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Hi folks,
First of all.. great forum! Also, I was a bit relieved that many people are still facing the dilemma, like me, of finding the right balance between work and home.
I will be working in NYC @ E42nd/330 Madison Avenue. Have a 5-year and a 7-year old. I started by looking at elementary school rankings and arriving at towns that way but not much luck. Except for Bergen County (Tenafly, Passaic, Lodi) noted for good schools I was not able to decisively identify good elementary schools. Then I called some friends. Some names suggested - Edison, North Brunswick, Marlboro, Glenridge, Princeton
Also I would like to be < 1 hr commute from work and easy access to public transport.
- Princeton looks nice but is too far.
- Marlboro: good school => expensive town => no apartments. I have been here and is a very nice town. Seems far from NYC. I can check for townhouses on rent. But would other town be a better deal than this?
- Glenridge: seems to be ditto Marlboro. But I REALLY liked location (atleast on the NJ transit map)!
- Edison, North Brunswick: I am not clear on these towns. How is elementary school? If there is a specific good elem school, do I need to stay in that school area?
Where would the wise ones put their money? Any other good town with a very good elem school, within 1 hr of Madison Ave commute?
Also my 5 year-old needs to go to Kindergarten. Is the admission policy similar to public school admission? Most towns seem to have private KG so admission could be an issue considering we are moving very closer to start of school.
I am relocating from Mumbai, India (gasp!) to NJ so I do not have the luxury of seeing things personally. I would like to drill down from: good school + commute to decide town and finally a condo/townhouse for rent.
Please help! Thanks a lot!.. and again..a wonderful forum.
That seems to be everyone's (at least those with kids) predicament these days... After looking all over the place for new construction, we ended up deciding to build in Marlboro. My husband is just going to suck it up and do the longer commute.
That said, Edison is probably your best bet. The schools are better than in North Brunswick, and I think your commute would be faster. Plus, Edison has a gazillion apartments.
There are tons of private kindergartens, but if you're in a good district, there is no reason to enroll in a private one. My sister-in-law teaches K in a Monmouth county district and has said that while her curriculum falls in line with what the kids do in the 1st grade within the district, sometimes kids coming from the private Ks end up struggling a bit at first in the 1st grade.
if you can afford it, I'd go with glen ridge. i have a love-affair with that place . cute, great schools, gas lanterned streets, can't beat the location. but be prepared to plunk down major bucks in the way of prop. taxes.
how long before diane giam comes to this thread to slam marlboro and plug nashville?
North Edison is closer to NYC, has train and has good public school. Princeton or Plainsboro, give it an 1 - 1 1/2 hr trip to NYC, by bus or train, both are in the top of NJ best public schools.
In North Jersey, Millburn or Short Hills, there's a train to NYC and I think Millburn public school is also in top 10. I'm not familiar with bus.
if you can afford it, I'd go with glen ridge. i have a love-affair with that place . cute, great schools, gas lanterned streets, can't beat the location. but be prepared to plunk down major bucks in the way of prop. taxes.
how long before diane giam comes to this thread to slam marlboro and plug nashville?
I was recommended Glen Ridge but atleast for my first year of move, I am planning to rent. There seems only 1 apt complex and my friend has left a couple of voice mails for them. Any one know of any rentals in this town? There is a new complex- Reserve there but beyond my budget at this time.
That seems to be everyone's (at least those with kids) predicament these days... After looking all over the place for new construction, we ended up deciding to build in Marlboro. My husband is just going to suck it up and do the longer commute.
That said, Edison is probably your best bet. The schools are better than in North Brunswick, and I think your commute would be faster. Plus, Edison has a gazillion apartments.
There are tons of private kindergartens, but if you're in a good district, there is no reason to enroll in a private one. My sister-in-law teaches K in a Monmouth county district and has said that while her curriculum falls in line with what the kids do in the 1st grade within the district, sometimes kids coming from the private Ks end up struggling a bit at first in the 1st grade.
Hi Juliann,
Thanks for your reply. How much do you think is the door-2-door commute to 42nd/Madison Ave?
I see some townhomes for rent in Marlboro.
I was recommended Glen Ridge but atleast for my first year of move, I am planning to rent. There seems only 1 apt complex and my friend has left a couple of voice mails for them. Any one know of any rentals in this town? There is a new complex- Reserve there but beyond my budget at this time.
my bad - I didn't see that you'd be renting. yeah, renting in glen ridge may be a problem. you're going to have to go private (rent a house or 2nd floor from an owner). you can realtor.com for rentals. good luck!
Hi Pathakss, I am moving to NJ too and facing a similar situation.And I am also from Mumbai.. But I have been in Ohio since the past few yrs, so it makes things a little better..
I am seriously considering Edison, looks great, good schools, easy commute to NYC and lots of Indians ..
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. cute, great schools, gas lanterned streets, can't beat the location. but be prepared to plunk down major bucks in the way of prop. taxes. 
Rentals in Glen Ridge? any pointers?
