Move over, Westfield — this NJ town just claimed the suburb spotlight

Ah, the suburbs. Behold the American dream of the 1950s and 60s, which gave rise to shopping malls, too. Of course, now shopping malls are becoming zombie malls and because people are marrying and having children later in life younger people are lately drawn to living back in urban areas like Jersey City again.

But the suburban appeal is still there for many, and HGTV recently named America’s hottest suburbs. A town in Union County was among them.

This caught my eye since I was born and raised in Union County. My first thought was, ‘could it be my hometown of Rahway?’ Certainly not when I lived there, but then they went through a renaissance with a downtown district revival, including the Union County Performing Arts Center and a bar and restaurant scene that has been very attractive.

But no, it’s not Rahway.

Westfield then? Despite its “Stranger Things” vibe with “Addams Family” history and real-life events like the John List case and more recently The Watcher house, it’s always been a higher-end place to live with a tony downtown.

But no, it’s not Westfield.

HGTV’s “20 Best Suburbs List”  chose Summit.

According to HGTV, Summit offers a “vibrant downtown area with restaurants, cafes and shops. And for outdoor enthusiasts, the 30-acre Briant Park and 70-acre Hidden Valley Park are both great for hiking and biking.”

It’s called one of New Jersey’s most sought-after communities and is popular with people commuting into Manhattan.

Not to mention it has one of the last truly authentic Jersey diners left in the state.

Congrats to Summit on the honor!

But hey, in Rahway we still have Rocky’s Bar and Grill, and that’s more my speed anyway.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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