Bridgewater Among 10 Best Places To Live In NJ: Coldwell Banker

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater was named among the 10 best places in New Jersey to live in 2020, according to Coldwell Banker.

The real estate company says people are flocking to the New Jersey suburbs en masse due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Among those places is Bridgewater which ranked 9 out of 10 in Coldwell Banker's list for the 10 Best Places to Live in New Jersey.

"It is great to see Bridgewater included in this list," said Bridgewater Mayor Matthew Moench. "This, along with our ranking last month in Money.com’s 'Best Places to Live in America', shows that people around the State and Country are taking notice of all we have to offer in Bridgewater. I believe our quality of life, education, geographical convenience and diversity are second to none. This is a special community and I continue to be proud to call Bridgewater my home."

Bridgewater, a suburban spot in Somerset County, is seeing many homes enter the market and sell immediately, according to Coldwell Banker.

In August, there was a 40 percent increase in under-contract homes compared to the previous year.

Bridgewater agent Kevin Yento reports that many buyers are moving from New York City as well as northern New Jersey counties such as Bergen and Union. "People want to be away from New York, yet still be close to New York in the future," said Yento.

"The challenges of 2020 certainly changed the mindset of city dwellers who might have been content to remain there but are now seeing the benefits of more space, a yard, a swimming pool, a home office, and more home and property for their dollar. For some buyers, recent events just pushed ahead their existing plans," says Rob Norman, president of Coldwell Banker Realty in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York. "With distance no longer being an issue for many workers who are telecommuting, they have been able to expand their home search further afield."

— Additional reporting by Nicole Rosenthal, Patch Staff

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.