Age-friendly Frenchtown

Borough Council will vote whether to endorse an Age-Friendly Action Plan at the June 3 meeting. The plan is the result of a year-long effort supported by a grant from the state Department of Human Services. The Action Plan can be found on the borough website. The next step is to send it for review by the state.

Valuable information collected as part of Frenchtown’s Age-Friendly initiative includes the following:

• Frenchtown residents over the age of 55 comprised 16.7% of the total population in 1990. This population has more than doubled to 35.8% by 2020.
• The median year that structures were built in Frenchtown is 1938 compared to 1979 for Hunterdon County and 1970 for the state. Many older residents have talked about the need for home renovations that will allow them to “age in place.”
• The median income for Frenchtown residents 65 and older is $67,596 compared to $90,843 Hunterdon county-wide.
• The percentage of Frenchtown borough households that are rentals is 47%. At recent Mayor’s Age-Friendly Town Hall meetings, residents have commented on the need for actions that ensure that older rental residents are living in homes that are healthy and safe.