Chester for young family? (Mendham: new home, purchase, good schools)

[lolamom]

We are looking to purchase something in the $1M-$1.7M range and have found more inventory in Chester than anywhere else. I grew up in NJ but have been gone for 10 years--I remember it being very rural. Just wondering if anyone reading this lives in Chester and can comment on the commute, facilities, lifestyle and opportunities for children? My biggest fear is boredom although I remember how charming a town it was..... Also, what's the traffic like these days on 206? Do you like living in Chester--why or why not?

Thanks in advance,
Lola

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by lolamom

We are looking to purchase something in the $1M-$1.7M range and have found more inventory in Chester than anywhere else. I grew up in NJ but have been gone for 10 years--I remember it being very rural. Just wondering if anyone reading this lives in Chester and can comment on the commute, facilities, lifestyle and opportunities for children? My biggest fear is boredom although I remember how charming a town it was..... Also, what's the traffic like these days on 206? Do you like living in Chester--why or why not?

Thanks in advance,
Lola

Chester's great. As you know, you can get an awesome house in your price range. Schools are tops, West Morris Mendham (the HS Chester kids go to) is rated extremely well. The downtown area is very cute, you have a ShopRite right on 206, and they recently opened a high end "lifestyle center" across from there (Banana Republic, JJill, etc) - where the old fleamarket used to be. They have a really nice township pool during the summer, and all sports (soccer, baseball, lacrosse, etc). I don't know that it's "grown" all that much in the past 10 years with the exception of the lifestyle center and more homes. The downtown has retained its charm. I wouldn't consider Chester "rural" by any stretch, definitely suburban though.

In the AM, 206S can be hairy (it can take about 20-25 minutes to get from 24/206 to 287) but IMHO it's not bad, and there are back roads you can take. Northbound in the AM isn't bad at all. Where do you need to commute to?

While I don't live in Chester, I've lived extremely close for a long time and have a good handle on it, and wouldn't hesitate to move there if I had the bucks for a nice house, LOL. As long as your commute isn't a bear, you can't do much better. It's good enough for James Gandolfini! lol

[Calico696]

I love Chester. It is such a nice area. It still has that rural feel. The downtown area is lined with cute shops and good restaurants. It has expanded somewhat in the past 10 years. There are some new shopping centers and a few new home developments which have been built in the last decade. As the previous poster indicated, the schools are top notch. Traffic on Route 206 however, can be a nightmare! But this will depend on what time you are on the road in the morning and at night. Taxes there are high. As most of the posters here can tell you, NJ's biggest issues are traffic and high property taxes. Best of luck!

[Stace08]

For truly rural feel just minutes from Chester you should "google" estates at long valley. good schools and you won't have to battle traffic every weekend in center of Chester.

[HelgaB]

I live and work in the area and love it!!!! As Tahiti said already, the schools are superb (by the way, they renovated Dickerson in 2007). Chester school Science Fair is recognized as the best on the entire Atlantic coast. There are a lot of activities for kids (all kinds of sports, horse hiding classes, etc.) In summer, they can have fun on farms (fruit picking, pony and hay rides, etc.). You wouldn't believe how crowded farms are here in summer!
Taxes are high. But compared to Basking Ridge, you get so much more for your money in Chester :-).