SSOoo we decided to create a space where we can try to answer some of your questions and offer up some personal opinions based on our own “living here” experience.

Living in Morristown and neighboring Madison, Chatham to the East.. Mendham, Randolph, Chester, Long Valley to the West .. beautiful Lake Hopatcong to the North and the other wonderful towns in-between, that together, make up Morris County NJ .. is about as close to a ”Norman Rockwell” neighbor friendly lifestyle as it gets! Surrounded by history and National Parks .. maybe 1 hour drive into New York .. (except when there is heavy traffic ..) ... you could call this area "Heaven".

Morristown has been chosen as one of the "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in the country.
Each year the trust picks 12 municipalities using the criteria of a well-preserved, architecturally interesting setting, as well as an economic base of locally owned businesses. Walking access and visitors are also important considerations.

Morristown's Historic Speedwell Village, the birthplace of the telegraph; the Thomas Nast House, home of the noted illustrator and inventor of the popular graphic images of Santa Claus and Uncle Sam; and the Ford Mansion, which served as Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War from 1779-80, amongst others, are 3 good reasons for this distinction.

Washington's Headquarters is part of Morristown National Historic Park, which also includes Jockey Hollow and Fort Nonsense. Our Morristown National Historical Park Service maintains several other parks, each with wonderful scheduled re-enactments and activities year round, located throughout Morris County as well. The Morris County Park Commission maintains an additional 31 recreational, cultural, historic, and educational sites waiting to be discovered!

Adding to it's appealing charm and history, are the wonderful preserved collection of Federal Greek Revival and Victorian houses and outstanding churches in the historic district on the East side of town.

Direct access to New York City via bus, train or car in about an hour, is another bonus. We also have our own airport which servers our Fortune 500 community on a regular basis.

Schools
The number 1 question, naturally, seems to be about our schools - definitely NOT a problem in this area. Our schools have always ranked as some of the best primary/secondary schools and high schools in the state.

The Morris School District is rich in cultural diversity and offers OVER 200 outstanding extracurricular opportunities. When presented with the choice of private vs. public for high school, despite being surrounded by some most excellent private facilities, many parents deliberately choose our public schools.

“We had that choice and decided to stay with Morristown High for 2 reasons .. The first was because our son was flying through the school system with a group of the most wonderful - bright – happening kids .. the teachers were supportive of their talents .. this group was headed straight towards IVY League .. and in the old saying “if it ain't broken – don't fix it!” .. so we stayed with the group. The second reason was because Morristown High, with its diverse, multi-cultural population, is very much like a tiny little “real life ” metropolitan area ..and we wanted our son to grow up and be comfortable within a multi-cultural world.“

One most important and necessary ingredient for a strong and successful school system, is a supporting group of hands-on active parents. We believe that our parental support groups – Our PAC (PTA) – Boosters for sports and our award winning Marching Band, all of the other clubs, teams and the parents who show up with the cupcakes, are the backbone of support for our school systems.

“I was Treasurer, Project Graduation, Morristown High, for 7 years. My son was only there for 4” ..

As mentioned, we also have outstanding private schools – preschools – religious schools. The Morristown and Morris Township Library is first rate, complete with our own Internet Reference "Desk"! (We have a "Houses of Worship" section for those organizations within the county who have online presence .. Click Here.) Because everyone is concerned about different age groups and therefore different situations .. we suggest a visit to the discussions on The Voices of Morris - our own very happening Bulletin Board! There, you can seek out other families with similar interests.

Taxes ..
Well there’s no way around them in Morris County … but there are some substantial differences in neighboring towns that should not be over looked. For your convenience, here is a Morris County Tax Rate Chart for comparison.

Health Care and Morris County Hospitals
We have more than you could ever hope for!! Morristown Memorial Hospital, now part of the Atlantic Health System, is located right off the Rt 287, Morristown, Madison Avenue exit, an eight minute walk off our Historic Square. The list of facilities and community programs is almost endless. Please visit their website for more information. Infact, Morristown Memorial Hospital's Arthritis Center just received National Certification !!   Way to go!!!
For the Full Story .. CLICK HERE!

Things to Do!!
AHHhhhhhhh …Suburban Night Life..

We have wonderful bistro’s - summer sidewalk cafes .. our own wonderful Community Theatre and, while blanketed in American History wherever you turn, we are surrounded by outstandingly beautiful Golf Courses and National Parks.

As you can see on Our All County Events Calendars – the communities in Morris County have very active organizations with numerous activities and events for everyone throughout the year.

Many Morris County towns host wonderful street Fests and Fairs throughout the year, the largest of which are usually found around the Morristown Green - including a huge New Year's Eve First Night celebration complete with midnight FIREWORKS - OUTSTANDING!!

The Morristown Partnership, the Morristown S.I.D. (Special Interest District), organizes several famed annual events such as our personal favorite, the "Fall Fest on the Green" - when they close the streets around the square for a day of music, food and fun .. where all of the businesses and organizations within the S.I.D. come out to meet "the neighbors".

Morristown is also home to the County's famous St Patrick's Day’s Parade second only to the one in NYC and others … there’s always something going on.

We have pro-active community involvement with tangible family issues such as the newly formed MARDOG Association. Morristown Area Responsible Dog Owner’s Group is pursuing the acquisition of an area for a "run free" community dog park.

There is a Relocation Package put out by the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, which contains information on all 39 municipalities in Morris County. It includes more information on how to get around, where to shop, things to do, school information, history and county government etc. Send $5.00 to the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, 25 Lindsley Drive, Morristown, New Jersey 07960 with your return address and request the "Relocation Package".

If there’s anything else you think might be missing here, Let us know!