Towns with best commute to Port Authority? (Jersey City, Union City: condos, crime)

[sawyerj66]

Hi, guys. My GF and I are currently condo/co-op hunting, with the goal of moving out within the next few months. Up to this point we've always been renters, but we're really interested in buying for the first time.

Our current commute is somewhere in the ballpark of an hour and a half each way, and we would really like to cut it down to 45 mins. Half an hour would be amazing, though I have no idea if that's possible while living in NJ.

So we're starting to look at towns closer to the city, mostly by consulting Google Maps. There's a few properties we like in Fort Lee, but we've been told that while crossing the GWB is a breeze, getting a bus to Port Authority will take significantly longer.

Would anyone be able to suggest a few towns with a short commute into the city? We could care less about school districts (no kids!), so crime and staying within our budget (150k) are pretty much our only concerns. Thank you!

[Mightyqueen801]

Your town choices are very limited by that budget. Fort Lee has units in that price range because Fort Lee has co-ops.

Half an hour commute means you live in the towns along the Hudson, which can be very expensive unless you are OK living in neighborhoods that some people would not feel safe living in. Union City would be such a place, but it would fit your budget. So would some parts of Jersey City.

It does take a while by bus from Fort Lee to the PABT. Approximately where in the city do you work? Does your commute have to be a bus? Commuters who go over the GWB then take the NYC subway system down to wherever they have to be. Some of those subway lines run expresses at rush hour, and you'd probably be within your desired 45-minute commute time.

Another idea is just to study NJ Transit's bus lines, find a commute within your preference, and start figuring out which towns are a possibility for you.

[sawyerj66]

Thank you for the response, Queen! And yeah, it is rather limited. We've found a few condos in nicer towns like Nutley and Rutherford, but we're still early in our search and definitely want to try each of the commutes first-hand.

I suppose it doesn't have to be a bus - it's just what I'm accustomed to, as I've never taken a train before (MTA doesn't count!). My GF and I both work just a block or two from Times Square.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by sawyerj66

Thank you for the response, Queen! And yeah, it is rather limited. We've found a few condos in nicer towns like Nutley and Rutherford, but we're still early in our search and definitely want to try each of the commutes first-hand.

I suppose it doesn't have to be a bus - it's just what I'm accustomed to, as I've never taken a train before (MTA doesn't count!). My GF and I both work just a block or two from Times Square.

Well, you are pretty close to the PABT there, so I can see where you'd look at buses first.

My ex-husband lives in Fort Lee, and our daughter was at school in Manhattan for one year, and she said that getting the bus home was a pain in the neck and took almost an hour. Apparently it comes through the Lincoln Tunnel and then stops at every corner on the way up to Fort Lee. She would go over the bridge and take the subway down, except if she was going back to Fort Lee late at night, then she felt safer taking the bus.

At least Fort Lee is right on the river, so you are never far from a great view of Manhattan, and they do have some good restaurants there.

As a matter of fact, the Red Oak Diner in Fort Lee has some really good buffalo wings, which you wouldn't automatically think of regarding a diner. I just remembered that. Damn. Now I want wings.