Moving to NJ: Husband works in Manhattan, Wife in West Orange (Newark: apartments, rental)
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Where are you coming from? Brooklyn
Why are you moving? Relocating for a job
Where will you be working ? West Orange
Will you buy or rent? Rent
What is your budget ? Up to $950/month not including utilities
What kind of place are you looking for? 1 or 2 bedroom apartment
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Spouse & cat
Do you need/want good public schools? Not for many years, so 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) Safe; A nice, walk-able downtown; artsy and young couples/families would be preferred but not totally necessary
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)
Safety, short commute, downtown area
We'd prefer to live close to a stop on NJ transit train lines as we would be a one-car family. What are the places we should be looking? Are there places we should avoid? I'm especially worried about finding a cat-friendly rental in our price range. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!
Last edited by ickle ronnykins; 03-22-2013 at 05:11 PM..
Reason: clairty
Ouch. That's probably not a realistic budget for something in a safe area that's walkable to the train. South Orange would be your logical choice, but in that price range you're looking at studio apartments. You might drive down Vose Ave. in South Orange. There are several blocks of modest apartment buildings on the edge of downtown. They have a lot of studios and I think they're relatively inexpensive for the area. Those buildings tend to put signs out front instead of advertising.
If I were in your shoes, I would look at apartments in Orange along the South Orange border and in the Valley Arts District of Orange. A lot of those neighborhoods are well-kept and safe. Your husband could walk to the Highland Ave. or Mountain station, and you'd be close to the bright lights of South Orange. But I may be more adventurous than some.
If I were in your shoes, I would look at apartments in Orange along the South Orange border and in the Valley Arts District of Orange. A lot of those neighborhoods are well-kept and safe. Your husband could walk to the Highland Ave. or Mountain station, and you'd be close to the bright lights of South Orange. But I may be more adventurous than some.
That area is kind of sketchy, especially at night. And the train service at those 2 stations is very limited. But $950 is a very tight budget for any decent neighborhood.
It's five minutes to Red Bank, which has the downtown/artsy walkable neighborhood. It's off of GSP Exit 109, which, if you are going to the 140s for West Orange, means you've got about a 45-minute drive. Train for Manhattan is out of either Red Bank and Little Silver (about the same distance from this area, but Little Silver has parking) or there is the Academy Bus at Exit 109, which goes to Wall Street. Probably also buses in the area to the PABT--not familiar with them personally.
Area is nice, close to everything, fifteen minutes to the beach.
GSP at I-280 is horribly backed up during commuting times. I wouldn't recommend that. The apartments on the Orange border are probably the best options; Valley Arts is definitely improving. There's a little more direct service to Highland and Mountain than there was a year ago, and grabbing a local to Newark and changing is possible too.
Where in Manhattan is hubby working? That matters a lot. if it's midtown, I'd suggest looking at Kearny, Harrison, North Arlington, even some areas of Belleville - that would put you midway between the two workplaces and either the PATH or buses into Manhattan. Closer and more convenient to lower Manhattan would include Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne but would make the commute to W. Orange quite a bit longer with traffic.
Where in Manhattan is hubby working? That matters a lot. if it's midtown, I'd suggest looking at Kearny, Harrison, North Arlington, even some areas of Belleville - that would put you midway between the two workplaces and either the PATH or buses into Manhattan. Closer and more convenient to lower Manhattan would include Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne but would make the commute to W. Orange quite a bit longer with traffic.
I don't think you're going to get a $950 1BR in any decent part of J.C. or Hoboken. Not sure about Harrison, it's definitely a viable commute (both to W.O. and to midtown or downtown) but I don't know about the prices.
You can try Clifton
As other posted have mentioned, if you are willing to stretch your budget a bit (by another $100-200) you stand to have a better apartment in one of these towns.
You'd be surprised how many people from my office live down here! Commute is long, but it's affordable. For some of us, that's the choice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
Where in Manhattan is hubby working? That matters a lot. if it's midtown, I'd suggest looking at Kearny, Harrison, North Arlington, even some areas of Belleville - that would put you midway between the two workplaces and either the PATH or buses into Manhattan. Closer and more convenient to lower Manhattan would include Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne but would make the commute to W. Orange quite a bit longer with traffic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nybbler
I don't think you're going to get a $950 1BR in any decent part of J.C. or Hoboken. Not sure about Harrison, it's definitely a viable commute (both to W.O. and to midtown or downtown) but I don't know about the prices.
Yes, that's why I posted the Shrewsbury Arms apartments. I know they're in the rent range and pet-friendly, though not the best commuting range. They are not far from me, and I'd checked them out for a friend not long ago. And they're in Shrewsbury Township, not Eatontown (though the zip code is the same!)
Not sure about rents in Kearny or North Arlington, though.
Edit: Just did a quick look on Realtor.com. There is a one-bedroom listed for $1100, but it's no pets.
I should clarify that husband is looking for a 45-min or less commute to midtown (which would be similar to our current commute.) I'd be ok with up to an hour in the car if necessary.
Our tight budget worries me a lot, but we're young idealists making very little money at the moment
We could probably make it work in a studio, too--our current 1BR in Brooklyn is only 400 sq ft ($850/mo).
Again, thank you for all the thoughtful responses, they are much appreciated!
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