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@samantha - Thanks for the additional insight. Would you say Maplewood has a good amount of restaurants?
As mentioned by two previous posters, yes! Maplewood and nearby South Orange have nice downtowns with a good amount of options. And if you really like Italian, and the restaurants in Maplewood don't satisfy you, there's always nearby Millburn with a bunch of them (there are also other options there, not just Italian).
For those who suggested New Brunswick, are there any particular neighborhoods or areas/zip codes I should steer away from?
So, for example, I was going to check out this place on 70 Harvey St - 08901. I checked Google streetview and sort of "walked" around the neighborhood and it looked fine.
I'm pretty sure what I'm looking for doesn't exist, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway.
I'll very likely be taking a job in Somerset, NJ (Somerset in Franklin Township, next town over from New Brunswick).
My partner and I will be renting, and I'd like to be somewhere fairly diverse (which I get the impression doesn't much exist in Central New Jersey). I'd also like to live where there are restaurants, coffee shops, areas to walk about. You know, cute, hip neighborhood type things. Not being walkable isn't a dealbreaker. I guess I just want to live in a place where there are things to do. I'm originally from Brooklyn, so.
I find it funny that the two people of color who work this job both live 35 miles away in Hoboken and Weehawken respectively. Which is kind of what I'm leaning toward. Or Jersey City. But that's a long way to drive, even though I know there's little traffic.
Do any of you have suggestions?
Assuming money isn't an object (I mean, it is, but I'm more trying to see if these types of towns/cities exist in CNJ, and where they are).
I want to stick within 20 miles of Somerset (Franklin Township).
North Brunswick, maybe? I just don't know what neighborhoods to look in. I'm also black and have lived in black neighborhoods a lot growing up, so I don't find it disturbing to live in the "bad side of town" which often just means there's black people about (but not necessarily high crime).
Why not Red Bank? Yes, I realize it's not within your 20-mile range, but it wouldn't be THAT bad a commute. Up the GSP and then to 287. Would be less expensive than Hoboken/Jersey City, plus you have a train line to the city and a short hop to the ocean besides. It's diverse and has a vibrant downtown with theater, arts, restaurants, etc.
Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 04-10-2014 at 10:02 AM..
For those who suggested New Brunswick, are there any particular neighborhoods or areas/zip codes I should steer away from?
So, for example, I was going to check out this place on 70 Harvey St - 08901. I checked Google streetview and sort of "walked" around the neighborhood and it looked fine.
Should I stick to downtown?
Can anybody tell me anything more about Metuchen?
It's not the worst place, but not the greatest either. I would look closer to Hamilton St and Central Ave. That area is more where the young crowd is. Metuchen and Highland Park are suburban communities which are nice with the old homes with character, but the main streets are more boring. NB is really your best bet for nightlife.
Avoid Livingston Ave and the streets that border Somerset with Rt. 27, esp Hampton Rd, but that is an enclosed place that is too far away from the action anyway.
Red Bank is OK, but a lot further away from where you need to be and there is no direct route from there to Somerset. And honestly it just doesn't hold a candle to New Brunswick as far as nightlife and "hip" places go. I also think the people there are a little more rude. Then again this whole state is full of rude people. I am out of here soon.
I used to live in the neighborhood near Harvey street. You're actually quite close to Rutgers main campus, and the population there is made up mostly of college student renters and Hispanics (primarily Mexican immigrants from southern Mexico). Interestingly, it used to be a one of the largest Hungarian communities in the US, but the few remaining Magyars are mostly retirees. It's generally safe, although petty theft (don't leave bicycles locked up on the porch, for example) and drunken student neighbors are potential concerns. New Brunswick is definitely the most lively town in the area, but only "hip" in the sense that most college towns have some sort of artsier scene.
Areas to avoid settling in, IMO, would be, as HubCity said, areas bordering Somerset around Rt. 27, and the neighborhood roughly bordered by Commercial Ave, Suydam St. and Livingston Ave. (Remsen Ave., for example, is shorthand for "shady area").
Metuchen is nice, but more of a town for commuters, folks with kids, and retirees, I would say. A few nice restaurants, a good Irish pub, and a walkable downtown, but no nightlife to speak of. Highland Park is very similar.
NJ is a worker colony. If you want culture - go rent a hipster pad in Greenpoint. Dems da brakes. Red Bank is kinda cool and there are parts of the Oranges and Union that have a music scene but I wouldn't recommend investing in property there.
People have to sometimes work 2 or 3 jobs to pay their bills in NJ - it is not a place with much balance any longer I am sad to say.
NJ is a worker colony. If you want culture - go rent a hipster pad in Greenpoint. Dems da brakes. Red Bank is kinda cool and there are parts of the Oranges and Union that have a music scene but I wouldn't recommend investing in property there.
People have to sometimes work 2 or 3 jobs to pay their bills in NJ - it is not a place with much balance any longer I am sad to say.
This is why we are getting out of here. Not only is NJ too expensive, but there are no accessible jobs that will pay you enough money to be able to afford to live here. It is terrible. We are going to Columbus, Ohio which is a growing area with better jobs. Cost of living there is 1/2 of what it is here.
This is why we are getting out of here. Not only is NJ too expensive, but there are no accessible jobs that will pay you enough money to be able to afford to live here. It is terrible. We are going to Columbus, Ohio which is a growing area with better jobs. Cost of living there is 1/2 of what it is here.
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