkish to Kosher Chinese. Highland Park is also a place
where you can take in an outdoor movie screening or Independence Day
fireworks from the comfort of a beach blanket.
Popular
with Rutgers University faculty
and students and employees of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson,
Highland Park also provides easy access to mass transit for residents
employed in business centers like Newark, Trenton, New York and Philadelphia.
For many commuters, weekdays start with a short walk to neighboring New Brunswick, the Middlesex
County seat, to catch an express bus or train.
Into boating, fishing
or jogging? A chain of parks and natural areas hugs the Raritan River
along the perimeter of Highland Park as a loosely connected Highland
Park greenway. On the south
side of town, there is the 90-acre Donaldson Park, a destination for
many because of its boat-launching ramp; on the north side, the 473-acre
Johnson Park, which Highland Park shares with Piscataway Township.
Highland Park also
distinguishes itself with a first-class school system, perennially ranked
among the best anywhere in America.
For spiritual nourishment,
you will find more than a dozen churches, synagogues and other religious
institutions in Highland Park.
Finally, the town
is just minutes from world-class performing and visual arts venues,
state-of-the-art sports facilities (e.g., the scenic 42,000-seat Rutgers
Stadium and affordable public golf
courses), libraries, and scientific research and medical institutions.
Whatever yardstick
you use, you’ll find that Highland Park measures up as a great
place to live, play or do business.
