Walkable downtowns of small central NJ towns

[PDD]

Originally Posted by mccchr

Thanks everyone for your input.

Koalanj, my spouse is going to be working in raritan at 202 &206 intersection. Wants a shorter commute than current 45min so we're looking at Bridgewater, BR, & Bernardsville.

These are all more north jersey than central. We used to live in West windsor and I didn't think these towns were that far away.

The people who live in the listed towns all live in Central NJ of course people from South NJ don't know where the border is located.

[ArtVan]

Hi KoalaNJ, In regard to your post:
"Bernardsville and Basking Ridge both have small walkable downtown areas. They also have easy access to 287 which is nice for commutes. Both towns have excellent schools, some of the best in the nation. Westfield and Metuchen also have walkable downtown areas, but you will find the property taxes are on the high side. IIRC to commute via train to NYC from Westfield and Metuchen entails switching trains, where as Bernardsville and BR are on the midtown direct line, so no transfer needed."

I'm confused. I am moving to the BR area next year from Chicago and looked up the train schedule from BR to NYCPenn station. There seems to always be a transfer for every train running. Am I not looking in the right place for train commute info? BTW, you are a great resource here. Thanks for posting.

[KoalaNJ]

Originally Posted by ArtVan

Hi KoalaNJ, In regard to your post:
"Bernardsville and Basking Ridge both have small walkable downtown areas. They also have easy access to 287 which is nice for commutes. Both towns have excellent schools, some of the best in the nation. Westfield and Metuchen also have walkable downtown areas, but you will find the property taxes are on the high side. IIRC to commute via train to NYC from Westfield and Metuchen entails switching trains, where as Bernardsville and BR are on the midtown direct line, so no transfer needed."

I'm confused. I am moving to the BR area next year from Chicago and looked up the train schedule from BR to NYCPenn station. There seems to always be a transfer for every train running. Am I not looking in the right place for train commute info? BTW, you are a great resource here. Thanks for posting.

Thank you for the kind words, I am always happy to assist. You can find the midtown direct trains listed amongst all the trains heading out from BR here New Jersey Transit Some of the trains you do have to transfer in Summit, but there are several that make a stop in Summit and then continue on into NYC Penn, specifically the #6406 at 6:13 am, and the #6410 at 6:45 am. FWIW If you find you miss the midtown direct train, transferring trains @ Summit is quite easy though, you simply get off one train, stay on the platform and wait a couple of minutes for the new train to arrive, there is no switching tracks necessary. There are also several direct trains coming home from NYC Penn as well, though again there are also several where you do have to switch in Summit. I should also mention that there are two train stations in Bernards Twp, one called Basking Ridge and the other is Lyons, both of which have midtown direct trains.

KoalaNJ

FWIW transferring trains to get into NYC Penn from Westfield is much more of an issue as the transfer of trains occurs at Newark Penn Station, which would involve switching tracks/platforms and at a much more congested, older station.

[Jerseyt719]

There is nothing wrong with Somerville. The downtown area is great, just live north of Main Street. There is always something going on there. It's very walkable and the high school isn't bad at all. It seems to be a happy medium for a lot of people.

Best of luck with your move.