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Community Profile
Location / Access:
Panther Valley Ecumenical
Church is
located in a rural
area on the Northwest side of New Jersey, approximately 20 miles East of the Delaware
Water Gap, 13 miles Southeast of Blairstown and 2 miles North of Hackettstown. Easy
access East and West is served by Interstate Route 80 and North and South by county route
517. The area is served by the
Lehigh
Valley International Airport in Allentown, PA. and
Newark International
Airport, each about one hour away. Blairstown also has an airport for small
private planes.
Education:
The public elementary schools serving the
area are at Allamuchy, Hackettstown, Long Valley, Green Township, Blairstown and
Frelinghuysen. Most
schools
are grades K-6. All are well staffed and equipped with computers and other up to
date technology. Kindergarten is a full day program at most schools. The
students from these elementary schools then attend North Warren Regional School in
Blairstown, Hackettstown High School in Hackettstown, Great Meadows Regional High School
in Great Meadows and the West Morris Central High School in Chester. Four
private Christian schools exist within a 25 mile radius, as well as
Blair Academy, which is a private high
school in Blairstown for residential and commuting students.
There are also several
pre-schools in the area with one located at the Knowlton Presbyterian
Church.
Pooh's Preschool has been a part of
their local community for over 20 years and has operated out of the church for most of
that time. The director, Mrs. Antoinette Guarraci offers a challenging and fun
packed curriculum. Her classrooms fill up quickly every fall season.
Call her at (908) 459-4136 if you are interested in registering your preschooler.
Shopping:
A few small strip malls
exist in the immediate area. Best's Fruit Farms, Independence
Township, has been catering to the needs of local residents for
generations, offering fresh produce, homemade baked goods and fresh cut
meats. The Mount Olive A&P, Mansfield Shop-Rite,
and Weis are the only local
supermarkets. Most people also shop out of town, traveling 10 to
30 miles for
groceries and to shopping malls.
Cultural
Activities:
Cultural activities
include the Water Gap Singers, concerts at historic Waterloo Village and an arts program
at the local private school Blair Academy which regularly features well known performers.
Local Art Shows are held from time to time and many well known artists live in the area.
There are many places of interest in the area, including the village of Hope which
was founded by the Moravians, historic Millbrook Village and
Peters Valley. "Victorian
Days" are celebrated in nearby Belvidere annually. Also the many opportunities
of New York City are easily accessible by car or bus in about 1 1/2 hours.
Recreation:
Recreational opportunities are many and
varied within a short distance. Included are hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, golf,
water parks, swimming, bowling and roller skating, to name a few. Several private
campgrounds
are in the local area as well as
Worthington
State Park which is host to the
Appalachian Trail. There are also organized sports for younger
children, including Little League Baseball, Midget Football, Basketball, Soccer, etc.
Community Links:
Many more links to local
community website's
can be found on our
Community Links
page.
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