Suburbs of Trenton for a young family... (Ewing, Princeton: crime, houses)

[jessnboys]

Looking for recommendations for a suburb of Trenton with the following criteria:
Budget: around 500k for a 4 bedroom home
Commute: anything less than an hour
Important factors: family focused, SAFE, good/great schools, strong sense of community
DH prefers new construction, I prefer older homes in established towns with a walkable downtown so we'd probably consider both.
Taxes seem killer in NJ so we'd be open to PA towns too.

What would you all recommend?
Thanks!

[riverroader]

I'm assuming you are talking about an hour commute to Trenton. If that is the case, you have a few jersey choices...I'm only going to mention one in PA since I don't know about many. I would consider New Hope, PA for that walkable downtown. On the other side of the Delaware River you have Lambertville which is a similar town. Your 500k will go far in both of these towns, but you are going to be mostly seeing older homes. Other great downtowns would be Flemington and Clinton, but Clinton could be about a 70-minute commute. Both Flemington and Clinton have excellent schools. Another that is up and coming with a lot of walking distance places could be Schalks Crossing area of Plainsboro. Lots of new construction, walking distance to about a dozen restaurants, grocery store, and your basic essentials. You could also try something in Princeton, but you'll have a hard time with a 500k budget. Hope this helps a little...I'm not really familiar with suburbs south of Trenton, but I know Moorestown is always on the top 10 list of places to live in South Jersey.

[helj67]

Hopewell would be a perfect area for you! Within Hopewell township there are 3 towns: Hopewell Boro, Pennington, and Titusville. Both Hopewell Boro and Penington have resturants, coffee houses, library, etc.
I lived in Hopewell from '89 to "01, and loved it! It is a wonderful place to raise a family, and has great schools, natural beauty, and a mixture of lovely old Victorian houses, and sometimes unfortunately, new construction. The people in Hopewell Boro are they friendliest, even the teenagers! It is like living in a Norman Rockwell painting. Come down for a visit, and stop by Soupe du Jour for a wonderful brunch on the weekend or great lunch weekdays. My mother in law has been a realtor and resident for over 20 years, send me a pm if you want her info. Happy Hunting to You!

[helj67]

Yardley would be a great choice in Pa. It is just one town north and over the bridge from Trenton.

[jessnboys]

Thanks for all the recommendations...will look into them! I'm starting to think that Bucks County might be the best bet just to stay away from the NJ taxes. Thanks again.

[Fairfax Mom]

You will never find a good home in Hopewell as cheap as 500k! Titusville is even more expensive. Pennington is the creme de la creme but very nice!
Try Hamilton in the Steinhart school district.

Here is a guide

Cruddy: Trenton, Ewing, parts of Hamilton right on the border
Good: Hamilton, Lawrence, East Windsor
Very expensive: Pennigton, Hopewell, Titusville, West Windsor, Princeton
Cute little river towns: Lambertville, New Hope

[sj3]

Consider Robbinsville. Very family friendly. You can find a home around 500K, while there may not be a lot, there isn't one bad neighborhood in town, so anything you do find is worth considering.
Everyone still says hello in Robbinsville!

[christina0001]

Hopewell
Pennington
Robbinsville
All three are very, very safe with great schools and a very easy commute to Trenton.

[DLK55]

I would agree. I lived in Hopewell Borough, later in Hamilton Twp, and had a friend that lived in Trenton. My friend lived in a home that had belonged to his grandparents. Not a ritzy area, but by the time the late 90's rolled around, it had gone downhill. Crime was already becoming a larger problem and when I read of some of the things going on there now, it saddens me. A true tragedy for a city with such a rich history.

In short, while some of the historic districts in Trenton are nice, the crime problem in the city as a whole is nothing I would introduce a family to. Hamilton or Lawrenceville would be my choice for a young family. Both are fairly affordable and have pretty good schools, although Lawrenceville's are probably better academically.

I lived in Hopewell for over twenty years, and it was truly a throwback. The population never changed, the people didn't change much, very quiet and peaceful. I know they've done some development there, but it remains largely unchanged according to my one sister who still lives just outside the Borough. When I left, it was a true hamlet. One drugstore, one bank, one little market, a convenience store, a pub, a pizza parlor, a little theater, a couple of restaurants in or about town, a couple of gas stations. If there's one thing there in abundance, it's churches. You're covered almost regardless of your denomination, unless you're a Wiccan. Even then, there might be something for you in the woods around the town. :-)

Pennington is much the same although larger with more commerce. Both are excellent for raising families. If Hopewell really hasn't changed much, it offers a unique(For these times) opportunity to raise a family in Mayberry. While it is more expensive and the taxes are up there, the public schools are very good, and it is a very safe environment to raise children with traditional values. That, to me, is priceless. Ultimately, that is the reason we work so hard for the money we make .

[CUTIG]

Originally Posted by jessnboys

Thanks for all the recommendations...will look into them! I'm starting to think that Bucks County might be the best bet just to stay away from the NJ taxes. Thanks again.

Parts of Bucks are worth considering...but taxes are not much better in PA....it's just that they are a la carte...so you pay a lot of little taxes for everything. You just can't avoid it in this area.

I also second the Robbinsville area as up and coming with some decent housing available. Brand new schools.

Other consideration would be somewhat south of Trenton below Bordentown. Columbus/Crosswicks area. Commute not too bad straight up the interstate.