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Yeah I'd like to know this too. Considering Emerson's commute is alot more expensive and takes much longer to get to Midtown than Cliffside Park...
I believe the bus fare is only about $20/mo more (CSP is zone 3 at $135-ish). The bus time does jump from 40 min to 70 min.
My wife and I currently rent in a CSP high rise, and we're expecting a child in a few months. Our problems with CSP are the lack of newer single family homes (damn duplexes) or backyards, and the tepid schools. I grew up in Norwood, so my expectations are obviously a bit skewed.
River Edge was the ideal location (54 min bus), especially with Van Saun Park only blocks away, but we discovered retaining wall / foundation issues on our contracted house, so we had to cancel. Be weary of "new" homes on old foundation... And the reassessed 2013 taxes there will be ridiculously high anyway (jumping 30%!).
After we expanded our search, we found Emerson to have a bunch of houses we like, and its schools have been steadily rising in rank. Taxes are also "low", compared to other nice Bergen towns.
I used to literally have 10 seconds commute in Manhattan (lived in an apartment right across the street from work), so yeah, this will suck big time for me, but sacrifices must be made...
what about the area of fort lee that borders CSP? I think the schools in CSP will improve...well more specifically the high school since the elementary and middle schools are fine. Most of CSP looks good and only the bottom, narrow part that borders fairvew is the poorer section which is the problem (lets be honest). With more developments going on, and with the soon construction of the cliffside towne center, i expect CSP to rise. I am actually looking into CSP or the area that borders it like ridgefield and fort lee. the close commute is important for my wife and route 3 can be such a mess sometimes that commute wise can take a long time.
and side note, I don't mind poorer people...I grew up in an immigrant household that was lower middle class but we had respect and appreciate for education..key difference.
what about the area of fort lee that borders CSP? I think the schools in CSP will improve...well more specifically the high school since the elementary and middle schools are fine. Most of CSP looks good and only the bottom, narrow part that borders fairvew is the poorer section which is the problem (lets be honest).
The immediate CSP area by Fort Lee is great. Fort Lee side has streets with multi-million dollar homes, and CSP side has some cute homes and luxury apartments you can buy or rent (which we currently do). Location's great for NY & NJ shopping, eating, etc. But honestly, we didn't bother looking in CSP for a house, only initially at Fort Lee & Leonia.
CSP's at the bottom of Bergen HS rankings, but like you said, elementary school's ok, so if you plan on moving later, it may be a great choice. However, I believe houses in low-ranked school districts tend to not sell well, and stigma lingers for decades.
Fort Lee and Leonia were disappointing in that the houses were typically old, small, and over priced, with miniscule back yards, if any. And their schools have also been sliding down. You pay for the easy commute...
I realize it typically makes more sense to buy a "starter home" (which my sister and husband are doing by Teterboro area), but I had to move so often as a kid (7 times before college), that I don't want to repeat this for my kids. Apparently, my sis didn't mind!
The mortgage rates are at all times lows and we have enough saved up while renting, so we're going for a house we can retire in. It may not be realistic, maybe even irrational, but that's our 20 year plan. Your mileage will obviously vary.
the thing with rankings is that they can drastically change. by the time your kids enter high school, everything can change. Compare edgewater now to 15 years ago for example. There are some areas in jersey that I don't really expect to change much, Lodi for example. But you kind of have to make predictions in hopes that your property wins out and you are in a good school system. I grew up in paramus and my parents hit the lottery when it came to their house. It's worth a lot more now than when they bought it in the early 90's. The main reason for the rise is the low property taxes and the amount of malls and stores.
Basically what I am saying is that dont brush off towns for current rankings. I knew kids growing up that went to schools like ridgewood and ended up as nothing in life. School is what you make it out to be.
good luck in your search and i hope the best for you! If you can, buy property in paramus...you will not regret it when it comes to property taxes!
I completely agree. You can just chalk it up to my laziness in not wanting to move.
Paramus was my #1 town (albeit HS ratings have been slipping) because of the low taxes, but we just couldn't find the ideal house currently (probably will show up the day after we close!). You pay with traffic congestion, of course.
I would recommend you re-assess your decision to move to the suburbs. Do you want to move out there because you actually enjoy and use the amenities like a backyard, or is a large part of it that you were culturally instilled to think it's "better".
Do you even garden or own a dog that you need land? is it really that noisy in Cliffside Park? I was living in may parents' freaking mansion in Alpine and I got my own place in Hackensack and the slight rise in "noise" hasn't bothered me one iota. The school system in Cliffisde Park is also sufficient. Want a backyard to have more play space for your kid? poppycock; the city areas have more sports facilities to exercise in, heck, probably even fields too. Not to mention the hilly nature of that area (I love the fact that Hackensack has hills I can run up for extra training), and the steps up the palisades, I can't wait to work out on those.
don't make the mistake this entire country did in idolizing the 1.5 and picket fence, that turned out to be a farce.
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Your mileage will obviously vary. 
