🎬 NJ’s film industry is booming with Lionsgate, Netflix and Paramount anchoring new studio projects.
💰 Luxury real estate markets in Jersey City, Montclair and along the Shore offer options for actors and execs look for local homes.
🌊 Celebs like Jon Stewart and Bruce Springsteen may inspire others to settle in Monmouth County.
With all three film studio partners in place — Lionsgate, Netflix and Paramount — and three separate production facilities being built, New Jersey has cemented its return to film-making roots.
For West Coast-based actors or celebrities weary of commuting from New York, there are a number of New Jersey towns that make for ideal digs, depending on which location they want to be near.
Where are celebrities likely to live in NJ Jersey City
Jersey City attracts wealthy residents to ‘Gold Coast’
As for the Paramount anchored 1888 Studios in Bayonne – Jersey City has become quite the hotspot for those able to afford new luxury housing.
Billions of dollars have been pumped into luxury waterfront housing in sections of Jersey City, where median incomes now range above $200,000, according to CREA United.
The same analysis showed that in the past decade the number of Jersey City renter-occupied units grew from 64,905 to 94,113, while owner-occupied units rose from 28,744 to 35,907.
Jersey City is a crucial part of what is considered the “Gold Coast of New Jersey,” the western front of the Hudson River, stretching from about Fort Lee down to Bayonne.
Read More: New Jersey’s largest film production hub takes shape at 1888 Studios
Where are celebrities likely to live in NJ –
Montclair offers charm, vibrant arts and a direct commute
Another New Jersey town that has built a pristine reputation for itself among wealthy, arts-loving residents is Montclair, adopted home of late night host Stephen Colbert.
It was also the town where short-lived Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers bought a $9.5 million house (he’s since moved on to Pittsburgh).
Read More: See inside Aaron Rodgers’ cool ultramodern New Jersey home
The town is not far north of the Lionsgate studio being built in Newark.
Montclair offers over 100 sprawling, gorgeous homes for sale, as of this month — like a 10 bedroom, 12.5 bathroom “sanctuary of refinement” listed for $5.6 million with Sotheby’s.
Or, if it’s a home for just a couple of projects, the same property is available for rent at $13,500 a month.
For those looking for much less of a footprint in Montclair, there’s a brand-new luxury complex, “The Clair,” offering 40 units in a mix of one and two-bedrooms.
Netflix NJ studio plans at Fort Monmouth parcel (courtesy Netflix)
Netflix Studios in Eatontown and Oceanport spark Shore revival
There are already two Jersey Shore communities with enough buzz and an arts scene, realtor.com has pointed out.
Asbury Park and Long Branch have both been seeing ocean-front gentrification over the past number of years.
Both oceanfront communities have built-in nightlife, with fabulous dining options and beautiful views, as well as a vibrant arts and cultural scene.
In Asbury, the luxury high-rise Lido has a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom unit with a “private balcony and northeast exposure” listed for $4.66 million.
There’s also a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom unit with private parking and private balconies listed at $2.84 million — and a 1 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom listing just above $1 million.
Where are celebrities likely to live in NJ –
In Long Branch, the Atlantic Club luxury condo complex is being finished — with a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom unit listed for $5.5 million.
Also in the Atlantic Club, a 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit is listed at $1.1 million.
Celebrities with young families might want to take a cue from Jon Stewart, Bruce Springsteen and at one-time, Queen Latifah, and look into Colts Neck.
There are also the first-ever luxury apartments being built, as Liviana Colts Neck is underway by Kushner Companies.
So are similar luxury complexes in Long Branch’s Pier Village, and in Eatontown at Monmouth Square (formerly Monmouth Mall).
Severance signage at Bell Works (Credit: Erin Vogt Townsquare Media)
Holmdel is another very upscale, convenient Monmouth County area – and now is a home base for the Apple plus thriller, “Severance,” which films part-time at Bellworks.
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Then there’s perennially stunning Rumson — and not too far off, the stretch along the Navesink River where Jon Bon Jovi and Gov. Phil Murphy were, for a time, “neighbors” in Middletown.
Middletown itself is a very large township.
Its riverfront properties are just minutes from the thriving, arts-savvy downtown of Red Bank, home of the Count Basie Center for the Arts.
Look inside this magnificent Morristown mansion
Gallery Credit: Bill Doyle
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Gallery Credit: Stacker
