Elmwood Park?? (Paterson, Perth Amboy, Fair Lawn: real estate, apartments, car insurance)

[NorthJerseyBound]

Hello, new here. This site is very helpful, and I could use some additional information pertaining to my situation.

My boyfriend and I are looking to buy a place in Bergen County. We are from Middlesex county, and have done some research but would like some additional opinions since we don't know the Bergen County area. My boyfriend works in NYC so we have chose this area to look in b/c of its proximity to the city.

We have found some great properties in Elmwood Park -- what is the general outlook regarding this town? Also, information regarding Crime/School system/Transit to NYC would be appreciated also.

Thanks in advance!!

[joe moving]

I don't know a lot about the town, but looking at the city data crime info, EP is pretty low, but not necessarily compared to other Bergen county towns. Their index is "150" where-as the US avg is "300". Fair Lawn is "100". Looking at the towns surrounding Elmwood Park I would say Fair Lawn is nicer, but EP is nicer than Garfield and Paterson.

Elmwood Park, New Jersey (NJ) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

[nykstevenyg]

Except for the apartments behind K-mart EP is great. I live in Fair lawn and fair lawn is nicer but EP is a great town and it is much better then Garfield. Id say its closer to Fair Lawn then it is to Garfield.

[mdukes]

I have lived in Elmwood Park now for 3 years. I can tell you personally that we find it to be a good town. I agree with the other poster with the exception of the area behind the pathmark/kmart area EP is a good area. If you have children the elementry schools are good. My children really like the school and the teachers, also, classes are not overly crowed. I have heard the 16th Ave school behind Kmart is not a good elementry school, but I cannot say for sure. The commute to NYC depends on time of day and are you driving or going by public transportation.

My husband use to work in lower manhattan before he was transferred to Queens. He would take the Bus some mornings and he was in mid-town about 1 hr later. It was the same if he drove himself to work. With traffic over the GWB to lower Manhattan it took him about an 1hr to 1hr 15min. Also with no traffic between here and the bridge total travel time is about 10 to 15 minutes.

If your BF wants to take the train it is located in Garfield. Elmwood Park does not have a major crime problem at all. Honestly, I forget that crime sometimes exist. EP gives out more traffic tickets in a month then it does arrest.

Side note: if you choose Elmwood PArk watch that your car insurance doesnt take a huge jump. When we first moved here our insurance company counted Elmwood Park as part of the huge municpality of Paterson. By huge I mean in Perth Amboy we were paying roughly 1100/ 6 months and then they tried to tell us our insurance was going to be 1800/ 6 months. Needless to say I did find much lower insurance.

[Liz555]

I was born & raised in Paterson & my Grandmother lived for 50 years in Elmwood Park (from back when it was East Paterson...it's probably why some insurance company's group it in with P-town since it was part of it at one time) so I spent alot of time there up until the late 90's (when my Grandma passed) BUT it was always a great town. It's a down to earth, culturally diverse, safe town & easy access to just about everything. Good luck on your home buying venture!

[nykstevenyg]

It does give out way to many traffic tickets. Cops are actually very strict there, especially on the broadway corridor but its important to keep the town safe. Like I said before, its very a good town.

[JG183]

Originally Posted by nykstevenyg

Like I said before, its very a good town.

indeed. it gets an unfairly bad rep due to its proximity to Paterson, but it's one of the "better kept secrets" of northern NJ...

[proudmama]

Originally Posted by nykstevenyg

It does give out way to many traffic tickets. Cops are actually very strict there, especially on the broadway corridor but its important to keep the town safe. Like I said before, its very a good town.

so true, if you go anywhere near broadway, the last week and first week of the month, you will more then likely see partrol cops standing by the traffic light in three locations,

- Pathmark traffic light
- Kmar Traffic light
- Movie theater parking lot.

I actually find it amazing when i see folks get pulled over with reject stickers, because if anyone travel that area, they should know that their out there.

[nykstevenyg]

The theater is Fair Lawn Cops, but yeah there the same lol.

[Demigod of Demographics]

While Elmwood Park is a decent residence, I do not think someone from Middlesex County could survive very long in the fast lane of Bergen County. Your simple minds would be inundated with data at such a rapid pace that it would overstimulate you, creating a mindset of constant gratification. Have you considered Westchester or Rockland Counties?