ABOUT HIGHLAND PARK

By the almanac, the borough of Highland Park is just 1.8 miles square, with a population of just over 14,000. Small as it is, H.P. fits a number of definitions of quality of life. For many residents, the borough's compactness is itself a big asset.

While Highland Park is the kind of town you can get your arms around, it is also rich in cultural, religious, and economic diversity. Our 1500 public school children speak nearly 50 languages at home, according to the latest tracking by the Highland Park Board of Education.

The many faces of Highland Park include a bustling downtown business district and tranquil, tree-lined neighborhoods. Homes range from modest to manorial, and neighborhoods are rich in architectural interest and historical significance.

Highland Park is the kind of place where you can run all your errands -- routine weekly shopping and importd gifts -- and then relax over dinner of Thai, Turkish, steakhouse, or kosher sushi. Or skip straight to dessert, at one of the oldest original soda fountains in the state or a handcrafted chocolate fondue. Highland Park is also a place where you can take in an imported film festival or enjoy Independence Day fireworks from the comfort of a beach blanket.

Popular with Rutgers University faculty and students, and employees of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, Highland Park also provides easy access to mass transit for residents employed in New York, Newark, Princeton, Trenton and Philadelphia. For many commuters, weekdays start with a short river walk to New Brunswick, to catch an express bus or train.

Highland Park also distinguishes itself with a first-class school system, repeatedly ranked among the best in America. For spiritual nourishment, you will find more than a dozen churches and synagogues and a wealth of alternative spiritual institutions.

A chain of parks and natural areas along the Raritan River perimeter of town, form a loosely connected Highland Park greenway. These include 90-acre Donaldson Park, a destination for many because of its boat-launching ramp; on the north side, the 473-acre Johnson Park, which H.P. shares with Piscataway Township.

Finally, the town is just minutes from world-class performing and visual arts venues, state-of-the-art sports facilities (e.g., the scenic 42,000-seat Rutgers Stadium and affordable public golf courses), libraries, and scientific research and medical institutions.

Whatever yardstick you use, you'll find that Highland Park measures up as a great place to live, play or do business.

-- Adapted from the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce