What Do You Like About Sussex County (Newark, Paterson: crime rate, house)

[ProudCapMarine]

I moved from Queens, NY to Sussex twenty years ago. Although, there have been many changes in Sussex over these twenty years, it is still a beautiful place. I especially love all the park areas.

[doc1]

It's the best in NJ IMO. Hills, trees, lakes, wildlife yet close enough to the areas that you need when you have to run your errands. I wouldn't live anywhere else in NJ.

Not even the shore areas.

[stevemorse]

I really like alot about Sussex County. I wish I bought there , I probably would still be staying in NJ. They have open space, nice hills , even a mountain or two. This is one area not destroyed by developers yet. Its great!!!! Now I hear the commute sucks but I presonally like sussex county the best in the whole state of NJ.

[tahiti]

I like Sussex Cnty - it's beautiful. Wouldn't live there though - too far from the action.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

I really like alot about Sussex County. I wish I bought there , I probably would still be staying in NJ. They have open space, nice hills , even a mountain or two. This is one area not destroyed by developers yet. Its great!!!! Now I hear the commute sucks but I presonally like sussex county the best in the whole state of NJ.

I agree!! I lived in Morris County many years growing up. Then our family lived in Sussex County for 22 years. I loved the mountains and the lakes.
The larger land plots for homes. Being in the country, yet close to more urban areas. To be able to go to the city and return after a Broadway show and dinner. It wasn't all that far to drive to the shore, even for day trips.
We spent many summer weeks at Seaside, Wildwood, and Pt. Pleasant.
As the central area of NJ gets more traffic and tightly knit homes.........a drive up into Sussex county takes ones breath away.

[Dolfan]

I love living in Sussex County and would never return to Passaic County where I grew up. It's a great place to live and personally I have found it to be the most desirable part of Northern New Jersey.

Benefits

1) The county is a beautiful area, full of trees, lakes, fields, parks etc. Their slogan is "people and nature together". It's just the opposite of Hudson County in this respect. If you want to live in an area where you can really enjoy God's creation, this would be it.

2) The population density is among the lowest in the state. It's less than 300whereas the neighboring counties range from 1,000 (Morris) to 13,000 (Hudson). Thus it does not have the same sense of overcrowding that you get in the Northeast. When I moved out of Passaic County, it seemed like a ghost town in comparison since I was used to being crowded by mobs of people.

3) The crime rate is lower here. It exists obviously but it's nothing like Newark or Paterson. I feel much safer here. My experiences in those cities have not been good. Now I don't feel like I have to be paranoid about locking my car or watching anyone who comes near me.

4) The cost of living is also lower. NJ has a reputation for being one of the highest COL areas in the country. Sussex County is still above the national average but is lower enough to make it more affordable and give a guy a realistic chance to support his family. My house in say, Madison, would probably be double the price.

5) Although Sussex County is very large and spread out, living in Newton is convenient. Most of the stores and businesses I need are within a 2 mile radius. My daughter was born in a hospital I could have walked to from home. My church is very close as well. The Rockaway Mall is not that far on Interstate 80. You can easily to get the shore or NYC if you wanted to. In fact, in less than 5 hours I have gone as far north as Vermont and south as Washington, DC.

Downsides

1) There is really not much to say except that the commute to work can be long. It's almost an hour drive into Morris County. Most of the legal jobs and big firms are either in Newark or Morris County. Still, this is a small price to pay for what you are getting. You put on the oldies station or sports news and you are there before you know it.

2) The property taxes in Newton are high, but this is nothing unusual in New Jersey. You can expect it to be higher than in Montague for example which is very rural. The quality of life is much better overall so I just deal with it.

Someday when I plan on retiring or perhaps sooner, I would like to move south, possibly Tennesse or North Carolina. In the meantime, Sussex County is an excellent choice to be able to still live in New Jersey and be less affected by some of the problems that plague the Northeast. At least for me it is overcrowded, overdeveloped, too expensive and too many pockets of urban decay and crime. I grew up there but knew I could not stay. However, I also did not want to leave a long-time job and relocate my family to an unfamiliar state. Sussex County saved me the trouble.

[ProudCapMarine]

Originally Posted by doc1

It's the best in NJ IMO. Hills, trees, lakes, wildlife yet close enough to the areas that you need when you have to run your errands. I wouldn't live anywhere else in NJ.

Not even the shore areas.

It's about one hour and a half (Or less, based on speed) from NYC.

I love just getting in the car and drive the side roads.

[ProudCapMarine]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

I really like alot about Sussex County. I wish I bought there , I probably would still be staying in NJ. They have open space, nice hills , even a mountain or two. This is one area not destroyed by developers yet. Its great!!!! Now I hear the commute sucks but I presonally like sussex county the best in the whole state of NJ.

We even have mountain lions.

[ProudCapMarine]

Originally Posted by Dolfan

I love living in Sussex County and would never return to Passaic County where I grew up. It's a great place to live and personally I have found it to be the most desirable part of Northern New Jersey.

Benefits

1) The county is a beautiful area, full of trees, lakes, fields, parks etc. Their slogan is "people and nature together". It's just the opposite of Hudson County in this respect. If you want to live in an area where you can really enjoy God's creation, this would be it.

2) The population density is among the lowest in the state. It's less than 300whereas the neighboring counties range from 1,000 (Morris) to 13,000 (Hudson). Thus it does not have the same sense of overcrowding that you get in the Northeast. When I moved out of Passaic County, it seemed like a ghost town in comparison since I was used to being crowded by mobs of people.

3) The crime rate is lower here. It exists obviously but it's nothing like Newark or Paterson. I feel much safer here. My experiences in those cities have not been good. Now I don't feel like I have to be paranoid about locking my car or watching anyone who comes near me.

4) The cost of living is also lower. NJ has a reputation for being one of the highest COL areas in the country. Sussex County is still above the national average but is lower enough to make it more affordable and give a guy a realistic chance to support his family. My house in say, Madison, would probably be double the price.

5) Although Sussex County is very large and spread out, living in Newton is convenient. Most of the stores and businesses I need are within a 2 mile radius. My daughter was born in a hospital I could have walked to from home. My church is very close as well. The Rockaway Mall is not that far on Interstate 80. You can easily to get the shore or NYC if you wanted to. In fact, in less than 5 hours I have gone as far north as Vermont and south as Washington, DC.

Downsides

1) There is really not much to say except that the commute to work can be long. It's almost an hour drive into Morris County. Most of the legal jobs and big firms are either in Newark or Morris County. Still, this is a small price to pay for what you are getting. You put on the oldies station or sports news and you are there before you know it.

2) The property taxes in Newton are high, but this is nothing unusual in New Jersey. You can expect it to be higher than in Montague for example which is very rural. The quality of life is much better overall so I just deal with it.

Someday when I plan on retiring or perhaps sooner, I would like to move south, possibly Tennesse or North Carolina. In the meantime, Sussex County is an excellent choice to be able to still live in New Jersey and be less affected by some of the problems that plague the Northeast. At least for me it is overcrowded, overdeveloped, too expensive and too many pockets of urban decay and crime. I grew up there but knew I could not stay. However, I also did not want to leave a long-time job and relocate my family to an unfamiliar state. Sussex County saved me the trouble.

Good post!

[ProudCapMarine]

Originally Posted by tahiti

I like Sussex Cnty - it's beautiful. Wouldn't live there though - too far from the action.

Living on Long Island and working in Manhattan most of my life, I don't need any more action.