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Old 06-15-2011, 06:58 AM
 
3 posts, read 13,929 times
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My wife and I are thinking about moving to oldbridge new jersey from Staten island. Im having trouble getting a good idea about the town and its neighbors. I will be working in downtown nyc, I have 2 young children , a 3yr old and 3 month old. Also most of our family/friends are still on Staten island. Everyone I ask gives me a different opinion of oldbridge. Some terrible some great. I am looking in the area that borders mattawan and Marlboro. People offer mixed reactions on the schools. We are trying to remain close to Staten island as we will be traveling there alot. I will also be commuting to downtown nyc. Overall we want a good family area with good schools and a nice place for our kids to grow up. Just looking for some opinions on oldbridge itself,,the area im looking in,,or maybe should be looking in, the people in this area, and the schools and zoning, we are so in the air about everything,,has anybody made this move or have any knowledge of this area?

Last edited by MandM7; 06-15-2011 at 07:19 AM..
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Old 06-15-2011, 10:56 AM
 
Location: Somerset, NJ
505 posts, read 2,329,200 times
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Personally I like the area and don't see anything wrong with it. The values have come down quite a bit in Old Bridge in the last few years which is beginning to make a it very attractive place to purchase. I would suggest that you drive down there on a weekend and try and get a feel for it for yourself.

The only real bad thing is that the traffic on and around route 9 can get very bad during rush our and on the weekends because of shopping.
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Old 06-15-2011, 01:11 PM
 
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Old Bridge is a rather large town and has many different areas. The area you are looking at is generally one of the nicer areas. Some parts further west, particularly around Old Bridge-Englishtown Rd (CR 527) just south of the entrance to Rt 18 is getting a bit seedy. And you also have the Lawrence Harbor/Cliffwood Beach area along Rt 35 which is on the Raritan Bay, and that should speak enough for itself.

The schools are fine (taught at Cheesequake for two years). Everyone I know who emerged from Old Bridge did very well. Overall it is a very family-oriented, middle class community.

The bummer is the Rt 9 commute, but you will be getting it from Rt 34 which I gather is where you will be commuting from. If that is the case, there are no traffic lights on the stretch of 9 you will be dealing with regularly, just the stupid merge with 35 in South Amboy where you have to exit to stay on 9 and that backs up quite a bit. There are better commute options, but if I had to do it from 9 I would rather do it from where you are looking than any place further south.
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Old 06-15-2011, 02:57 PM
 
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Default marlbro

People are telling me to skip oldbridge and go to Marlboro but I don't see it as being that much better than the area that I mentioned, is it?
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Old 06-15-2011, 03:52 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MandM7 View Post
People are telling me to skip oldbridge and go to Marlboro but I don't see it as being that much better than the area that I mentioned, is it?
Depends on what their definition is of "better".

You couldn't PAY ME to live in Marlboro, but that is my opinion.
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Old 06-15-2011, 05:55 PM
 
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Well there is another option of commute which is Matawan-aberdeen train station which will be close from where you are planning to buy home. I checked and found good schedules (7 trains in peak 2 hours - 7 to 9 am and 5 to 7 pm). When I move there and it will be soon, I prefer to do that. Another option that another member on this forum had suggested was to drive down to metro park and take train/bus from there. This is easy because parking and train/bus are always available there.
I would say schools are better but not as good as Marlboro. But commute option is way better then Marlboro.
Prices are good.
Neighborhood is safe.
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Old 06-15-2011, 06:00 PM
 
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I've spoken to more than one person who has moved to Marlboro only to be disappointed with how insular, if not downright rude, the people are there. I've definitely gotten a sense of it firsthand - it's actually a little jarring. The schools are good and the area is nice, but I would find many of the surrounding towns more desirable.

Regarding Old Bridge, we lived in the Laurence Harbor section for several years and liked it a lot, but we moved in part because we were looking for a better school system. That said, I have heard (rumor only, so take it with a grain of salt) that the schools in the southern part of the township are better than where our children would've gone if we'd stayed.
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Old 06-15-2011, 06:05 PM
 
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Parking will most likely be a problem at Aberdeen-Matawan, unless you know someone with a home or business within walking distance that will let you park there. I understand the wait list for a permit is several years long. Metropark may be your best bet - it's right off the GSP and trains run express from there. Someone once suggested South Amboy to me, but I never tried it.
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Old 06-16-2011, 10:27 AM
 
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Thanks for the responses, the information is much appreciated, im also browsing hazlet Middletown and manalapn if anyone knows anything about them...
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Old 06-16-2011, 01:13 PM
 
1,247 posts, read 3,011,706 times
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Originally Posted by MandM7 View Post
Thanks for the responses, the information is much appreciated, im also browsing hazlet Middletown and manalapn if anyone knows anything about them...
Hazlet is OK, but very cramped and crowded and not much room to breathe. Middletown is pretty big, about the same size as Old Bridge, but I would not say these towns are any better than OB. Try to live as far south as possible in either of these. A lot of the PWT garbage from Keansburg spills over into both.

Manalapan is even more unpleasant than Marlboro. I taught for one year at Lafayette Mills School in Manalapan (2006-7) and by December of that year I was at my wit's end. You would not believe the entitlement mentality of these students and their parents. I went through an urban district (New Brunswick) and I can tell you those brats step out of line more than the trash I went to school with. I also worked for the township special recreation program on Saturday mornings for many years, left about two years ago. The head guy was very nice, a typical grandpa but too soft on a lot of nasty people. I cannot understand how these fellow counselors could contribute to society with their minimal social skills and lack of a "personality". And they all firmly believe there is no better place on earth. Also a lot of crime there recently too. LOTS of drugs, burglaries, break-ins, stabbings etc.

What is your budget? Since no one else asked.
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