The hometown feeling you know as a true Marlboro Kid
It doesn’t mean we’re a town of smokers
The kids that spent way too much of their lives in the same hometown seem to be caught in a stigma where by the time high school swings around, they want out. It’s not until I had my rite of passage leaving my own hometown that I began to miss and appreciate the simple little things about this not-so-little town called Marlboro, New Jersey.
Central Jersey does exist, dangit
Driving to either New York or Philadelphia only takes about an hour or two give or take, so it’s no problem to visit either city for a day trip. Going to Broadway shows or seeing the Liberty Bell are just a part of your childhood memories. Not to mention, Marlboro’s a convenient starting point to get to places like Hoboken in the north or Wildwood in the south, because we’re right smack in the middle of the state. We’re just the perfect distance from the best of Jersey.
There’s a good reason it’s called the Garden State
Apple picking, corn mazes, hayrides, and horseback riding are not uncommon past times in Marlboro, not to mention the abundance of farm stands on the side of the road to get your fresh Jersey corn fix at the peak of the season. Farmland is a common sight in the town – I even used to drive past a vineyard and a couple of ranches as a part of my route to school. We’re totally on board with this whole Garden State thing.
Boardwalks and beaches and fairs![]()
Summers are actual holidays here in Marlboro, because you’re never short of things to do around the area. Whether it’s Jenkinson’s boardwalk, St. Gabriel’s fair, the Monmouth County fair, Six Flags, or just a spontaneous trip down to the shore, the weekend activity you’re looking for is never more than half an hour away.
Anything with the word “rec” in it is a way of life
Rec center, rec soccer, rec basketball, rec camp – it’s all a part of the same idea. We like our recreation and we can get pretty serious about it, so much that it’s basically responsible for the existence of an entire sub-community of soccer moms and travel players who have been buddies since the peewees. Rec means multiple things in Marlboro, but that’s a huge part of our community pride.
Marlboro day camps are a staple of the full childhood experience
Whether you went to one, worked at one, or just went on the high school senior trip to Black Bear, day camps are part of the classic Marlboro childhood experience. You probably even went to the Marlboro Swim Club at least once on a field trip at some point.
Our local eateries define the pinnacle of Jersey noms
When it comes to food, you’re never short of after school or weekend haunts. Highlights include Mom’s, Bagel Talk, Marlboro Pizza, Romeo’s, Crown Palace, and just about any diner in the vicinity – you’re never more than fifteen minutes away from one, anyway.
The diversity level is on point
Seriously, I’m not just throwing the word diversity out there. Marlboro has a healthy mix of different cultural backgrounds. There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve seen Facebook photos of everything from the local Garba dance, to the Chinese school’s Lunar New Year celebration, to someone’s little sister’s bat mitzvah. I even went to an Indian-style sweet sixteen once! Being accepting of different backgrounds just becomes a natural part of growing up in Marlboro.
Those early morning runs to Bagel Talk and vibrant summer days at St. Gabriel’s fair are part of a certain lifestyle that can only be described as the Marlboro lifestyle. It’s something that only your neighbors and your old friends from high school will understand. Nothing beats the irreplaceable feeling of hometown pride, because it’s pride for where you grew up.