Diverse Area Good Schools Northern NJ??? biracial children? (West Orange, Montclair: house, to buy)
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Any recommendations on diverse towns with good schools near northern NJ? My husband is now working in Ramsey and wants to move to Mahwah due to low taxes...but We have 2 biracial girls and I was hoping to have a town with a higher percentage of African Americans. Our max budget is only $450k and wish to have taxes below 12k.
Diverse towns are a sore subject here as of late. Seems that South Orange, Maplewood, and Montclair are the towns most commonly suggested for diversity, but it may not be within your budget. West Orange may work for you.
The trouble is that these towns will never become diverse if no one will be one of the first to move to places that don't already have other black families.
Mahwah does have some diversity because it's got the Ramapough people. And 40 years ago, I knew a guy who lived in Mahwah and was white but had a black sister. His parents were from Holland, and so didn't have the racist issues that people in the U.S. and other places do. They wanted to buy the house in Mahwah and the previous owners were upset because they had to move out of state and could not take the little black girl with them that they'd been fostering. So my friend's parents bought the house and arranged to keep the little girl there and eventually legally adopted her.
As a multi ethnic family ourselves, I can relate. If acceptance of your family is the main concern, I wouldn't worry about it. NJ is a very open-minded and accepting state for the most part. I have yet to be in a town where anyone cares what your background is. Most suburban towns are going to be far less diverse than cities. That's just the way it is, so you'll have to get over that. But some are more diverse than others. I'd really look to South Bergen and the nearby Essex County towns for the most suburban diversity. Your greater challenge is that you want good schools and low taxes. Good luck searching for that unicorn in NJ.
How about Morristown? There is some housing stock at that price, but if you could swing $50k more, it'll be easier. 30 minute drive north on I-287 to Mahwah and Ramsey.
West Orange would be your best bet but the commute to Ramsey would be a bit a pain. It wouldn't be awful tho. Another option could be Fair Lawn it's basically on the border between northern and southern Bergen counties. Excellent schools and it's definitely getting more diverse than it was.
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