Moving to Chester: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Chester means moving to a real, affluent Skylands-region horse-country community spanning two municipalities -- Chester Borough's walkable historic downtown and Chester Township's much larger rural-equestrian exurb.
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Learn moreA real, two-municipality community
Chester genuinely spans two separate municipalities: Chester Borough (population 1,678, the walkable downtown core) and the much larger surrounding Chester Township (population 7,706, the rural/equestrian exurb) -- together forming the community most people mean by "Chester, NJ." Confirm which specific municipality a target property sits in before purchasing.
A real, substantial equestrian and historic-mill identity
Chester's real equestrian character includes multiple working horse farms and boarding/training facilities. The Nathan Cooper Gristmill (built 1826) is the oldest existing mill in Morris County, on the National Historic Register, anchoring the 578-acre Black River County Park.
This batch's most affluent market by a wide margin
Chester's median household income (a real, sourced $209,561 for the ZIP 07930 area) runs genuinely, substantially above both New Jersey's own statewide figure and every other market in this four-market NJ batch.
A genuinely car-dependent commute
Chester has no NJ Transit rail station of its own -- residents drive to nearby Morristown for Midtown Direct rail service into Manhattan, or commute by car via US-206, I-287, I-78, and I-80.
Key takeaways
- Chester genuinely spans two municipalities -- Chester Borough and Chester Township -- confirm which one applies to a specific property.
- Chester's real equestrian and historic-mill identity centers on working horse farms and the 1826 Nathan Cooper Gristmill.
- Chester's median household income ($209,561+) is the highest in this four-market NJ batch.
- Chester is genuinely car-dependent, with no in-town NJ Transit rail station.
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