may need to move to NJ (Newark, Jersey City: apartment, rent, house)

[Sud]

Hi all,


I am in my mid 30s, planning to move to NJ from Toronto.
Looking for a studio and/or 1 bdrm apartment for 600 – 800

Here is what I am looking for,
Safe (important)
30 min commute to Hackensack by public transport (important)
Easy access to Mid-town NY (Important)
Moderately clean (nice to have)
Walk/bicycle friendly (nice to have)
Some nightlife (nice to have)

I have short listed ( I could be wrong and may not get what I want) Fort Lee and Englewood, Weehawken/Union City, Montclair, River Vale.

Please suggest a place and how do I find an apartment there.

Thanks
Sud

[triniboy]

How does Mahwah, Nj sound? It`s in bergen county which is the most northern you can go.

[BobKovacs]

If you want clean, safe, and convenient to Manhattan, you'd better up your monthly rent amount- $600-800 will have you living in a run-down dump, or in a spare room in someone's house that you find on Craigslist.

Bob

[brookdaleresident]

How did you come up with that list? Are you working in Hackensack? You might have to cross Montclair off.

[vdecapio]

600-800 will be really tough to find...even in the poor areas....you will probably need to get a roommate.

Also, if you want access to NYC be sure to check the NJTransit schedules....some of them shut down around 1 am even on weekends....if you want 24 hour train access to NYC live near the PATH train which has stops in Harrison, Jersey City, Hoboken, and Newark. Of course Hoboken and Jersey City have a lot of younger people and are expensive near stations.

So, I would recommend Harrison, if you can find a connection to a train that will get you to Hackensack. The PATH does not run from Harrison to Hackensack. Probably you could take the Path from Harrison to Newark Penn Station and transfer to the NJ Transit to Hackensack?

But, you will be living in a very urban area no matter what.....look into sharing a 2 bedroom with someone and that will get you into your price range! Harrison is cool in my mind ....there a lot of different Asian and Hispanic cultures there. Very urban! Also, you could walk or ride your bike from there across the bridge to the Ironbound area of Newark which is one of my favorite places in north Jersey. A large, very nice community of Portuguese and Brazilians. If you could live there you would probably like it.

Of the cities you mentioned Ft. Lee has a huge Korean population....Union City has a large number of Hispanics (esp. Cubans). West New York has an amazing view of the entire Manhattan skyline.

[Sud]

Thanks for your responses guys.. been busy lately so it took me a while to
respond.. but as the situation turned out I may have to move within next 3
weeks or so .. so it’s kind of urgent now and here I go again…

If $600 - $800 gets me a room on Craigslist then that’s okay.. as long as
other criteria met.. But I need to shortlist few areas/towns first. Pleas
help guys..

How far Mahwah is (in terms of commuting by public transport) from
Hackensack and Manhattan?
I don’t know much about NJ and so I came up with the list by browsing this
forum a little.. I will be working in Hackensack.. and what is Montclair
off?

So, would Fort Lee and Englewood, Weehawken/Union City, Montclair, River
Vale and Harrison fit the bill? Any other suggestions?

Public commute to Hackensack in 25 – 30 mins is a must.

Thanks again for your help.

[lilola8]

Simple, there's no way to go by public transportation from Montclait to Hackensack in 30 mins. More like an hour and 2 or 3 bus or train changes.

Stay in Hackensack, Lodi, Saddle Brook and around. There are frequent buses to NYC. (Port Authority, right in the middle of midtown.) Not that much nightlife, but for that, you have NYC. It is nice, clean, safe and depending on where you are, bicycle and walk friendly.

Also you can try North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Kearny. They also fit your criteria.

Weehawken is expensive. West New York have nice areas and not so nice ones.

And really, $600 - $800 is not nearly enough. More like $1,200 and up. Look for a roommate situation.

[Sud]

Thanks lilola8.

So, Montclair is off.

So the first preference would be Hackensack, Lodi, Saddle Brook. I have seen a few ads for studios in Lodi for fewer than 800 on Craigslist but if I need to take the roommate route, I am okay with that too. I assume that areas in these places are all safe and commutable.

And then I have North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Kearny, Fort Lee and Englewood, Talking Weehawken off for the moment) Union City, River Vale and Harrison. And once again assuming that I don’t have to look for a particular neighborhood in these areas and can commute to Hackensack in 30 mins.

Sud