Good town with low taxes and easy commute to Port Authority

[bradykp]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Laughing, because I posted this yesterday and this morning all the trains on the Northeast Corridor are cancelled due to Amtrak problems.

hehehe. 6 in one and half dozen in the other.

[fishbrains]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Laughing, because I posted this yesterday and this morning all the trains on the Northeast Corridor are cancelled due to Amtrak problems.

Yes. I have commuted both by bus and train. They both have pros and cons. I have definitely had a bad couple of weeks commuting on the train.

Ultimately it comes down to preference, parking, schedule, etc. Both will work, but bus is definitely easier from Livingston.

[Sanderling]

I commute by bus from Parsippany (a good deal farther west than the towns discussed so far) and it rarely takes more than an hour to Port Authority. If you can travel early (like get a bus before 7 AM) the commute is quick and very easy. However, you definitely want to be able to telecommute on snow days!

[Safetyman40]

hillside, union, are beautiful places to live the taxes are not as brutal as one may think. the commute is normal to the city say 45 to 1 hour. go to these places in the day and evening and especially on saturday afternoon on a good day before committing to anything.

[newhomeowner007]

@meghna, where did you guys finally end up? We are in the same boat, looking for houses in the same budget with same criteria.

[msulinski]

hillside, union, are beautiful places to live the taxes are not as brutal as one may think

I don't think I would call Hillside "beautiful." A lot of people on this forum consider it a rough place to live. Union is OK, though I don't think the schools are considered very good.

OP, you may want to consider Springfield as well. Depending on where in Springfield, you either have the train option via the Springfield jitney/Short Hills station, or you have the 114 bus.

[firsttimer123]

Check Cedar Grove. Under an hour to port authority, some of the lower taxes in essex county...

[lammius]

Originally Posted by Sanderling

I commute by bus from Parsippany (a good deal farther west than the towns discussed so far) and it rarely takes more than an hour to Port Authority. If you can travel early (like get a bus before 7 AM) the commute is quick and very easy. However, you definitely want to be able to telecommute on snow days!

This would be my suggestion as well. Parsippany offers the advantages of lower taxes, and for the OP a larger Indian population. The commute is also pretty quick.

I used to live in Montclair (halfway between Parsippany and NYC) and my coworker who took the bus from Parsippany had a faster commute than I. He got on his bus at the last stop before the bus went onto the highway and straight into the city. My bus, on the other hand, stopped by my apartment at the start of its route and schlepped around all over town picking up passengers one or two at a time before getting onto the highway. So where your home or park-and-ride is located in relationship to the bus route can make a huge difference in commute time!