Relocating to New Jersey (Trenton, Old Bridge: apartment, to rent, condos)

[wreched5]

So I am from outside Philadelphia and my boyfriend works and lives in NYC. We need to move into a town in New Jersey that can be a good middleground between NY and PA and a not so bad commute to NYC for him. I would love to be in a cute town no longer than an hour and 15 min from Philadelphia (yet still a possible commute to NY). I don't know if this is possible. Help please.

[christina0001]

The Mercer County area is popular for folks in your position; many people take the train in Hamilton to NYC (I think Princeton Junction might have a train to NYC too) and you can drive to Philly in a little over an hour; it will be at least a good 90 minutes during rush hour. I think the trainride to NYC is a bit over an hour. Mercer County has ample shopping, fun amenities, etc.

Define cute town.

Hamilton itself is a fairly large suburb. There is a section of Hamilton called Hamilton Square that I find particularly cute. A lot of the buildings are historical and have been very well preserved. It is small, walkable, and is home to Sayen Gardens, an absolutely beautiful public garden. There are single family homes and duplexes available to buy. Free movies are shown in the park in the summer weekly.
Sayen House

Another option would be Robbinsville (AKA Washington Township). They are building a new "Towne Square" and the housing is really nice; there are single family homes, duplexes, and loft-style condos that are over what will be upper end stores, overlooking a park. Foxmoor is the housing development next to Towne Square and is very nice for the most part, but not quite as cute IMO. There are mainly single family homes, but a few sections have townhomes. If you are looking to rent an apartment, IMO Sharon Arms is the nicest place in Robbinsville to rent. Robbinsville also shows free movies in the park in the summer weekly.

Of course, Princeton is also an option. The borough is adorable. However, it's pretty pricey. But if you can afford it, it's another great option.

[SugarCookie]

How about Old Bridge in Middlesex County..?? It is equally just about an hour and a half for both Philly and NYC...I use to live there and commute to NYC..and we enjoyed a day out in Philly quite often, it's an easy commute...

[Viralmd]

Princeton Junction has trains that go north to NYC and south to Trenton (you change to the SEPTA there for Philadelphia). But the parking at the station is terrible. The waiting list is years long.

[SkipChurch]

Parking at PJ is terrible. But the solution is to buy parking from the University, park in their lot near the Dinky station in Princeton Borough, and take the dinky to PJ.

I did that for years.

[mike0421]

I think Roosevelt would qualify. It's a small hamlet in Monmouth County, and has easy access to I-195, which can get you to Philadelphia in an hour's time.

[wreched5]

thank you all for your suggestions, it narrows down my searches and gives me a place to start.

[yrgm]

Lambertville, New Hope or Frenchtown. The first 2 you may have an issue to NY traveling 202 then 78. Cant help on the commute to Philly. Frenchtown is about 10 miles of county rd off exit 15 of rt 78. Taking 29 south toward Philly might take its toll, it think you can pick up 601 in PA to take you to PA TP.

[Kimmaranclh]

Originally Posted by wreched5

So I am from outside Philadelphia and my boyfriend works and lives in NYC. We need to move into a town in New Jersey that can be a good middleground between NY and PA and a not so bad commute to NYC for him. I would love to be in a cute town no longer than an hour and 15 min from Philadelphia (yet still a possible commute to NY). I don't know if this is possible. Help please.

This might be a bit out of your commute range..but you can't get a better location than Ocean County. The beach is close by as is mass transit (busses and trains). The commute to NYC from the Point Pleasant station is about an hour and a half...and the commute to Philly would be about an hour, but you would have to do that by car..or maybe by Bus (not sure if there is a bus route that goes to Philly from the area). Brick, Pt. Pleasant, Wall, even Belmar...they are all on the shore so the beach is right there and so you've got bars/restaurants and other fun things to do within 5 minutes or so..You can still find really reasonable housing as far as NJ goes 1 - 2 bedroom apt from 800 - 1200 a month...it might take some work but Brick has alot of small starter homes still in the 200 - 300k range (I know..I live there) and has great schools and is ranked the 5th safest city in the US...As far as traffic goes...it's not as bad as North Jersey and not as great as South Jersey..in the summer it gets a bit crazy but it's still doable with minimal road rage..hahaha

Hope this helps!!!