Quote:
Originally Posted by malj10
Hello everyone, I am moving out to NJ from CA to work in midtown in about a month, about a 7 min walk from Penn Station and am a little overwhelmed with identifying areas to look at for apartment rentals, so I would really appreciate any advice!
The skinny:
Rent amount: 1700 for a 1BR
Location: on a train line that goes straight to Penn Station without a transfer, approx up to 45mins to Penn Station
Area: schools are not important, nightlife not really important. Really so long as its safe and somewhat quiet that'll do us
We will have a car, so walking proximity to grocery store etc also isn't really that important. My girlfriend has family in eastern PA so ease to get that direction would be a plus.
I've got the following in mind, are these worth looking further into or am I missing some? Montclair, Springfield, Glen Ridge, Millburn, Rahway.
I really appreciate any thoughts or advice
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Firstly congratulations on the new job/position.
Regarding Montclair, it is a wonderful lively town with a lot to offer. For the most part it is safe, but I'd avoid the area around Lackawanna Plaza, Glenfield Park and the Pathmark which is a bit sketchy and has drug trafficking issues. Normally it take right about 45 minutes on the train from the Montclair State U station to reach NYC Penn Station, but right now it is taking a little longer and runs a little less frequently due to line damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. (there are five train stations in Montclair, so the actual time for your commute will vary slightly depending on which station your depart from.) One thing to note is that being in Essex County, your insurance rates will be high, (high for NJ where we enjoy the highest rates in the nation) so be prepared for that. Montclair is a fairly large urban town which also has a large Univ, which brings many pluses and minuses.
Glen Ridge is located adjacent to Montclair and is a wonderful upscale community. It is generally considered safe, but there is a fair amount of home and car break ins. Glen Ridge is mostly single family homes, so firnnding a one bedroom apartment is tough. Your train ride to NYC Penn will be about 5/9 minutes less than Montclair, depending on which station in Montclair you use.
Millburn is a wonderful, upscale, small town. Quite safe, pretty quiet, no sketchy areas at all. There is a wonderful small town community feel/vibe. There is midtown direct train access to Penn station and it will normally be right around 45 min, though as will all of NJTransit, things currently are running a little slower due to storm damage. This should improve fairly quickly as repairs are made. Millburn will give you easy/quicker access to eastern PA than Montclair/Glen Ridge.
Springfield is a wonderful, more "blue collar" ish town than Millburn or Glen Ridge. While there is no train station, they do have a shuttle that runs from downtown to the Millburn train station for a small fee. So you'd be adding ~15 min each way to your commute.
Rahway is a bit closer to Manhattan, but still about a 40 min train ride to NYC Penn. While it has been trying to revitalize it's downtown, it has had setbacks - most notably the major flooding from Irene. Flooding continues to be an issue in parts of the town. Another is that Rahway has the large state prison not to mention next door is the state lock up for sex offenders in Avenel. Safety can be an issue as well in many parts of town. I know they have built some wonderful new upscale housing and are trying to improve the area, and there are wonderful stately old homes in the Milton Lake section, I just would be leery.
I'd add West Caldwell and Caldwell to your short list, both are wonderful communities with lots to offer and fit within your commute parameters. Perhaps West Orange as well.
HTH
KoalaNJ
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