Yes, Hopewell is a good fit for people who want open space, a small historic downtown and a well-regarded regional school district, all within reach of Princeton and Trenton.

A few things to know first. "Hopewell" can mean two different towns. Hopewell Borough is a small, walkable borough of about 1,900 people (2020 census) on less than one square mile, centered on Broad Street. Hopewell Township wraps all the way around it and is much larger, about 59 square miles with roughly 17,500 residents. Which one you choose changes the feel of daily life quite a bit.

Both towns, along with Pennington, are served by the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, and students attend Hopewell Valley Central High School. For many families, that shared district is the main reason they start looking here.

If you like the outdoors, Hopewell delivers. Washington Crossing State Park covers more than 3,500 acres along the Delaware. Howell Living History Farm is a 130-acre working farm museum near Titusville, and Baldpate Mountain is the highest point in the township. Much of the northern and western township sits in the Sourlands, so expect wooded lots, farms and preserved land.

Getting around is mostly by car. I-295 crosses the southern part of the township, and Route 31 is the main north-south road. There's no active passenger train in Hopewell today, though NJ Transit has proposed restoring West Trenton Line service with a new Hopewell station.

The tradeoff is that some township homes sit on larger lots with longer drives to shopping, while the borough gives you sidewalks and a smaller yard.

Fred Gomberg works with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach in Princeton and has lived in Lawrenceville, next door to Hopewell Valley, for 30 years. If you'd like to tour both the borough and the township in one afternoon, Fred is happy to put a route together for you.