Safe/affordable commuter towns for Midtown Manhattan for a young family (places, start)

[daliowa]

Originally Posted by nnjguy

They want a 2br for 2000 a month. Hoboken is not remotely realistic.

They need to figure in the money that they won't have to spend on NJ Transit.

And, the extra hours each day that he won't have to be commuting on trains.

[n.a.taylor23]

Someone mentioned Rutherford, what's Rutherford like as a town out of interest?

I wonder if anyone can provide any insight into monthly travel fares? We are budgeting around 300 per month. Is this realistic?

Thanks again

[daliowa]

NJ Transit train fares vary by start / end station. Monthly passes have different rates.
www.njtransit.com

Also, depending on where in NYC he works, he may have to also take a subway or bus when he gets off NJ Transit at 6th Avenue & 33rd Street.

If you live in a location where you can commute to NYC by PATH train than the commuting cost becomes much lower. PATH has several stops in Manhattan, but doesn't go very deep into NJ.
PATH - The Port Authority of NY & NJ

Some NJ Transit trains stop in Hoboken & then you switch to PATH train for Manhattan.

Take a look at www.njtransit.com to see the various train routes & the towns that they cover.

[labcjo]

Here's a list of popular towns with New York City commuters. All have trains into Manhattan, and will have walkable downtowns where you won't be as car dependent. For more information on the train times and cost, go to New Jersey Transit - Home

Along the Main-Bergen line:

Rutherford
Glen Rock
Ridgewood

Along the Montclair-Boonton line:

Bloomfield (the areas near the train station/downtown isn't as nice, but is more affordable)
Glen Ridge (no downtown of its own, but close to Bloomfield's and Montclair's)
Montclair (six train stations and four main downtown shopping areas)


Along the Morristown-Gladstone line:

South Orange
Maplewood
Summit

On the Rartian Valley Line:

Westfield


Someone else mentioned Hoboken, but it can be just as expensive as New York City. Certain parts of Jersey City are near the PATH and are really nice neighborhoods as well. Other areas of Jersey City are sketchy, so I'd ask someone who knows more than me.

I'm partial to the Essex County towns (Montclair, South Orange, and Maplewood) for their walkability, beautiful old home stock, diversity, and more artsy and cultured feel than the others, but everyone will have their own opinions. Montclair especially.

Here's an examples of what your budget gets you in Montclair. A short walks to the train, restaurants, supermarkets, and stores, and in a safe neighborhood. It would still be good to have one car, but you won't need one for day to day living:

94 Midland Avenue #A, Montclair NJ - Trulia

[n.a.taylor23]

Thank you for that, I have seen some similar options to the apartment you posted and the look lovely, but can anyone explain what they mean by a multi family home? does this mean there are communal areas such as the kitchen or are there separate living areas within one house? Please forgive my ignorance!

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by n.a.taylor23

Thank you for that, I have seen some similar options to the apartment you posted and the look lovely, but can anyone explain what they mean by a multi family home? does this mean there are communal areas such as the kitchen or are there separate living areas within one house? Please forgive my ignorance!

It means there are more than one apartment in the building. Each would have its own kitchen. They would be completely separate living areas. For example, you might have a three story house (that may even once long ago have been a single-family home) and each floor has its own apartment.

Usually they say "multi-family home" meaning a house-type of structure that holds maybe up to four apartments as opposed to a real apartment building that may have 5 or 10 or 50 units.

[n.a.taylor23]

Thanks! I had ruled them out thinking they meant shared kitchens and the like but it's great to know that they are an option, possibly a better one than a large high-rise as presumably these houses have a garden area as well.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by n.a.taylor23

Thanks! I had ruled them out thinking they meant shared kitchens and the like but it's great to know that they are an option, possibly a better one than a large high-rise as presumably these houses have a garden area as well.

That's funny. But they have multi-family houses in NY!

Yes, often you have use of the yard.

[labcjo]

In the case above, 92-94 Midland Ave was actually designed from the get go to be a two family house - really unique and rare for a grand home with that much architectural detail.

While the backyard (what we Yanks call a garden) is likely shared space, that whole porch on the side of the house is private just for you. Pretty cool.

[veuvegirl]

Montclair is a great town! Also look at Maplewood/ South Orange. Not sure if it meets you budget, but all towns have a good commute to NYC and are walkable. Good luck!