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I agree w mightyqueen, much easier commute via njtransit train to hoboken then path to wtc(or treat yourself w ferry, esp in then summer)-- I would look at river edge/oradell, much closer to the city for commuting, shopping, excellent schools, great family towns w sense of community. You may be able to walk to the train, one or two stops then express into hoboken, You can always get a seat. Also buses on kinderkamack rd go into the port authority(midtown nyc) if your job location changes.
Live in Morris County, towns like Parsippany, Mountain Lakes, Whippany, and take the Lakeland Commuter Bus to Lower Manhattan. Bus takes about one hour from Parsippany.
First places I'd check would be South Orange, Maplewood, and Cranford. Getting within an hour is tough but doable.
Although the OP's subject line was "Best NJ town to live with commute to downtown NYC", those towns probably won't have inventory in the OP's budget. I say save more money for a few years, and then go for one of the "best towns" (IMHO Westfield beats all those towns, but that's for another post.)
I'm more familiar with Bergen towns since I live in the area but have also looked at some very towns outside of Bergen when house hunting. Westfield, Cranford, Summit, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Montclair, Bloomfield and Maplewood are a few I considered but settled with Rutherford because it's a real commuter's town with affordable housing. You should be able to get to downtown at or under 1 hour door-to-door and should be able to find housing in the range you're looking for.
I purchased a 4 BR home in Rutherford at the top of your price range and work downtown with my husband. It takes us about 20 minutes train ride into Hoboken then under 15 minutes Path train ride to WTC.
There are several towns on the Bergen Main line going into Hoboken that would work for you. Rutherford is just one of them. Maybe look at Fair Lawn, Paramus and Hasbrouck Heights as alternatives...
While Rutherford has a very nice downtown and some great new condo buildings the school district isn't 100% from what I hear, (edit) however my readings indicate that they got a blue ribbon award at the high school. So things must be a lot better than i know!
Rutherford would be a great choice in terms of budget and travel.
Hasbrouck Heights, big no no. In fact i'd consider HH blue collar and would never think of putting it on "best NJ towns"
While Rutherford has a very nice downtown and some great new condo buildings the school district isn't 100% from what I hear, (edit) however my readings indicate that they got a blue ribbon award at the high school. So things must be a lot better than i know!
Rutherford would be a great choice in terms of budget and travel.
Hasbrouck Heights, big no no. In fact i'd consider HH blue collar and would never think of putting it on "best NJ towns"
Since this old post has been resurrected, I will again chime in. The OP's budget won't work for the "best nj town with downtown NYC commute". So if the budget is factored in, it's acceptable to answer with a town like Rutherford. If we want to go for the "best", then Westfield is, hands down, the best to go downtown nyc. It's far enough away from Newark and Newark-related crime. WF is known for raising families because of top schools for academics and athletics. It has a downtown that provides all the amenities of city life for the ny crowd, albeit on a suburban scale and it has a populace that is highly educated and values art, music and community.
On the subject of the latest poster's question about the best nj town for a midtown NYC commute, The fattys on this forum complain that it does not have midtown direct at peak hours and that it is too hard to go down a flight of stairs and up another flight to hop on the ny train at penn station in Newark. I happen to like getting off my fanny, but since we are talking about downtown you need to make another connection anyway coming from Chatham, summit, maplewood etc. so I have no problem taking the WTC path from Newark penn station.
I have to travel Downtown sometimes, midtown sometimes and even to exchange place in jersey city once in a blue moon, the latter of which is on the Newark WTC line and extremely easy to get to from WF.
I really appreciate your input my commute will br directly into grandcentral terminal. I see you like Westfield.. What about going to midtown.. What other train lines areas do you like for a commute? We are looking to spend around 500k on a home in an area with good schools.. I just want to have a decent commute everyday to grandcentral
I really appreciate your input my commute will br directly into grandcentral terminal. I see you like Westfield.. What about going to midtown.. What other train lines areas do you like for a commute? We are looking to spend around 500k on a home in an area with good schools.. I just want to have a decent commute everyday to grandcentral
FYI - from NJ there is no direct into GCT. You can go direct to Penn Station, then you can walk to GCT (about 1.5 miles) or take either the 1, 2, or 3 train from Penn one stop to Times Square. And from there you can take the Shuttle (S) to GCT. I did that commute for four years and almost hung myself. Times Square and Penn Station at rush hour are a soul sucking experience. I finally moved to downtown Jersey City and love my life.
Maybe move to JC for a little while since your kid is younger. Rent a year and have a reasonable life style before you jump to burbs and take on a beastly commute.
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