Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I went to Hanover Park but it was a few years ago. The problem was that the towns could have really excellent schools if they wanted to, but are obsessed with low taxes. They have good schools, but they could have great schools if they really wanted to.
For example, at that time East Hanover offered NO foreign language instruction until high school. When I got to the high school, the Florham Park kids already had two years of foreign language instruction.
I think that has changed, though.
Hanover Park was ranked 57th in the latest New Jersey Monthly list, so it has improved a lot. It also won the 2008 New Jersey state championship in the Academic Decathlon, and placed sixth in their division in the national contest. So they are improving.
Still, the Madison and Chatham schools are better.
i don't know that it's a great exercise to compare surrounding schools to Madison and Chatham, unless you're paying the same in taxes, the same for a house, etc. etc. I don't know anything about FP/EH schools, so I'm not saying either way if it's worth it, but FP seems to be cheaper in almost every category. I guess it's also not as close to transit to NYC, but that wouldn't matter to someone working in FP...
Thanks so much for all of the info about schools - it was next in my lineup of questions. I have been seeing in my research that Madison and Chatham schools are better, but it's always great to hear it from locals. Schools are definitely important. Coming from Florida, we are thrilled at having the option of high-quality public schools and not having to do private, so we want to choose an area with the best. Thanks again!
from my relatives i know in FL, coming from FL, you could move to one of our crappiest school districts and you're still coming out ahead (but you might get shot, so don't do that).
The three towns you mention are all good choices. I would add Hanover Township to your list, which neighbors FP -- it doesn't have the nice downtowns like Madison and Chatham, but is so close to both as well as Morristown; it also has good schools, lower taxes and has some neighborhoods with the larger homes/lots that you seem to prefer.
You may have a hard time finding a 3500 to 4000 sf home in Madison or Chatham in your price range. For $1M, you're more likely to get an updated 4 BR home on 1/4 acre and maybe 2500 sf. These are both desireable towns with the downtons and train lines and get premium pricing vs. other towns. And because they are long-established towns, there is relatively little new homes, so updated is usually the most you can expect.
All of these towns are family oriented and generally friendly. Some talk about snobbishness in Chatham (Chatitude), but we know plenty of people from there that are quite friendly. You're not going to find lots of old people in the area -- frankly it's too expensive, and many move to south NJ or out of state.
When you visit, besides the towns that interst you, I'd suggest taking a ride through Morristown (big downtown with lots and lots of rstaurants), as well as up to Rt 10 and or Rt. 46 around East Hanover and Parsippany (where lots of dense retail, national chains, etc are located).
Thanks for the info. Good idea to explore all options and not limit myself to those 3 towns. Will do! And happy to hear about the old people. Nothing wrong with old people, I hope to be one someday...but I would like to live near a younger crowd. Living in Florida for 7 years has made me forget that there are actually places with only young people!
My husband will be working in FP, so we thought we were "lucky" to not be forced to be close to the train, and thought we could enjoy the bigger houses and lots and lower taxes because of that...but we certainly don't want to sacrifice education or family-friendliness. After hearing the words "boring" and "snooty" in regards to FP in other replies, along with all of the other info, I definitely think I'll be focusing more on Madison. I do prefer a bigger house and lot, but only because it's what I'm used to. What I'm not used to anymore is being able to walk to anything, and the thought of being able to do that is exciting! I might be willing to sacrifice space for local amenities after all...
i absolutely love Madison. If you can afford it over FP, and want that experience, I love it. I live in West Orange, which our taxes are higher and i use South Orange as our downtown, the school is average for the state...but the homes are much cheaper. I bought here because of proximity to NYC, which was important when I bought but isn't so important now. There's tradeoffs to every town i guess.
from my relatives i know in FL, coming from FL, you could move to one of our crappiest school districts and you're still coming out ahead (but you might get shot, so don't do that).
Hahaha, so true, and so sad! No matter what we choose, it will be a HUGE improvement over any option here.
So, going a little further into the school discussion...high schools have been mentioned, but is there much of a difference in elementary and middle schools as well? Or is it really about the district quality, so it trickles down even to kindergarten? My son is 3 and though we plan on living there for awhile, it's probably likely that we'll move somewhere else before he's in high school. Is Briarwood Elementary (in FP) of much lower quality than the Elementary in Madison?
My husband will be working in FP, so we thought we were "lucky" to not be forced to be close to the train, and thought we could enjoy the bigger houses and lots and lower taxes because of that...but we certainly don't want to sacrifice education or family-friendliness. After hearing the words "boring" and "snooty" in regards to FP in other replies, along with all of the other info, I definitely think I'll be focusing more on Madison. I do prefer a bigger house and lot, but only because it's what I'm used to. What I'm not used to anymore is being able to walk to anything, and the thought of being able to do that is exciting! I might be willing to sacrifice space for local amenities after all...
I wouldn't describe FP as snooty at all. Summit, yes...FP not even close. However, Madison is just a little bit better. It is super charming town and it has the train station which is great for resale because people that work in Manhattan want to be on a train line so homes in Madison will always be in demand. Madison is a very historic town with lots of trees, rolling hills, a great historic downtown and generally very nice people. Madison is super picturesque. Because of these reasons it will always rank higher, IMO, than FP or Chatham. That being said, FP and Chatham are both great towns. You would likely not regret living in any of them.
However, as far as "modern" and "newer" homes, you're more likely to find that in FP. The homes in Madison and Chatham are much older and generally on smaller lots. Many have been renovated, but they're still very old homes from 30s, 40s and 50s. They have 8 foot ceilings, many times one car or detached garages, and small rooms. The better (larger or significantly renovated) in Madison will cost A LOT of money. In FP you could actually find a brand new home, which will be very hard to do in Madison because the lots are smaller. http://www.trulia.com/property/3111241600-52-Hillside-Ave-Florham-Park-NJ-07932
In Madison you're going to find more bump-outs or add-ons to existing structures, upgraded kitchens, etc., but still likely 8 foot ceilings in most homes. I am not saying that is bad thing, but it is another difference between Madison and FP.
So, going a little further into the school discussion...high schools have been mentioned, but is there much of a difference in elementary and middle schools as well? Or is it really about the district quality, so it trickles down even to kindergarten? My son is 3 and though we plan on living there for awhile, it's probably likely that we'll move somewhere else before he's in high school. Is Briarwood Elementary (in FP) of much lower quality than the Elementary in Madison?
that's an interesting subject. so, in my town, the elementary schools are actually very good, it's high school where we start falling into the middle-of-the-pack of NJ school districts. That could be less of a reflection on the school, and more of the population (we have a lot of working-class people in our town, which leads to some kids going into more vo-tech and community college type places post HS, so maybe that's part of it? - who knows?).
but that's why i was ok with moving here. We could always move to a more affluent town with a top tier high school if we think it'll make that big of a difference. we're in something slightly more than a starter home for our family plans, so we don't expect to be there forever.
definitely explore the elementary level if that's your ultimate plan. you might be able to save a lot of cash on taxes that way, and save money on a house, all money you can use later...or for private school.
holy crap - 5300 sq ft?! how much does a cleaning lady cost for that?! lol
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
