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Having spent the last 13 years in Jersey City, which we love, it's now time for our family to move on to our next home... we have a young child about to be preschool age and want to move to a town where we can put down roots, get to know our neighbors, where the schools are safe and good quality. We fell in love with Maplewood -- the people, the community feeling, the housing stock, the walkable downtown, the easy commute, and the school system. But we simply can't afford it. South Orange is also mostly out of reach and doesn't seem safe enough for our tastes.
So, what other charming NJ towns are commutable to NYC, with a walkable downtown, nice housing stock (not split levels and ranches), safe, and have a community feeling?
We have looked at Metuchen (probably too far), Rutherford (maybe), Montclair (expensive), Glen Ridge (expensive), Cranford (possible), West Orange (schools seem iffy).
Just watch out for flood zones. They're mostly on the north side by the lake and on the south side adjacent to the river. Check the FEMA maps before you look at anything.
For what it's worth, between the parts of South Orange/Maplewood the parts that are 'worst' are in Maplewood - and they're also not 'bad'. So whoever is providing you with safety information may be a little off. I know people that live in all of the areas that we were initially told were 'bad' or that you thought were 'bad' because they bordered Newark or Irvington (the reality is that the parts of these cities that border SO/Ma are the nicer areas of those cities). The people moving to those areas are the same people that left Brooklyn/Manhattan/Jersey City and Hoboken as everyone else moving here, they just couldn't afford an $800K home near the train in Maplewood or a mansion in Montrose. I wouldn't discount those areas, which I'd have to guess is what you've been doing.
Maplewood does have some better name recognition in the past few years, and the downtown is more quaint, but there's very little practical difference in living in one versus the other. The high school is on the border between the two and acts as the center of the community. Pretty much every community group is inclusive between the two towns.
For all practical purposes 'safety' around here is just some practical common sense things like if you keep your car or doors locked and you chance of someone having gone through them goes down to about 0%. For whatever reason, there are still plenty of people that like to not lock their cars or doors and I can't explain that! This isn't anything that's going to be different in any close suburban area that you could conceivably end up in.
If you have any specific questions about the area feel free to shoot me a message.
Maplewood and South Orange are pretty much indistinguishable. They share a school district and are often referred to as one unit (MapSO or SoMa). People move between the two towns all the time. Often you can't even tell which town you're in without checking the streetlights (South Orange still has gas streetlights). It really isn't logical to consider Maplewood or Montclair and rule out South Orange.
I’m half of a childless couple and we loved living in South Orange - however I think your opinion is valid given that you have a child. The corner of the town that borders Maplewood is lovely; but if you’re in the center of town and drive 2 minutes east/northeast, you’re in East Orange/Irvington - very seedy. As a commuter I loved SO’s downtown, however in the summer, you’ll find that it becomes a hangout spot for crowds from neighboring towns - not ideal.
When we were moving, our ideal towns were also Maplewood and Glen Ridge - love the vibe, but too expensive. We ended up in a new townhome development in Wood Ridge (at Wesmont Station) but I would not have picked this town if we had children to put into school.
I grew up in Essex County - in Cedar Grove, a neighborhood that was walking distance to Upper Montclair. That’s probably where I would like to wind up again and maybe is an option for you.
I live in West Orange and I can tell you home prices here are skyrocketing because of people getting priced out of Maplewood, South Orange, and Montclair. People can't afford those towns so they are moving to West Orange. You benefit from the same geographic area with slightly cheaper home prices.
I grew up in Essex County - in Cedar Grove, a neighborhood that was walking distance to Upper Montclair. That’s probably where I would like to wind up again and maybe is an option for you.
I looked in Cedar Grove about 10 years ago. The issue I had is that home prices there are very high given the lack of amenities in town and an average school district.
I looked in Cedar Grove about 10 years ago. The issue I had is that home prices there are very high given the lack of amenities in town and an average school district.
I'm admittedly somewhat biased, because of my history with the town.
It doesn't have the charming downtown that Maplewood, Glen Ridge, Ridgewood have - that would be my one gripe. But you're close enough to Upper Montclair that if you're looking for that, Church Street is a 5 minute drive away. Another perk of being so close to Montclair is that there are more NJ Transit stations in that town than any other I can think of - so it's desirable for a accessibility to NY.
The one great "amenity" I can think of is the community pool - it was overhauled maybe a decade ago, and was a great spot to spend summer breaks as a kid.
Average school district, but the town puts a lot of grooming effort into the school fields and parks. My graduating class of high school was less than 100 - I enjoyed the "tight knit" experience, I would not want to send my child to a regional school where they are one of 1,500.
I have similar opinion on the cluster of towns in that part of Essex County - Cedar Grove, Verona, Caldwell, West Caldwell - they don't have the charming downtown, but they are safe, well-kept, close knit communities. If you live there and you're wanting to spend leisurely time somewhere more urban - you're between Montclair and Morristown for a day/night out. If/when we do have children, those 4 towns will probably be my search area. Less expensive than Maplewood, Millburn (southern Essex) and Ridgewood, Franklin Lakes (northern Bergen) but definitely a nicer place to live than southern Bergen or mid Essex counties (in my opinion).
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