Madison vs. Chatham (Summit: house, neighborhood, purchase)

[tallguylehigh]

The thread is pretty simple.

My wife and I are looking to purchase a house in either of these areas. Granted, they are right next to each other, but in my mind that makes the decision more diffidcult.

We are looking at purchasing a 3+ bedroom/2+ bathroom in Madison or Chatham somewhere in the $600k neighborhood.

We really love what downtown Madison has to offer- by comparison downtown Chatham looks like it might need some exterior updating.

My question is, which town would you choose and why? Are the schools in Chatham that much better than the ones in Madison.

Thanks in advance for all of the opinions!

[judithexit]

Originally Posted by tallguylehigh

The thread is pretty simple.

My wife and I are looking to purchase a house in either of these areas. Granted, they are right next to each other, but in my mind that makes the decision more diffidcult.

We are looking at purchasing a 3+ bedroom/2+ bathroom in Madison or Chatham somewhere in the $600k neighborhood.

We really love what downtown Madison has to offer- by comparison downtown Chatham looks like it might need some exterior updating.

My question is, which town would you choose and why? Are the schools in Chatham that much better than the ones in Madison.

Thanks in advance for all of the opinions!

Chathum is very nice town it has nice little shops.
The school system is good there no problems.

[MoorestownResident]

If it were me, I'd be fine with either town and the decision would be based on the specific house, location, price, etc. Madison has a nicer main street area but it also has a bunch of college kids roaming around. Chatham has an easier location to 24/Summit area and traffic along 124 (Main street) coming from Madison to 24 can be a big problem.

[lammius]

These are two VERY nice towns. They have some differences that have been pointed out, but I think you and your family will do very well for yourselves in either. So wherever you feel most comfortable, go! Personally, I feel I'd prefer Madison over Chatham, but that's just because I'm a younger guy and feel there's more "going on" in Madison.

[MPBsr]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

If it were me, I'd be fine with either town and the decision would be based on the specific house, location, price, etc. Madison has a nicer main street area but it also has a bunch of college kids roaming around. Chatham has an easier location to 24/Summit area and traffic along 124 (Main street) coming from Madison to 24 can be a big problem.

Believe me, even though there are 3 colleges in/near Madison, there isn't a bunch of college kids walking around downtown.

Getting to 24 from Madison can take 10 minutes, but that's because the traffic backs up by the 2 lights in Chatham.

Obviously, I would pick Madison over Chatham hands down.

[MoorestownResident]

As someone who drove 124 from Madison to 24 for a year, I can tell you it can take 15-20 minutes to make that trek especially in the summer. The school buses and traffic backs up especially around the Kings supermarket. The cops stop traffic for all of the cross streets. It is ridiculous. Kids are around the convenience stores causing long lines, but they can't afford to be hanging around downtown. I like Madison it is a very nice town.

[MPBsr]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

As someone who drove 124 from Madison to 24 for a year, I can tell you it can take 15-20 minutes to make that trek especially in the summer. The school buses and traffic backs up especially around the Kings supermarket. The cops stop traffic for all of the cross streets. It is ridiculous. Kids are around the convenience stores causing long lines, but they can't afford to be hanging around downtown. I like Madison it is a very nice town.

I worked in Madison for almost 12 years. The traffic is usually worse in Chatham around 3:15 when the schools let out, but even in the worst times, I've never took 15-20 to get through Chatham to 24.