Thoughts about Mendham? (Morristown, Madison, Bernardsville: sale, real estate, violent crime)

[gidge216]

I'd like to learn more about Mendham--quality of life, schools, accessibility to shopping, cost, the people, community environment, child-care options, commute to NYC. Can anyone provide some insight on any or all of these aspects--good, bad or otherwise? Many thanks.

[wileynj]

Good choice..beautiful little town. Home to Whitney Houston : )) I'm sure you'll be getting tons of great comments on this area. Commutuing all depends on where you need to commute to.

[HelgaB]

I've been living and working in Chester and Mendham for almost eight years. I wrote about this area in another thread before:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-counties.html
Check the NY Times link about Chester in my post; Mendham is very similar to Chester, but the real estate in Mendham is pricier.
The quality of life is excellent (IMHO) - no pollution, no violent crime, superb schools, very nice and intelligent people (although I think people in Chester are nicer than in Mendham), outstanding childcare. If you are lucky, you can enroll your child in the local Montessori school - they are perfect for the early child development. Both Chester and Mendham are very family-oriented towns.
Because of all these advantages, the real estate prices here are high; over the past 6 months, the median sale price of a 4 bedroom house in Chester twp. was $750,000, and in Mendham twp. $995,000. However, the price-to-value ratios in both Chester and Mendham are unbeatable compared to other NJ towns.

Not sure if I answered all your questions; feel free to contact me with more questions via PM or e-mail (HelgaNJ at gmail dot com).

[gidge216]

Thanks. I guess I'm also trying to nail down the snob factor. I would very much be turned off by a community that was overly snobby. Also, do you have any idea how many mothers work or are a majority stay-at-home? Not making a judgement call either way, it's just that I am a working mom who would probably feel more comfortable knowing there were others like me around, juggling the same things I juggle.
I commute to midtown, btw.
Many thanks for your input.

[KJGG10]

Hi,

I've lived in Mendham about 7 years. There is a BIT of a snob factor, especially among women. There can be - at times - a bit of judgmental stuff about the house you live in or the car you drive or the clothes you wear. Some of the women are catty and competitive, but I have also met some really fabulous, fun women who are very down to earth and centered and don't play the "have/have not" game. IT's like any other town - you just have to try to seek out people who you feel comfortable with.

I have 2 young children in the school system and work part time and based on my experience I would say the majority of women are stay at home mothers. I don't have statistics; that is purely anecdotal based on my experience, though I also know a few families where the mother is the primary breadwinner and the father stays home.

Overall, we enjoy living there. It is a lovely community, the schools are top notch and there is lots to do if you enjoy hiking, bicycling and other outdoor activities. I think the town is lacking some in terms of retail and dining, but you can drive to nearby towns (Chester, Madison, Morristown) for more of that.

As for the commute, I would count on at least an hour and a half to get into midtown NYC at rush hour. I hope that helps.

[rararararara]

nice town, i've lived there my whole life. the schools are great...i got a great education at the mendham twp public schools and west morris mendham high school. boro schools are good too. i walk my dog around my neighborhood at 11pm at night alone. i'm a 19 yr old girl and i've never felt threatened. good place to raise your children

[STrapani1105]

Originally Posted by gidge216

Thanks. I guess I'm also trying to nail down the snob factor. I would very much be turned off by a community that was overly snobby. Also, do you have any idea how many mothers work or are a majority stay-at-home? Not making a judgement call either way, it's just that I am a working mom who would probably feel more comfortable knowing there were others like me around, juggling the same things I juggle.
I commute to midtown, btw.
Many thanks for your input.

anyone else's opinion on the "snob factor" is probably erroneous unless they have actually live in mendham and are part of the school systems, like my family is. there are snobs in Mendham, but you won't be dealing with them if you send your children to public schools. all the snobs send there kids to private schools like Delbarton, Gill St. Bernard's, and Mo-Beard. I would say Gill St. Bernard's has the most snobs. I attended that school for elementary and 5th and 6th grades, and I do not have nice things to say about that school.


Anyways, I think you will like Mendham. The only reason why I don't really favor Mendham is because I'm young and young people like me like more urban places. But if you're over 30 and you have a husband and kids, you'll love it here. Despite some negative things I say about Mendham in other threads, it is a great place to live if you like a safe life. No one locks there doors here. When I was younger and my neighbor's went away on vacation, I would live in there house while they were gone... haha, I was trouble back then.


Mendham is a very safe and pleasant place to live. No crime, so unfortunately the cops have nothing better to do than pull you over and write you tickets. Some roads in Mendham township are narrow, winding, and have low visibility. It's insane during the morning when you're trying to go to work and you constantly have to slow down for large vehicles like school buses, landscaping trucks, garbage trucks, big moving vans, etc. Stay away as much as you can from Pleasnt Valley Road in Mendham Township, and Cherry Lane in Mendham Borough. Those are probably the two worst roads. Other than that the roads are safe and well-maintained here in Mendham.

Many mothers in mendham go into work every morning. It's the only way they can afford to live here. That was the case in my family. There are a few stay-at-home moms, but the number is slowly decreasing. In this day in age and with this economy, it is virtually impossible to support a family on one income. Unless your husband is some kind of a corporate executive, in that case your children would probably attend Gill St. Bernard's, not the Mendham public schools. The elementary and middle schools are not as good as they were a few years ago. Mendham high school, where I currently attend, is the 3rd best high school in morris county.

A commute to midtown might be rough. it takes a good 15 minutes just to get out of mendham. there is no direct highway access from Mendham. you're probably going to want to take 287 to get to NY. you can get on 287 from Morristown or Bernardsville, or Harter Road in Harding. then from 287 north you could take 24 down to 78, then the turnpike north to the Lincoln Tunnel in order to get to Midtown. I'm not sure how you'd want to get there, since I never drive into the city, I always take the train in.

Overall, mendham is a great place to life. If you like small, nice,quaint towns, you'll love it. Most people do. Life here is very slowand this town is VERY boring... boring but beautiful. Especially inAutumn. The downtown (if you can even call it that) is beautiful, Hilltop Presbyterian Church is beautiful, the rolling hills of Mendham are absolutely beautiful. It's a great place to live if you're the right type of person. I realize the beauty of Mendham, I just wish I was at an appropriate age to enjoy it. Being 17 and all, I have this desire just to live a more fast-paced and more exciting lifestyle, which unfortunately does not exist here in mendham. it's ok though, I hope you're able to enjoy it. Mendham is also very welcoming to newcomers in the community, we're not exclusive.

By the way... Whitney Houston doesn't live here anymore. The bank forclosed on her house a couple years ago. She lives down in Atlanta i think. Or well, she used to. Something is up with her and Bobby. They might have split up, but I don't know since I don't pay attention to celebrity gossip and stuff.

[STrapani1105]

Originally Posted by STrapani1105

anyone else's opinion on the "snob factor" is probably erroneous unless they have actually live in mendham and are part of the school systems, like my family is. there are snobs in Mendham, but you won't be dealing with them if you send your children to public schools. all the snobs send there kids to private schools like Delbarton, Gill St. Bernard's, and Mo-Beard. I would say Gill St. Bernard's has the most snobs. I attended that school for elementary and 5th and 6th grades, and I do not have nice things to say about that school.

Anyways, I think you will like Mendham. The only reason why I don't really favor Mendham is because I'm young and young people like me like more urban places. But if you're over 30 and you have a husband and kids, you'll love it here. Despite some negative things I say about Mendham in other threads, it is a great place to live if you like a safe life. No one locks there doors here. When I was younger and my neighbor's went away on vacation, I would live in there house while they were gone... haha, I was trouble back then.


Mendham is a very safe and pleasant place to live. No crime, so unfortunately the cops have nothing better to do than pull you over and write you tickets. Some roads in Mendham township are narrow, winding, and have low visibility. It's insane during the morning when you're trying to go to work and you constantly have to slow down for large vehicles like school buses, landscaping trucks, garbage trucks, big moving vans, etc. Stay away as much as you can from Pleasnt Valley Road in Mendham Township, and Cherry Lane in Mendham Borough. Those are probably the two worst roads. Other than that the roads are safe and well-maintained here in Mendham.

Many mothers in mendham go into work every morning. It's the only way they can afford to live here. That was the case in my family. There are a few stay-at-home moms, but the number is slowly decreasing. In this day in age and with this economy, it is virtually impossible to support a family on one income. Unless your husband is some kind of a corporate executive, in that case your children would probably attend Gill St. Bernard's, not the Mendham public schools. The elementary and middle schools are not as good as they were a few years ago. Mendham high school, where I currently attend, is the 3rd best high school in morris county.

A commute to midtown might be rough. it takes a good 15 minutes just to get out of mendham. there is no direct highway access from Mendham. you're probably going to want to take 287 to get to NY. you can get on 287 from Morristown or Bernardsville, or Harter Road in Harding. then from 287 north you could take 24 down to 78, then the turnpike north to the Lincoln Tunnel in order to get to Midtown. I'm not sure how you'd want to get there, since I never drive into the city, I always take the train in.

Overall, mendham is a great place to life. If you like small, nice,quaint towns, you'll love it. Most people do. Life here is very slowand this town is VERY boring... boring but beautiful. Especially inAutumn. The downtown (if you can even call it that) is beautiful, Hilltop Presbyterian Church is beautiful, the rolling hills of Mendham are absolutely beautiful. It's a great place to live if you're the right type of person. I realize the beauty of Mendham, I just wish I was at an appropriate age to enjoy it. Being 17 and all, I have this desire just to live a more fast-paced and more exciting lifestyle, which unfortunately does not exist here in mendham. it's ok though, I hope you're able to enjoy it. Mendham is also very welcoming to newcomers in the community, we're not exclusive.

By the way... Whitney Houston doesn't live here anymore. The bank forclosed on her house a couple years ago. She lives down in Atlanta i think. Or well, she used to. Something is up with her and Bobby. They might have split up, but I don't know since I don't pay attention to celebrity gossip and stuff.

no positive ratings? come on! this was a good post

[clevedark]

Yes it was a good post! But I'm still trying to figure out whether you posted from school or not (smiley face).