Moving from Weehawken to the Burbs...but which Burb? (Jersey City: apartment, rent)

[kristir]

Where are you coming from? Weehawken, NJ
Why are you moving? Quality of Life and Commute
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Exchange Place, Jersey City (him) and Iselin (her)

Will you buy or rent? Rent
What is your budget ? $1,500 to $2,000
What kind of place are you looking for ? 2 or 3 bedroom apartment or SFH

Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Him, her and 1 child (age 2), 1 cat
Do you need/want good public schools? No

Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) We'd like to live in a suburban area that is safe and family-oriented.

List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)

1. Safety
2. Family Oriented
3. Commute to Jersey City (less than 75 minutes door-to-door on public transportation) and Iselin (less than 30 minutes by car)


We are considering moving out of Weehawken to a less densely populated town in the suburbs. Right now we are in a 3-story walkup for $1,800, which is great value for money. However, we have a 2 year old daughter and would like to have a yard or play area. Even a porch to store a tricycle would be more than we have today (we haven't bought a trike for this reason, and I feel terrible about this).

My husband commutes to Exchange Place in Jersey City five days a week. I commute to Iselin three days a week. We realize his commute will likely increase when we move, but would like to keep it under 75 minutes door-to-door (60 minutes is better), preferably on public transportation since driving in and out of JC is traffic hell. We'd like to be within 30 minutes drive of Iselin.

One of my main concerns is daycare for our daughter. Right now we have a steal at $750 per month for fulltime care in a center. I realize this will go up, but daycares are so secretive about their pricing that I don't have a ballpark for what it will cost us. I would welcome any comments on daycare costs, in general, in the towns you recommend.

We are planning to buy a house in 3-4 years, so schools are not factoring into this move. We'd like to keep our rent below $2,000 in order to continue to save aggressively for a down payment.

Some of the towns we're considering, based on comments on this forum, are:

Maplewood
Cranford
Harrison
Rahway
Montclair (commute may be too long to Iselin)

We'd welcome your comments on these towns, as well as any others we should add to our list. Thanks.

[kristir]

bump

[BrianG]

I cant speak about the other towns you mentioned
but me and all my sisters and their familys all moved out to Rahway from Brooklyn (except 1.. she moved to westfield)
we all love the town and if you can find a place in the inman hgts section
you will meet your 3 needs

good luck with your search

Originally Posted by kristir

Where are you coming from? Weehawken, NJ
Why are you moving? Quality of Life and Commute
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Exchange Place, Jersey City (him) and Iselin (her)

Will you buy or rent? Rent
What is your budget ? $1,500 to $2,000
What kind of place are you looking for ? 2 or 3 bedroom apartment or SFH

Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Him, her and 1 child (age 2), 1 cat
Do you need/want good public schools? No

Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) We'd like to live in a suburban area that is safe and family-oriented.

List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)

1. Safety
2. Family Oriented
3. Commute to Jersey City (less than 75 minutes door-to-door on public transportation) and Iselin (less than 30 minutes by car)


We are considering moving out of Weehawken to a less densely populated town in the suburbs. Right now we are in a 3-story walkup for $1,800, which is great value for money. However, we have a 2 year old daughter and would like to have a yard or play area. Even a porch to store a tricycle would be more than we have today (we haven't bought a trike for this reason, and I feel terrible about this).

My husband commutes to Exchange Place in Jersey City five days a week. I commute to Iselin three days a week. We realize his commute will likely increase when we move, but would like to keep it under 75 minutes door-to-door (60 minutes is better), preferably on public transportation since driving in and out of JC is traffic hell. We'd like to be within 30 minutes drive of Iselin.

One of my main concerns is daycare for our daughter. Right now we have a steal at $750 per month for fulltime care in a center. I realize this will go up, but daycares are so secretive about their pricing that I don't have a ballpark for what it will cost us. I would welcome any comments on daycare costs, in general, in the towns you recommend.

We are planning to buy a house in 3-4 years, so schools are not factoring into this move. We'd like to keep our rent below $2,000 in order to continue to save aggressively for a down payment.

Some of the towns we're considering, based on comments on this forum, are:

Maplewood
Cranford
Harrison
Rahway
Montclair (commute may be too long to Iselin)

We'd welcome your comments on these towns, as well as any others we should add to our list. Thanks.