From the Golden State to the Garden State

It is the kind of story you expect to hear from your great-grandfather: how he left his hometown with nothing but the clothes on his back to start a new life in a new land.

This is almost the exact story for Anthony Davi of Boonton Township, except he packed some clothes in a suitcase, boarded a plane in Monterey, and had a few of his personal belongings shipped to New Jersey a few weeks later.

And unlike the stories of our grandparents and great-grandparents, Davi didn’t leave California for economic opportunity. Rather, he left for love.

He met a Jersey Girl, the former Jennifer Curtis of Mountain Lakes (MLHS class of ‘89), and, after a few years of long-distance dating, decided to swap coasts and start a new life in New Jersey.

California Roots

Anthony Davi grew up on the Monterey Peninsula. A good athlete in his youth, he played three sports in high school. He then continued his baseball career at California Polytechnic State University, better known as Cal Poly, where they won the Division II national championship in his junior year.

After college, Davi started a career in advertising but stayed involved in sports. He coached baseball at Carmel High School, a small school much like Mountain Lakes, and in his short tenure there, led his team to two state sectional titles.

Deeply rooted with a large family and many friends in the area, Davi seemed destined to forever be a Californian. However, that all changed one fateful evening while he was working his side hustle, waiting tables inside a local restaurant.

His future wife was on a business trip, and she dined in his establishment. The two became friends, and over time, the relationship evolved.

The couple remained in a long-distance relationship for a while, and after they became engaged, Davi decided to move to New Jersey, officially relocating one month before his wedding.

Starting Over

Even though he had visited Mountain Lakes regularly while dating his future wife, Davi didn’t know what to expect in the Garden State. He left a very temperate climate where it was around 65° with little rain throughout the year. He traded that for cold winters, hot and humid summers, and everything else that comes with the four seasons.

“I didn’t know what I was getting into. I was moving out here to be with her, and that was that,” he says.

Financially, he was in a similar state of flux. He had no job, not even any prospects. And this was right after September 11, 2001, when the job market in the area was still strained from the World Trade Center attacks.

But Davi, who was very resourceful and determined, started selling home improvements just to get his feet on the ground. He eventually moved into the automotive industry, where he continues to earn his living now.

“It’s challenging, it’s fun, it’s something different every day,” he says about his job.

Two years after their wedding, Davi and his wife bought a house in Boonton Township, where they still live today. Their family grew as they welcomed two boys, the elder who is now in the Marine Corps and the younger, who is still in the local middle school.

Lacrosse, Not Baseball, is King

Following in their father’s footsteps, both Davi boys were very athletic in their youth. They each played multiple sports, but despite their father’s baseball past, couldn’t resist the appeal of the local lacrosse program. (If you know, you know!)

Coming from California in a time when very few kids played lacrosse, the former college baseball player had little exposure to this new sport. He was skeptical about becoming a lacrosse family at first, not yet fully understanding the mystique of Laker Lacrosse. “I had friends who were lacrosse dads, and I used to tease them all the time,” he jokes. “I used to say, ‘I hated lacrosse, and I’ll never do it’.”

However, after watching his kids play for a few years, Davi came around. “Now I’m pretty much all-in on lacrosse,” he admits. “It’s a fun sport to watch.”

Scratching His Competitive Itch

When he is not traveling to watch his kids play, Davi likes to spend time on golf courses and paddle courts. As a member of the nearby Rockaway River Country Club, he is afforded the opportunity to play regularly.

He particularly likes to hit the links at RRCC. “The course is phenomenal,” he raves, quickly crediting greens superintendent John Topakas (a fellow Boonton Township resident) for the work he has put into the grounds. “It is unbelievable what he has done with that course.”

While acknowledging the addicting characteristics of the sport: “Once you get the taste of it, you want more,” he says. Davi especially enjoys the camaraderie of playing golf with his friends, most of whom are from the community. “There’s a pretty decent-sized group of us that plays together.”

At Home

Anthony Davi will always be a California Kid at heart. He has even admitted that the door is still open to maybe one day return to the West Coast. However, he is very appreciative of his time in Jersey, especially Boonton Township. “The people are awesome here,” he notes. “It’s a great place to raise kids, to raise a family.”

Although he traded cypress trees for pine trees, sunsets for snowstorms, a rugged Pacific coastline for the Morris County suburbs, and a laid-back California lifestyle for the hustle-bustle of the greater New York City metro area, he knows that moving to the Boonton Township and Mountain Lakes area was a decision that was life-changing.

“I’ve made a lot of great friends here,” he says. “I’ve met a lot of great people. That is awesome. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Photographs by Antonietta Henry

Antonietta Henry is a wife, mother of four and owner of Antonietta Henry Photography in Pompton Plains. She enjoys exploring and learning more about the wonderful people and businesses of Mountain Lakes and Boonton Township!