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What are the most densely populated areas in Central NJ? I will be working right in the middle of this map (where the 004 box is) in Monmouth County (exit 16 off 195)
I am looking for urban living, areas that have a downtown or are walk-able and within 30 min commute to work.
As much of my job will be driving, I am looking to live somewhere that when I get home, I can walk to a bar or restaurant, grocery store etc.
Any suggestions, feedback is much appreciated.
Thank you! Julie
Last edited by Forum_Newbie; 12-02-2014 at 06:02 PM..
Reason: more content
New Brunswick - the largest, most urban city in central NJ. population 57,000, but feels like a city with 150,000. many high rise buildings, a million bars and restaurants, rutgers university is here. so of course there is a ton of nightlife.
princeton - very upscale, beautiful downtown area. also a ton of restaurants, shops, bars, etc. but feels very upscale and expensive and almost uptight compared to new brunswick, which has a gritty college town feel.
if you want to be near the beach - red bank, asbury park, belmar. all walkable, plenty of bars and nightlife.
New Brunswick is the most urban and walkable. stay out of certain neighborhoods though!
New Brunswick, Red Bank, Asbury Park, Princeton would be your best bets. Bordentown is pretty dense and cheap, though much smaller than the others. Lambertville/NewHope have a cool vibe but are a hike from your destination. Trenton maybe in a decade or two, but not yet.
Thank you all so much. A Realtor suggested Long Branch as they have a cool downtown, Brighton Ave (I think) that has what I described. Do you know of that area? I looked at the Plaza in New Brunswick...that's one option. And are there safe areas of Trenton? I was led to believe that it was very sketchy?
New Brunswick, Red Bank, Asbury Park, Princeton would be your best bets. Bordentown is pretty dense and cheap, though much smaller than the others. Lambertville/NewHope have a cool vibe but are a hike from your destination. Trenton maybe in a decade or two, but not yet.
Yes, all of these towns are more urban areas as the OP requested, however NONE of them are within the 30 min commute the OP also specified. The one that comes the closest in terms of commute times would be Red Bank, but you are looking at 45min to an hour in commute during normal business hours. Heck, New Brunswick is an over an hour non-rush.
For the OP, when ever trying to figure out how long a commute will be, take the suggested commute time given by googlemaps, mapquest, etc, multiply it by 2 and add 10% to get a more realistic/accurate estimate. The times suggested by googlemaps, mapquest et al are laughably inaccurate.
Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot going on in that area of NJ (within 30 minutes). I would definitely avoid Trenton. Long Branch is becoming a more popular place, especially in the summer, but if you're up already traveling that far, you might as well go to Red Bank. If you're looking for something fun and accessable year round Princeton would also be a good bet. New Brunswick is home to Rutgers, so it's similar, a bit more sketchy but college kids and young adults thrive there. Were you looking at the Plaza Square Apartments? That's a good area, but there's probably a cost to park in the garage each month and as KoalaNJ mentioned it's pretty far from Jackson. Asbury Park is starting to pick up as well. If you're a beach person and the commute is a big issue, I would say pick a spot on the shore (Belmar) and you'll always have a great summer.
What are the most densely populated areas in Central NJ? I will be working right in the middle of this map (where the 004 box is) in Monmouth County (exit 16 off 195)
I am looking for urban living, areas that have a downtown or are walk-able and within 30 min commute to work.
As much of my job will be driving, I am looking to live somewhere that when I get home, I can walk to a bar or restaurant, grocery store etc.
Any suggestions, feedback is much appreciated.
Thank you! Julie
I'll be blunt here, you're basically working in the middle of nowhere, so there is nothing within a 30 minute commute (assuming normal commuting times) that is going to exactly fit your desires.
Within 30 minutes, the closest would be downtown/old Freehold. (roughly where the rail tracks cross Main St). Nice walkable downtown, denser older homes, etc. It's just not that big, the downtown is a few blocks. That said, it may work for you.
Red Bank and Princeton are great aside from being very expensive and more like 45 minutes. Long Branch is also more like 40+ mins and has some nicer areas and some NOT nice areas.
Also, realize that Shore towns are fairly dead in winter and mobbed in summer. Some people like the cyclical nature of that, some people want a more consistent environment.
yea long branch is iffy... the area along the beach is very nice and expensive, and is the hot spot during the summer months. many college kids and young adults go there for night life. but go a little inland... it becomes kind of ghetto.
your best bet commute wise would be downtown freehold
Yes, all of these towns are more urban areas as the OP requested, however NONE of them are within the 30 min commute the OP also specified. The one that comes the closest in terms of commute times would be Red Bank, but you are looking at 45min to an hour in commute during normal business hours. Heck, New Brunswick is an over an hour non-rush.
For the OP, when ever trying to figure out how long a commute will be, take the suggested commute time given by googlemaps, mapquest, etc, multiply it by 2 and add 10% to get a more realistic/accurate estimate. The times suggested by googlemaps, mapquest et al are laughably inaccurate.
KoalaNJ
New Brunswick is a nightmare getting in-and-out of during rush hour, so that would make it prohibitive for the OP.
However, in Central/South Jersey, traffic isn't nearly as bad. Traffic maps during the heart of the morning rush show almost all green along 195, 295, and the Turnpike in the exit 6-7 area. Bordentown and Asbury Park each only about 20 miles from the OP's 195-exit 16 destination, so he/she could feasibly make it in about 30-40 minutes. Asbury Park is a shore town but doesn't completely shut down in the off season, and has one of the better nightlifes you'll find for such a small town. It also has a big LGBT population, and rail-access to New York. Bordentown is much smaller, and only has 2 or 3 bars, but many decent restaurants and some interesting shops; it's really a hidden gem. Also, Bordentown has excellent mass-transit access via the Riverline, you can get to Philadelphia (with a transfer to PATCO in Camden) or New York (transfer to NJ Transit) in Trenton.
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