Watchung is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, perched on the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains about 29 miles west of New York City. Its name comes from the Lenape language and means 'high hills,' a fitting description for a community built across a wooded ridgeline that rises above the surrounding Raritan Valley. The borough's elevated, leafy setting has shaped its identity as a quiet, suburban residential town within commuting distance of Manhattan. The area was settled in the early eighteenth century, but Watchung grew slowly, remaining a rural township for generations. Its population rose from just over 3,300 in 1960 to more than 6,400 today as the postwar suburban expansion reached Somerset County. Despite that growth, Watchung has retained large lots, mature trees, and a deliberately low-density character, with careful preservation of its hillside open space. The borough is crossed by Interstate 78 and lies near U.S. Route 22, placing New York City, Newark, and the corporate centers of central New Jersey within easy reach. Watchung's schools are highly regarded: students attend the Watchung Borough Schools through eighth grade and Watchung Hills Regional High School, a district that also serves neighboring Warren, Green Brook, and Long Hill townships. Recreation centers on the Watchung Reservation, a 2,000-acre Union County preserve that begins just beyond the borough line and offers miles of hiking trails through the same Watchung range, plus the borough's own Watchung Lake. For homebuyers, Watchung offers an uncommon combination—forested, hilltop privacy and strong schools—within roughly an hour of New York City.