Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband would be retired by then anyway so commuting wouldn't be an issue. It's just that all our kids live on the island and I don't want to be too far into NJ that it would be a long drive to visit them, or vice versa. Living near former Islanders wasn't a priority. I think they all just mentioned that because that's the way it is in those towns. It's something I'd have in common with neighbors at least, but I like New Jersey people too. If you have any other area's to suggest I'd like to hear them too. I'm just looking for a family friendly neighborhood, enough property for an inground pool and a barbecue, low crime, and within a hour or so drive back to SI.
Mets.. I'm so glad you brought up Cheesequake State park. I've been there many a time and now at least I have an idea visually where Old Bridge is and it's not what I consider a far drive, and we usually go there during prime tourist season when traffic is at it's worst and it's not a bad drive from here. I checked the maps for the other area's you mentioned and they're all fairly close to SI too so at least I have an idea of where those towns in relation to Old Bridge.. not that i'll necessarily move to Old Bridge but it helps me visualize where the other towns are.
All of the towns mentioned seemed to be within an hours drive of SI and that's something we were looking for. Thanks to all your suggestions I now have a place to start looking. Before I was just looking at a map, picking locations and trying to find info on those areas, and I hesitated to contact a RE agent with just a random idea of where to look.
I went with places nearby to major arteries so if you're going non rush hour it would be around an hour; Hylan Blvd or the SI Xpress way kill any of these places for traffic anyway, something to keep in mind.
Pick out the towns you like and find a realtor in each, usually bordering towns you can use the same person, but I'd have one for Old Bridge/Matawan, one for Middletown, Red Bank area, etc....and best of luck- trust me once you make the move you'll wonder why you didn't sooner....
Aberdeen and Hazlet are very close and both are right by exit 117 on the parkway. It's a very easy trip to SI from here. The same person still cuts my hair as when I lived in Brooklyn but now I go to her house just over the Outerbridge. It isn't a bad drive at all. Just to give you an idea of the area, and it isn't exact, just general. Aberdeen is right near exit 117, then Keyport (nice town but I don't think you'll find the room/atmosphere you're looking for), Hazlet, then Middletown. Keep going and you'll pass through Atlantic Highlands - all sort of in a row going down Rte 36. Middletown is very big and has different sections. You should come on a nice weekend day and drive around. Keep going down 36 and have lunch by the water in The Highlands. Or look around Middletown and head into Red Bank for lunch. I might do that before talking to a RE agent, just so you get a little look before they start making suggestions.
What I love best about this particular area is the access to so many different things. Huge parks, walking trails, bike trails, the beach is just 20 minutes away. Keyport's waterfront, Highlands and Atlantic Highlands are great little waterfront towns. Red Bank is fun. All the shopping you need really close. It's just a fun, convenient place to live and there is always something to do. And not too bad if you have to get into the city.
Pick out the towns you like and find a realtor in each, usually bordering towns you can use the same person, but I'd have one for Old Bridge/Matawan, one for Middletown, Red Bank area, etc....and best of luck- trust me once you make the move you'll wonder why you didn't sooner....
Great suggestion. They really are different areas.
Great suggestion. They really are different areas.
ty. Liked your suggestion of along 36- Atlantic Highlands is a great town. Just need to watch flood zones, but some Great places to eat and one of if not the best bakery in the state.
Mets.. I'm so glad you brought up Cheesequake State park. I've been there many a time and now at least I have an idea visually where Old Bridge is and it's not what I consider a far drive, and we usually go there during prime tourist season when traffic is at it's worst and it's not a bad drive from here. I checked the maps for the other area's you mentioned and they're all fairly close to SI too so at least I have an idea of where those towns in relation to Old Bridge.. not that i'll necessarily move to Old Bridge but it helps me visualize where the other towns are.
If you like Cheesequake also check out Thompson Park, Dorbrook, & Deep cut Gardens...really nice parks as well.
You can't survive on the island without a car and stores are just closing down here left and right. There used to be 2 major food chains, Waldbaums and Pathmark within a mile of my house where I did my grocery shopping, but they both went under. I have no place to get groceries except to fight my way on Richmond ave and use those stores and I"m coming from Pleasant Plains so it's not like it's a 5 minute trip. There's plans in the works to build another strip mall around the Target/Home Depot area.. like we need another freakin' strip mall and the traffic that it will bring. More shoe and clothing stores, just what we need.
I'm used to Jersey too. We vacation there every year, and shop there.
Have you heard about 'the Wheel"? They're building a giant Ferris Wheel and a strip mall that was supposed to be filled with high end stores in St. George near the ferry. The assumption is that tourists visiting the city will hop on the ferry and make SI one of their tourist visits. yeah, I can so not see that happening...
I don't mean to burst your bubble, but NJ is probably one of the worst possible places to retire to in the country when viewing things from a financial perspective. If you think 5k a year in taxes in steep, you've got another thing coming. SI yes does have a high cost of living, and taxes there are steep as well, but some of the towns your looking at could easily run you more than that. The northeast is synonymous with "live to work", "hustle", and "get your ass in gear", not "retirement" (the complete opposite of working).
Expression being the better part of valor, happiness is subjective and I do think you can make this work if you wanted it to. My personal suggestion would be moving a little bit further away from the Manalapan/Old Bridge/Central Jersey area, and more into what is known as "south jersey". I don't mean the million dollar properties on the shore. Something more inland. With still reasonably short commute to Staten island, cheaper properties, more space, and lower taxes, and perhaps a less competitive community and something more bucolic. This will also have good access to the beach towns in summer as far driving over there.
yeah, I know NJ isn't the best place to retire to, but it's the closest place to SI and it's not as congested in some areas and there's more housing choices in what I'm looking for in a home.
I know property tax is higher there and I expect to pay more there than I do here. I'd like to keep it low as possible though because then we'd have more money left over for fun stuff. My husband has visions of becoming a snowbird and renting a place in Fla for the winter months. But he won't fly there.
I don't want too much property, just enough to comfortably put in an inground pool. I saw a listing for a house that was on an acre and that was just too much land for us.
I just spoke to my SI RE agent and she's going to contact one of her RE friends and she'll be sending me listings in the NJ areas that everyone here has mentioned. From there I can check on property taxes, and get info about the areas.
She did say that I should concentrate on area's that are already built up and have schools. She was telling me that the more they build up an area, the more schools are needed and that's when the property taxes rise.
We'll see what her friend sends me..
I'm sure you can expect more questions from me when I do get these listings. LOL
I'm sorry, she said that you should concentrate on places already built up, with much school infrastructure, and high property tax?
I thought you have no kids in school and are avoiding property taxes. That was why I suggested something a little further south, a little further inland. It would be less built up, and have lower taxes as you have no kids in school, and you would likely find the ranch house you'd want. The more built up areas closer to SI are more likely to contain the townhouses, rental properties, and elements of urbanity you don't want.
This will all come down to money. If you got enough of it, you don't care. You could retire to Hoboken, NJ and own a (brownstone) townhouse if you want=)
I'm sorry, she said that you should concentrate on places already built up, with much school infrastructure, and high property tax?
I thought you have no kids in school and are avoiding property taxes. That was why I suggested something a little further south, a little further inland. It would be less built up, and have lower taxes as you have no kids in school, and you would likely find the ranch house you'd want. The more built up areas closer to SI are more likely to contain the townhouses, rental properties, and elements of urbanity you don't want.
This will all come down to money. If you got enough of it, you don't care. You could retire to Hoboken, NJ and own a (brownstone) townhouse if you want=)
oh don't confuse me tommy. This is confusing enough as it is. She pretty much said that if an area is established and can't be built up anymore that the schools will already be there so there wouldn't be a need to build more schools and then the taxes probably won't go up more than they already are. I don't really need a school but if they build one then my taxes will go up and thats something I'd like to avoid . I'm just going by what she said. I don't know anything about this stuff.
I'd like to keep the home cost reasonable and the taxes low too, well, as low as they reasonably can be for NJ.
Good job cherry picking one town I mentioned, that really refutes everything. No refuting the superfund site or the drag racing track?
I get it you like Old Bridge. I think if you spoke to most people they would pick any of the towns I mentioned over Old Bridge, but to each his own, only trying to offer the OP objective advice. Take it for what it's worth- free advice on a message board.....
-I didn't say I liked it or disliked it. I simply pointed out another in a litany of factually incorrect statements you made.
-I didn't cherry pick - in that post I chose to focus on one of the inaccurate statements you made. In an earlier post on this thread, I pointed out additional false information you disseminated (about which towns had more open space)
Opinions are fine and dandy but if they're backed up by false information, that's an issue IMHO.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you have any other area's to suggest I'd like to hear them too. I'm just looking for a family friendly neighborhood, enough property for an inground pool and a barbecue, low crime, and within a hour or so drive back to SI. 
But he won't fly there. 
