As the more crowded parts of NJ become even more densely
populated, and as people find it harder to meet expenses in a struggling
economy, more folks are heading west to Warren County, NJ, looking for a good
spot to buy a home and raise a family.
Why does it cost less to live in Warren County?
According to data on Wikipedia.com, this is one of the less affluent areas of
NJ, with a median household income of $56,100 in the year 2000, as compared to
a median income of $79,888 for a household in neighboring HunterdonCounty which is incidentally the 13th
highest in the U.S.
based on per capita income. Our population of folks living beneath the poverty
line is approximately 5%, compared to a little over 1% in Hunterdon. Warren County ranks as number 12 out of 21, in the order of per capita income from highest to lowest by NJ county.
One possible reason for lower rent and lower priced homes in
Warren County is the lack of corporate jobs.
People are less inclined to move here because a large portion of this county is
rural. This of course translates to less commerce – no place to work. While
more NJ residents are willing to commute as long as 2 hours to enjoy careers
that offer more competitive salaries, the increase in gas prices also works
against them.
The other reason for lower prices is that there simply isn't
enough industry to attract consumers to this area. Warren County
has one mall – the Phillipsburg Mall. The building in which our humble little
shopping mecca is housed is rumored to have changed hands, and will soon shut
down and become something else. Downtown Phillipsburg
has a few little shops but is largely a depressed area, while it does appear
that Hackettstown does offer a bit of downtown culture and shopping, with its
cute shops and bustling commercial activity.
One thing that saves Warren County
is the shift from physical to telecommute jobs all over the country. If, say,
you work in pharmaceutical sales, you can purchase a veritable mansion for your
family to live in picturesque Greenwich, NJ, at a fraction of the money you'd
pay for the same house in Bergen County. And, you'd be saving money on the
daily commute to work that you aren't making. The people who earn the most
money in this area do appear to be working from home or own their own
businesses... but this still doesn't change the fact that we are simply low on
industry and a good two hours from major cities such as NYC and Philly.