Suggestions for small towns near princeton (New Brunswick, Highland Park: low crime, townhome, neighborhoods)

[Gracious]

We are relocating to NJ and need advice on where to live. We have two small children (toddlers) so it must be SAFE. We would love to live in a small town where we could walk to places such as parks, small stores etc.
We are looking to spend under 500k, and the commute would have to be under 30 minutes - but from what I read in other posts, this might be impossible to find! It's discouraging...
Some of the towns that seem decent are Hopewell, Pennington, West Windsor but having never been to any of these I'm not sure what to think. Any thoughts/advice?

[Viralmd]

Personally, I really like both Pennington and Hopewell. And you don't want to live in Princeton because...???

[tahiti]

montgomery twsp (aka rocky hill, belle mead, skillman) in somerset cnty is a great choice too. excellent schools (as do the towns viralmd mentioned).....

[christina0001]

Hopewell
Pennington
Titusville
Robbinsville
West Windsor
Princeton

Allentown has a wonderful small-town feel but would be more like a 40ish minute commute.

[Gracious]

Viralmd,
I didn't think we could afford Princeton...

[Viralmd]

These other towns aren't so cheap, either!

[ali herzog]

You may want to try heading north to towns like Highland Park and New Brunswick. you can still get a nice house for under $500,000. Both are small towns with main streets, shops, low crime, good schools and easy access to NYC transportation. I'm a realtor in Central NJ. I grew up in Highland Park and have lived in Metuchen for 7 years. I bought in Metuchen because I was commuting to Manhattan at the time. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old, so I have many of the same issues that you are probably experiencing. If you have any questions about the area, please feel free to contact me.

I hope this helps.

Ali

[teachbeach]

Plainsboro has the services you are looking for. Many of the homes are near parks, protected green space or bike trails, and there are quite a few areas that could easily be walked to a bagel store, video store, grocery store, card store or liquor store. You might have to settle for a large townhome for the price you are seeking, but would still be in a very community oriented environment with great schools when the time comes. May also want to check out Hightstown, Cranbury or the Twin Rivers section of East Windsor. It's one of the original planned unit developments with neighborhoods and services all within walking distance. Where are you commuting to?

[AnthonyB]

Originally Posted by ali herzog

You may want to try heading north to towns like Highland Park and New Brunswick. you can still get a nice house for under $500,000. Both are small towns with main streets, shops, low crime, good schools and easy access to NYC transportation. I'm a realtor in Central NJ. I grew up in Highland Park and have lived in Metuchen for 7 years. I bought in Metuchen because I was commuting to Manhattan at the time. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old, so I have many of the same issues that you are probably experiencing. If you have any questions about the area, please feel free to contact me.

I hope this helps.

Ali

New Brunswick has low crime? Puleeeze!!!!

[practicalposts]

Originally Posted by ali herzog

You may want to try heading north to towns like Highland Park and New Brunswick. you can still get a nice house for under $500,000. Both are small towns with main streets, shops, low crime, good schools and easy access to NYC transportation. I'm a realtor in Central NJ. I grew up in Highland Park and have lived in Metuchen for 7 years. I bought in Metuchen because I was commuting to Manhattan at the time. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old, so I have many of the same issues that you are probably experiencing. If you have any questions about the area, please feel free to contact me.

I hope this helps.

Ali

wow, I can't believe New Brunswick is mentioned along with other pristine towns. Probably it is city with highest crime rate, traffic congestion in Central Jersey.
Montgomery (rocky hill, belle mead...) and some parts of Franklin are beautiful. Though former is not conviniently located, otherwise its best choice.