Help! Couple seeks walkable town in North Jersey w/easy commute to NYC! Husband drives to NYACK for work, wife doesn't! (Jersey City: hair salon, apartments)
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We are CLUELESS about NEW JERSEY (NYC SUBURBS), HELP! We are considering Edgewater & Rutherford/East Rutherford. If my husband's driving commute was not an issue we would prefer to live in Hoboken or Grove St in Jersey City but we are not sure that is a workable option with him working all the way by Tappan Zee Bridge.
We are a young married couple in our early 30's & late 20's who have always enjoyed a mix of the City & Small Town life. We use to live in Brooklyn and then moved to Philadelphia for work 4 years ago.
My husband's work is calling him back to NYC but this time he will be working out of NYACK and TARRYTOWN around the Upper Westchester Area. I have never been a big fan of living in West Chester so we decided to find somewhere in NJ where he could commute to work (Max 45/50 min drive).
Here is our deal.... I don't drive and he does. He enjoys the suburb life, I love the city. He drives everywhere, I take public transportation. We are trying to find a town that would fit for us. Somewhere I can safely walk everywhere (stores, restaurant, pharmacy, coffee) and get to Manhattan on my own (train/bus), as well as somewhere he can commute from.
Any suggestions of towns/neighborhoods for us?!
Where are you coming from? Philadelphia Why are you moving? Husbands Job Where will you be working ? I work part time from home and part time in Manhattan. My husband will be driving to Nyack & Tarrytown NY every day for work.
Will you buy or rent? Rent What is your budget ? $1500-$2000 a month What kind of place are you looking for ? 1 Bedroom Apartment, semi updated/renovated, washer/dryer in unit or building, dishwasher. Easy Parking on street or Lot/Garage Space.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Two small dogs 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): Since I do not drive it is important that I live somewhere that is a "walkable" town with local transportation (trains/bus to Manhattan). Something that has a town/village feel with restaurants, shops, coffee...etc all on a main street. We are a young (early 30's) couple without children, we love being around families/singles & artistic/creative types.
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) Short Commute to NYC , 2) Downtown Area, 3) Easy Parking and if i could choose 4) Safe Neighborhood (for me to be walking at night)
Also forgot to mention that we have only 1 month to do this. Looking to move anytime from Dec 1st - Jan 1st. I was told by a friend that most of the trains are still not running because of Sandy. Hoping everything will get back in service soon.
We plan to drive to NJ over the weekend to explore neighborhoods. I just trust the advice from actual NEW JERSEY residents who know the area and live there.
Not sure what rents are, but you could also consider Montclair or Ridgewood. If you rent near the downtown areas, you could walk to everything easily. Stay near the Upper Montclair area for added safety.
bjcp1123- Thanks for the tip about Montclair & Ridgewood. I will be sure to check those out. Wondering if my husband's commute will be longer from those towns or not.
GoodSchoolols- Glad to hear that Rutherford & East Rutherford are walkable. Especially when I don't drive (or know how to drive) ha
Nyack is a nice town to live in , commuting to NYC can be a pain though. I would look on the Westchester side in White Plains which is 25 mins from Nyack and 35mins from Grand Central - Midtown....not a bad commute plenty of apartments to choose from. Its a nice small city , quiet on the weekends...but its safe....it has suburban areas to live in as well as the core which is urban. I Know Westchester sounds like a pain but you want a short commute time in this region vs a long one...
Nexis4Jersey- I have heard many amazing things about Nyack and Tarrytown. They sound like beautiful and fun places to live but being that far out from Manhattan would be a bit much for me. Plus..I need to be closer to my ethnic hair salons and cheap nail salons (haha), I don't think West Chester has many of those. Speaking of White Plains....that is something I was seriously considering as well. I have never been there so I would need to visit and explore before judging completely. My only thing with White Plains is that it doesn't look like it would be safe for me to walk to and from the Train at night. The main station is a bit removed from the housing area's downtown. Also the cost of METRO NORTH (one way is $9.50 from White Plains..the other towns it's higher) is a biggie for me. The fact that it would cost me almost $20 roundtrip to go to Manhattan 4 days a week would drive me insane. I like that NJ (NYC SUBURB) towns are a bit more affordable with the Transit, Path and Bus. Or am I wrong? Again I admit I am the clueless one.
Nyack isn't that far out from NYC , the bus and train combo have that down to 50mins , Tarrytown , White Plains , Stamford , and a few dozen other Railroad towns are anywhere between 25-45mins to GCT and 30-45mins to Nyack... As for the area around the train station at night at least up to 8pm its busy its the main hub for the county's transit system... You don't have to look in Downtown , theres Western White Plains which is west of Downtown , North White Plains and East White Plains or you can look in Hartsdale , Scarsdale or one of the many Hudson River towns , anywhere North Yonkers to Peekskill is fine commuting and town wise...the Riverfront will flood during Major storms so you might want to look on the bluffs which is where most people live anyway.
As for the cost of the train , sure its going up or is high but you get better service on that side , trains every 15-25mins off peak in many towns and every 5-10mins during rush hr , 20-21hrs a day , reliable service...the scenery is very nice along all the lines. Major Employers will pick up some of the cost and the tax deductions for transit should be reinstalled next year.
Ridgewood or Suffern NY are the only realistic options I know of with a decent commute to everywhere needed, that could accommodate someone that does not drive.
Pretty much everywhere else is going to be a major pain to get to Tarrytown from. Even getting to Nyack from Montclair or Rutherford would be over an hour as the bare minimum.
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