Nutley or Livingston (Irvington, Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes: real estate, home, good schools)

[GJM]

I agree with everyone - Livingston

[southamboy]

Stupid topic, Livingston is 20x better than Nutley. Its an apples & oranges comparison.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by southamboy

Stupid topic, Livingston is 20x better than Nutley. Its an apples & oranges comparison.

not cool and totally unnecessary. the person is moving from out of state, he has no idea about towns in NJ.

[Amus]

Thank you everyone. I am indeed moving from out of state and have only had a chance to see the places for two days. Its pretty hard to get a feel for a place in two days.

I'm thinking it might just be better to rent for a while before buying so that I can become more familiar with NJ and the good v. bad areas. I think my wife might kill me though if we move too many more times.

[aas0242]

Originally Posted by tahiti

not cool and totally unnecessary. the person is moving from out of state, he has no idea about towns in NJ.

I would agree, go with Livingston. Great school system, but the houses are very expensive. Then again, it's almost a give that a wealthy neighborhood normally has the better public school system.

[JerseyGirl08]

Originally Posted by tahiti

if for no other reason than the schools - it's the difference between top notch schools in livingston with mediocre schools in nutley.

oh, and one reason you may not be able to find crime data on livingston is because there's next to none. literally.

I agree the schools are much better in Livingston. Also I think the town itself is a bit nicer. Nutley is not bad but if you are comparing the 2 then Livingston is a better choice.

[marymagda]

has a very hard school system but if your kids are smart and they work hard they will do well. Nutley has a tremendous reputation with colleges. For some reason Nutley kids have extremely good success in college. I think alot of the reason is their very high grading system and a rigorous college prep program. Very disciplined high school with dress codes and strict rules but it is the kind of place where kids thrive. Nutley to me has the better parks, restaurants etc and is more centrally located with being only 12 miles from nyc. I also think it has a nice mix of affluent and middle class which keeps the kids grounded. Very nice community and I made a great decision moving here. All of my children have done very well .

[marymagda]

Just came out last month. Nutley is ranked 38th. Livingston is ranked 137. I rest my case.

[AnesthesiaMD]

Originally Posted by marymagda

Just came out last month. Nutley is ranked 38th. Livingston is ranked 137. I rest my case.

Dont rest your case just yet, next year Livingston will be number 8 and Nutley will be number 175. But then the following year, Nutley will be number 1 and Livingston will be number 435, but then the next year...

It is pretty well accepted that the NJ Monthly list is a joke.

[marymagda]

but Nutley is a very well kept secret. I know both towns well as I have good friends who live in Livingston. Livingston is a nice town but does not offer as much as Nutley. Nutley has a better center of town with good restaurants and plenty to do. I think other things have to be taken into consideration when buying a home. Again Nutley has one of the best Rec programs with over 100 paid employess who take care of all those parks and activities for children right up to senior citizens. School sytems are both good and children will do well at both but I think Nutley having more of a middle class keeps children grounded. Nutley homes hold their value and I feel will go up even more with NYC prices going through the roof. One more thing to take into consideration. Nutley has a reputation for being a very Catholic/Christian town and that can be seen as an plus to some and a minus to others.