Looking for a rural town with an easy commute to Clinton, NJ (Easton: crime)

[fhstx02]

My husband and I are looking to relocate to Eastern PA or North Western NJ. My husband will be working in Clinton, NJ so we are trying to find a rural, reasonably priced town within a 30-40 minute commute to Clinton. We currently do not have any children, but we plan on starting a family in the near future, so the school system must be decent and crime must be low. Our budget is around $300,000, and we are looking to buy a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on at least an acre of property. Again, we are looking for a safe, very rural town with farmland and beautiful views.

[toobusytoday]

You can get the house, but not an acre within your price range and distance. Good luck.

[old_grouch]

Originally Posted by fhstx02

My husband and I are looking to relocate to Eastern PA or North Western NJ. My husband will be working in Clinton, NJ so we are trying to find a rural, reasonably priced town within a 30-40 minute commute to Clinton. We currently do not have any children, but we plan on starting a family in the near future, so the school system must be decent and crime must be low. Our budget is around $300,000, and we are looking to buy a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on at least an acre of property. Again, we are looking for a safe, very rural town with farmland and beautiful views.

You could find something in the Bangor / Mt. Bethel, PA area in that price range, but I am not sure it would be within the 40 minute commute, because you have to drive down to Easton or Phillipsburg to pick up Rt. 78. Google puts it more like 50 minutes (30+ miles). Another option might be the Nazareth area, which is a very nice town, and if you go on the outskirts to the north or northeast, you could still be close to Rt. 33. I would suggest exploring the areas on both sides of Rt. 33 north of Stockertown, around Belfast, between Belfast and Nazareth, or even up to Wind Gap, and checking the drive times. Beautiful rural area with views of the Blue Ridge, nice Rails to Trails and Jacobsburg State park.

If you stay down in the Rt. 78 corridor, it will be more expensive. But you could set up an alert in realtor dot com, for 1 acre, 3 bed, etc. and select all those nearby communities: even Forks Township but that is pricier, Plainfield Township, Nazareth, Belfast, Stockertown, etc. I don't know anything about New Jersey areas.

[CHIP72]

I'd personally stay in New Jersey (somewhere north or northwest of Clinton), just because if you locate in Pennsylvania, you'll probably have to use I-78 to get to Clinton (and there's a lot of traffic on I-78 to NYC/north Jersey at rush hour times).

[kellyi]

Old Grouch is exactly right. And you can easily find a 3 bdrm/2 bath house on an acre in Nazareth. There are a few listed for $299,000 actually- build your own! Great schools, beautiful town, within reasonable distance to Clinton, NJ. If you leave the house by 630am you beat the rush hour traffic ; ) We live here and LOVE it.