New Providence

Location | Commute

New Providence is located roughly 15 miles southwest of Newark and approximately 28 miles west of New York City. There are two easily accessible train stations within New Providence and the borough is in close proximity to I-78, the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike and Newark Liberty International Airport. Service on the NJ Transit Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex Lines is available at the New Providence station and Murray Hill station, offering service to Hoboken Terminal and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. New Jersey Transit offer local bus service and Lakeland Bus Lines offers weekday rush hour service to New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Schools

New Providence enjoys a long tradition of educational excellence, with an ongoing commitment to academics, the arts, athletics, community service, and character education. The school district has earned recognition at the national, state, county, and local levels for the achievements of students and staff. Approximately 95% of graduates will continue their education, and of particular note, over 85% will attend a four-year university or college. Student assessment scores remain among the highest in the area. Offering a comprehensive Pre-K to 12 educational program, the district serves a high school, middle school, and two elementary schools. Co-curricular activities offer all students many opportunities to meet their needs and interests. Supportive services are available through the Department of Educational Services and the Department of Special Services. These services include the Gifted and Talented, Basic Skills, and English as a Second Language programs, as well as reading specialists, speech language specialists, occupational and physical therapists, guidance personnel, special education instructors, and a child study team. There are two public K to 6 schools, as well as one parochial elementary school. The middle school is adjacent to the high school, and consists of grades 7 to 8. During the 2007-08 school year, New Providence Middle School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive The district's high school was the top-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 5th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.

Activities | Recreation | Dining | Shopping

The New Providence Recreation Department provides a wide variety of year-round programs for children and adults. Year-round youth classes, sports, leagues, programs, and summer camps; adult classes, sports, leagues, programs; and senior-focused activities, trips, and programs are offered through the DeCorso Community Center at New Providence. New Providence owns three playgrounds, an ice-skating rink, eight ball fields, and eight public tennis courts. Two pools, which are approximately Olympic size, are available through the New Providence Community Pool Corporation. There are also several borough-owned parks including Veterans Memorial Park on South Street, Lions Park on Livingston Avenue, and Clearwater Park near the end of Central Avenue. New Providence Business, a group of local merchants and professionals who donate generously to school and civic fundraising events, plan, operate and fund events, such as the Independence Day Celebration in downtown New Providence, the free summer concert series held in Centennial Park, the annual downtown Street Fair, the weekly Farmers’ Market, Downtown Trick or Treating, the Holiday festival, and other activities. The group also provides scholarships to graduating high school seniors, and funding for the downtown light pole banners.

Berkeley Heights

Location | Commute

Berkeley Heights is located 28 miles away from Manhattan and is accessible by direct NJ Transit trains and buses to Hoboken Terminal, Newark Broad Street Station, and Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.

Schools

The Berkeley Heights Public Schools are top notch. There are six schools – four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. There are four private pre-Kindergarten schools and one private secondary school. The Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center brings together the entire town’s kindergarten and first-grade students. The district's high school serves public school students of Berkeley Heights and the Borough of Mountainside. There is a program for deaf, hard of hearing and cognitively-impaired students from all over north-central New Jersey.

Activities | Recreation | Dining | Shopping

Berkeley Heights has many parks and recreational programs for all ages. There are many municipal parks with tennis courts, two baseball fields, basketball courts, athletic fields and a large children's play area.There are also three swimming clubs.The Recreation Department offers adult programs and after-school activities such as chess, cooking, robotics, creative movement and Lego Club. The Township has year-round events such as the Annual Feast of Mt. Carmel in July, the Summer Street Fair, summer concerts in the park, and the Annual Winter Walk in early December. Other favorite events include our annual PBA Fishing Derby, Halloween Trunk-or-Treat, “Police Santa,” Lunar New Year celebration, and charity 5K. The Watchung Reservation has hiking trails, horseback riding trails, a large lake, and picnic areas.