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I am in the research phase of a house hunt and working on narrowing it down to an area. I am hoping to start searching in earnest in about 6 months (plan to move in summer 2015). Based on our needs Colonia seems like a good fit, but I have seen some comments about the town that make it sound a little less desirable. Can anyone shed some light on the town itself and perhaps offer some other suggestions?
Where are you coming from? Staten Island
Why are you moving? Would like to buy a house with more property than we can afford in Staten Island
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? I work in midtown and would prefer to commute by train (My job is closer to Penn Station than Port Authority). My spouse works from home.
Will you buy or rent? Buy
What is your budget ? Up to about $420K, depending on how high the taxes are
What kind of place are you looking for? A single family, detached home (no condos or townhouses). 4 bedrooms (or 3 bedrooms and office space for my spouse who works from home), 2-3 bathrooms, nice sized yard for kid and dogs
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you? Spouse, one child (age 7), two small dogs
Do you need/want good public schools? Yes. Particularly elementary and middle school. We may consider private/Catholic high school so the public high schools don't need to be stellar, but if they were that would be a bonus
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) I would prefer a nice, suburban feel. Families with young children, where it is safe to play outside. Coming from Brooklyn and Staten Island I am used to being able to walk lots of places. If the town had some nice amenities within walking distance that would be nice, but not a deal breaker.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc) 1) Commute. I would prefer a town that either has a train within walking distance or local bus service to the train. I hate the idea of driving and parking as part of my commute. 2) A good school system. It doesn't have to be a top tier pressure cooker, but a good system where our child will get a good education. 3) A reasonable drive to Staten Island and Brooklyn since we have family in both areas
How much property are you looking for? The western part of West Orange has most of what you're looking for (suburban feel, families with young children, decent sized though not huge yards, good elementary schools, local bus to train in some areas) in your price range though the taxes are killer.
Is the commute from Colonia bad? I tried to use the trip planner tool on NJ Transit and it gave me a commute time of 1 hour door to door. This included walking to a local bus that would take me to Metropark station so I can take the Northeast Corridor line right into NY Penn Station. Is it not as easy as it sounds in reality? It seems as though Colonia has a couple of local buses as well as a Metropark loop bus during commute times, which is one of the reasons the town seemed so attractive to me. Not having to drive would be a major, major plus for me.
I will certainly check out West Orange, thanks for the suggestion!
Is the commute from Colonia bad? I tried to use the trip planner tool on NJ Transit and it gave me a commute time of 1 hour door to door. This included walking to a local bus that would take me to Metropark station so I can take the Northeast Corridor line right into NY Penn Station. Is it not as easy as it sounds in reality? It seems as though Colonia has a couple of local buses as well as a Metropark loop bus during commute times, which is one of the reasons the town seemed so attractive to me. Not having to drive would be a major, major plus for me.
I will certainly check out West Orange, thanks for the suggestion!
Commute from Colonia should consistently be as good(if not better since you have a direct train 2 miles away) as West Orange, even though it is 10 miles farther. I have never lived there but on paper it seems to be a good fit for you. Only way to know for sure is to go down there and spend some time around town. Good luck!
Commute from Colonia should consistently be as good(if not better since you have a direct train 2 miles away) as West Orange, even though it is 10 miles farther. I have never lived there but on paper it seems to be a good fit for you. Only way to know for sure is to go down there and spend some time around town. Good luck!
Thanks! You're right. The only way for us to know is to go and check it out for ourselves. Hope to be able to do so soon before the bad weather settles in and then maybe around spring we can start a serious search.
Rahway has twice the number of trains to NY than MetroPark because the NE and the Coast line merge there. When I lived in Colonia most people caught the train from Rahway to NY.
Rahway has twice the number of trains to NY than MetroPark because the NE and the Coast line merge there. When I lived in Colonia most people caught the train from Rahway to NY.
Thanks for the advice. NJ trip planner sent me to metropark via the no.48 bus so I hadn't even realized Rahway was an option. It actually does look like the Rahway station is 5 minutes closer, but the bus fare is a little more. Would that bus ride be covered by a monthly train ticket? I've heard that the monthly tickets will have a zone printed on it that will cover buses in that zone. Would the higher fare to Rahway make it ineligible?
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