Middletown - Which section is right for me (Newark, Edison: crime, houses)

[JoeyNJ]

Hi -

My wife and I are looking to move from Edison and have always heard great things about Middletown. We're in our late 20s, have a 2 month old infant and expect to grow our family over the next few years. Our budget is $500-600k, I work in NYC and my wife works in Manalapan.

Our biggest problem is....Middletown is so big, we have no idea what areas we should consider. I've heard people say that you want your kids to go to Middletown South over North if you have the choice - but other than that, we don't know where to start.

Any advice from those who live there???? Thanks!

[luvtoshop]

Middletown is a big town with many sections to it, Lincroft, Oak Hill , River Plaza are very desireable but homes are not cheap in these areas. Middletown is a very historic town and the areas that I mentioned are fairly newer and people from outside gravitate towards the South side.The homes that are lower than what you want to spend. They are in good locations to just older areas and so many people have moved to Middletown over the years and have made great improvements on their homes. The areas went up in value over the years.

As far as the school system the two high schools have the same curriculum and if you look at the school reports the two are not far apart. As far as your concerned you have an infant and all the elementary schools are good. In the past the town has re zoned and children that were suppose to go to South went to North and vice versa. It hasn't been done in awhile but it has happened. So you do have a while to go for high school.

As far as the town itself communting is great to the city you have different options depending on your location to NYC. It is a great place to raise children.

You are in a good price range and there are plenty of homes on the market, All I can suggest is to come out and ride around the areas to get a feel of what you like. Good luck!

[JoeyNJ]

That's helpful....thanks. I didn't know the curriculum was the same in both districts - so I'm assuming some people are more vocal on Middletown South because of the football team. As you said, I do have a long way to go before my son is in high school, but I don't really plan on moving again for a while.

Sounds like the best bet is to have a realtor point us in the direction of a few open houses in different sections.

[juliann1977]

Yes, North and South have the same curriculum. The difference in SAT scores (the average scores are about 100 points different, I believe) is likely attributable to South's students coming from more affluent families, in general (ie, the kids are more likely to come from homes in which both parents are highly educated, can afford provate tutors, SAT prep, etc...).

The two best elementary schools (based on NCLB requirements) are Navesink and Nut Swamp. Navesink's staff is way younger than Nut Swamp (where the average staff member has 15-20 years of experience). All of the elementary schools are good though.

It is a very nice town, and a great place to raise a family. You really can't go wrong neighborhood-wise. Good luck!

[jennelle]

I'm the oldest of 7 children. We grew up in Middletown and live in the Village area. The districting there has you district to go to village elementary. Thompson Middle school (most students attending Thompson move on to South). but I was District for Middletown North. Having gone to school with many kids from both side of town, I have come to learn that the North side tends to be more humble and child oriented. Being grown and moving on to teaching myself. I have worked in both the North and South district and have come to see that my North district students knew their nursery rhymes, knew how to say please and thank you, and their nanny isn't the one who showed up for parent teacher conferences. Overall, you can find many beautiful places in Middletown to live on either side. South District has Oak Hill and Lincroft. North has the Village area and also King's Hwy East as well as most of the town of Middletown. (the town Middletown, not Middletown Township)

[NJTina]

You will be happy with your choice if you choose Middletown. Lincroft would be a good area becuase your wife would have quicker access to Manalapan and you would be real close to the train station for the city. I live in the New Monmouth section near the library and HS North. I just love it here and feel very Blessed. The difference in the people from HS South district is really not that significant. My kids had friends from all over due to sports and the parents were basically the same. Also, you can send your kids to any school in the township provided there is room in the class at the time of your request. So if you moved to the North district and your son wanted to play for South, he would be allowed. I don't think he would get busing though. One thing is for sure..that Middletown HS South football field BLOWS North's away. It's neat.

[NJ Sue]

I have taught middle school in two Monmouth county school districts, one of which is out on the peninsula where many people believe the "best" schools are. I live in Middletown (Oak Hill), and in my opinion, the elementary and middle schools here are as good as any in the state, including FH/Rumson/Little Silver. The high schools, North and South, are both mediocre: not terrible, but not as good as they should be (given the demographics of the township).

[mmakov]

in Middletown...those with young kids tend to gravitate to Oak Hill, Lincroft and Navesink. I don't think any of the neighborhoods in Middletown have much of a "small-town" feel....not enough sidewalks, the lots are larger so many people don't know their neighbors. And like it or not, the vote still tilts strongly toward Middletown South HS, and many families will ONLY buy in those neighborhoods.
If you want a small town feel with outstanding schools from elementary all the way to high school, you cannot go wrong in Fair Haven and Rumson...highly rated in the state.
No suburban sprawl. Nice, clean, super safe towns, 5 minutes to the beach. You will not get a huge/house or lot for your money, but the excellent schools and small town lifestyle are the reason why people are willing to pay more to live there.

[entershikarimothership]

I think every section in Middletown is nice. The only thing I don't like in North Middletown. It's a bit trashy but, there is barely any crime in Middletown. Places like Keyport, Keansburg, and Union Beach have more crime then Middletown and Middletown is the size of Newark and these towns are only a square mile big.

[jflats]

Joey,
Some considerations:
(1) Commuting: the north side of Middletown is best if you want to take the boat into NYC, which if you can afford it is the way to go, but that means an extra 15 minutes for your wife driving through Middletown. The reverse is true if you want to optimize her commute. For the former, think Belford, Middletown, New Monmouth, Navesink; the latter, think Lincroft, Oak Hill, Nut Swamp, River Plaza. The train or bus into NYC gives you more choices and will still allow you to live in mid to southern half of Middletown and also to ease your wife's commute.
(2) Schools: the two schools have their pros and cons: The MHSN is the original sole HS and is an older facility. It also is in the Northern half of Middletown where income levels are historically on average lower than the southern half. This is historically the case, but recent development in Belford due to the ferry and in Navesink, have increased the income levels in those sections. These areas traditionally feed into MHSN. Think income level = average education level of parents = degree of emphasis on education on children, so you're going to have more emphasis on education in MHSS and your children's peers will be from higher educated families on average. (Very broad generalization, I know.)
(3) Neighborhood safety for your kids: you may not think about it yet, but when your child wants to go around the block on his or her bike for the first time, you realize the street traffic in your neighborhood is very important. For this reason, use caution for Oak Hill (one big cut-through), many streets in Lincroft around Brookdale Community College, and sections of Belford that are throughways to the boat. People will speed through 25 mph neighborhood zones at 50+ miles in hour just to shave a minute or two off of their trip. Don't count on them slowing down for children. My daughter came home white with fear when a car went by her this way when she was 7 riding her bike. My advice: case the neighborhood you're considering during the weekday commuting times and during school recess. It's a big investment, it's worth the extra legwork. Don't just rely on weekend traffic pattern observations. Use Google satellite or some other map website to see if the street you're considering looks like an obvious cut-through.
(4) Re-sale potential: Oak Hill, Lincroft, have good names so they usually draw more buyers. But the biggest factor for positive re-sale is what you originally pay for your house compared to its market value. For this reason, don't compare a house from one section to the next; instead choose a section you and your wife like and focus on that section and compare houses within that section. A common mistake is to overpay in a lower priced section because your comparing the house's value with a house in higher priced section. This is an common realtor tactic too: show you fixer uppers in better sections, and then show you a show place in a cheaper section and suggest the latter is a steal. All things the same about two houses except for their location, you'll pay more in Oak Hill, for example, but you'll get more when you sell.
I got carried away with my answer. I've lived in Middletowm most of my life except for college years. In my 40+ years, I've seen many changes. It's a great town, and I agree with other posters that you really can't go wrong wherever you choose, as long as it's best for you and your wife. Good luck.