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.
Are there many middle-class people in Franklin Lakes? I have seen some homes there with much lower taxes than other areas of Bergen County which seems odd. I thought it was all mansions and housewives of New Jersey types. Why are the taxes so much lower compare to Oradell, Rivervale etc.? I never even thought to look there but it seems like you can get a newer nicer home at a better price? Am I missing something?
Taxes are lower as a percentage of the house value, but the average house in Franklin Lakes is worth far more than the average house in Oradell or Rivervale, so the FL resident likely has higher tax bill in absolute numbers. Saddle River and Alpine have even a lower tax rate than Franklin Lakes, but even more highly valued homes.
Franklin Lakes is an upper class town in general, but its large enough that you will find middle class people there.
Are there many middle-class people in Franklin Lakes? I have seen some homes there with much lower taxes than other areas of Bergen County which seems odd. I thought it was all mansions and housewives of New Jersey types. Why are the taxes so much lower compare to Oradell, Rivervale etc.? I never even thought to look there but it seems like you can get a newer nicer home at a better price? Am I missing something?
This makes me feel so sad that this is some people's image of what was always a beautiful town.
Things change, and you can't help that, but Franklin Lakes was always a gracious, semi-rural town that was developed relatively nicely, despite some McMansion building. It retained many of its features and aura from its roots as a small farming community 60 years ago. Even the wealthier people who began to move in were not snobs or materialistic types. People moved in who wanted the space, some had horses, etc.
To think that people now associate Franklin Lakes with some stupid ****ing reality show is just sad.
This makes me feel so sad that this is some people's image of what was always a beautiful town.
Things change, and you can't help that, but Franklin Lakes was always a gracious, semi-rural town that was developed relatively nicely, despite some McMansion building. It retained many of its features and aura from its roots as a small farming community 60 years ago. Even the wealthier people who began to move in were not snobs or materialistic types. People moved in who wanted the space, some had horses, etc.
To think that people now associate Franklin Lakes with some stupid ****ing reality show is just sad.
It's not the Housewives show that changed the image of Franklin Lakes. The actual town changed because the housing stock changed. And it happened way before the show. The show could be seen as a result of the change
Due to the generous lot sizes and the flatness of the lots, it became Big House Central for rebuilds and every piece of open space was also subdivided and built on. And with that, the vibe really did change. I'm not saying, bad or good, just change.
It's still a nice town to live in, it's just not the same town you describe.
I know exactly what you are talking about, I grew up in that area too. It's not like that anymore, trust me, but it's not because of RHONJ
^OK, thanks. I have not really been in Franklin Lakes in the last decade or two, just through it (or to go with my mother to Market Basket, lol.) I don't think I know anyone anymore who lives there.
Every place changes--my hometown of Midland Park is very different from what it once was, too.
^OK, thanks. I have not really been in Franklin Lakes in the last decade or two, just through it (or to go with my mother to Market Basket, lol.) I don't think I know anyone anymore who lives there.
Every place changes--my hometown of Midland Park is very different from what it once was, too.
Yes, all of the towns up in that area changed a lot in the past twenty years or so, for better or for worse, we don't know!
Yes, all of the towns up in that area changed a lot in the past twenty years or so, for better or for worse, we don't know!
From where I sit, it was for worse, but times are different now. I grew up with woods around me and a pond in the woods down the street in Wyckoff where we caught frogs and turtles. The pond is long filled in, the trees mowed down, the creeks now run through concrete drainpipes, and big boxy houses were built where it used to be.
Was pretty much worse for the wildlife whose home it was, but I guess we could say that about anywhere that any of us live.
In spite of the changes, I did move back there to raise my daughter because the schools were good enough, my mom was there for "daycare", and the small-town atmosphere made for a nice community network in which to raise a child.
I really couldn't afford it well, though, as a single parent, so when she graduated I bailed to Monmouth County.
From where I sit, it was for worse, but times are different now. I grew up with woods around me and a pond in the woods down the street in Wyckoff where we caught frogs and turtles. The pond is long filled in, the trees mowed down, the creeks now run through concrete drainpipes, and big boxy houses were built where it used to be.
Was pretty much worse for the wildlife whose home it was, but I guess we could say that about anywhere that any of us live.
In spite of the changes, I did move back there to raise my daughter because the schools were good enough, my mom was there for "daycare", and the small-town atmosphere made for a nice community network in which to raise a child.
I really couldn't afford it well, though, as a single parent, so when she graduated I bailed to Monmouth County.
I think it's for the worse too. I didn't grow up in Franklin Lakes but an adjacent town where the same thing happened. Just lost all of its rural character.
I think you have to go up to Upper Passaic and parts of Morris to get that type of area now
I think it's for the worse too. I didn't grow up in Franklin Lakes but an adjacent town where the same thing happened. Just lost all of its rural character.
I think you have to go up to Upper Passaic and parts of Morris to get that type of area now
When I was a kid and learning how to write, I would send letters to my same-age cousin in Mahwah (lol about four miles away from me). Her address was an RFD#.
Every spring the farmers across the street would spread pig manure on the fields, and man, did that stink!
Another cousin still lives there in my aunt's old house, but the farm is gone. Its condos now.
That happened everywhere in NJ. I now live in Monmouth County, and I know an 84-year-old lady who lived all her life in nearby Eatontown and remembers this area as much different.
It would be silly to expect that change isn't going to happen, but it seems there wasn't a lot of thought put into how traffic would be affected, or how the loss of trees and streams and ponds and green areas would negatively impact an area. Monmouth County has an excellent park system, so I think they did put a little more thought into such things compared to Bergen County.
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.
