Living in Cranbury (Clark, Princeton, Middlesex: relocating, work, houses)

[vannevka]

This summer, we are relocating to Cranbury from Maryland's eastern shore. Based on a lot of different factors, we have chosen to focus on finding a home in Cranbury. We will be finding a realtor soon to start our home search, but in the meantime I have some questions that I hope some of you might be able to answer.

1) How far is the closest grocery store? I didn't notice any in the downtown area. I love Wegmans and can't wait to be near one again. But when we just need a few items or want a closer grocery store, where do people go?

2) The bus to NYC from the Park and Ride at exit 8a. Does that lot fill up and how crowded are the buses? Is the bus really just an hour most days into/out of the city at rush hour?

3) Summer camps. We have a 6yo and 5yo. Are there good summer day camps in/near town that I should be investigating now?

4) Before/After school care--does the Cranbury School offer these services?

5) Anything in particular we should be aware of when looking for a house? (e.g. parts of town to avoid, etc?)

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[jerseyj]

Hi and welcome to the area!
I don't believe that Cranbury has it's own grocery store but there is a large Shop Rite on Rte. 130 in nearby East Windsor (a very short drive).
Wegmans is in West Windsor (Cranbury Rd to Clarksville to Quakerbridge Rd) about 20 minutes away.
Cranburys' school district is from K-8 and then the kids go to Princeton HS. There is a privately run before and after school program in the Cranbury School auditorium. It offers care M-F from 7-8:30am and 3-6pm.
There are tons of summer camp programs in the area. Mercer Co. has several sports camps but there are many, many summer camp opportunities for kids, both day and sleep away.
Sorry, I can't tell you anything about the Park and Ride.

Cranbury is a pretty small town and I don't think there are any parts of town to avoid, at least I've never seen any. It's pretty cute!
Good luck with your move!

[vannevka]

Thanks for the reply! I'm happy to hear about the on-site daycare at the school. I figured there had to be a grocery store nearby. I'm spoiled right now where I have a corner market across the street from us, can walk to a larger grocery store and have another just 1 mile from our house.

Does Cranbury have any rec department that sponsers summer day camps? How about a YMCA nearby?

Thanks!

[DodgeViper01]

Cranbury is a beautiful town and I am sure you will enjoy the area. There are no areas that are bad that I have seen either. The town is rather small so you will be fine. I just love it out there.

[jerseyj]

Cranbury has a recreation commission that sponsors kids programs-

CRANBURY RECREATION COMMISSION

There are YMCAs in nearby Hightstown, West Windsor, South Brunswick and Princeton.
You might also contact the Middlesex Co. Parks and Rec Department to find other summer programs.

Cranbury also has a swim club, the pool is in town.

There are many organized activities (camps, sports teams etc.) in the immediate area!
Lots for the kids to do but they tend to fill up fast. It would be great for your kids to meet classmates in the summer before school starts so they will already have friends!

[sj3]

Cranbury is a great town. There is tons around, just not in the downtown area. Within miles you have just about all you need. Hamilton Marketplace has a ton of shopping and a high end shopping center is going in right around there. It is a 10-15 minute drive down route 130.
Its a great location and a beautiful town!

[ric109]

I Too May Be Looking To Relocate My Family To Cranbury. We Love The Cranbury Inn ,the Lake And Recreation Park. I Work In Midtown Manhattan And Took The Bus From New York Port Authority To The 8a Park And Ride And It Took 50 Minutes With Very Little Traffic. I Too Am Interested In Finding Out About Parking In The Park And Ride Lot . When I Took The Bus There My Wife Picked Me Up....i Love The Town And Every Now And Then We Stay At The Residence Inn So We Can Explore And Get Familiar With Cranbury.

[lin67]

I live in Cranbury and here is one web site you can find more information about Cranbury: Cranbury (NJ) Info | Forum | Chat Room. in this site, you can find all cranbury houses available on the market.
Shopping: you can find a lot of stores on route 130 in nearby east windsor, which is about 2 miles (5 minutes) from the town. there are also some restaurants and small shops on the main street. it takes about 20 minutes to Freehold shopping mall on route 9 in Freehold township or quakerbridge mall on route 1.
Summer Camp: since Cranbury is a relatively small town (about 3000 residents), you may also want to explore possibilites in nearby west windsor, highstown, south brunswick and etc. The school/town does offer some interesting after-school sports activities. for example, it offers golf lessons for the kids starting from kindergarten.

[vannevka]

Thanks for all the replies. And thank you for listing that forum site, great information.

I wish I knew exactly when we're moving so I could sign the kids up now for some camps. It would be great to meet other kids before school starts.

[gmorales63]

Originally Posted by ric109

I Too May Be Looking To Relocate My Family To Cranbury. We Love The Cranbury Inn ,the Lake And Recreation Park. I Work In Midtown Manhattan And Took The Bus From New York Port Authority To The 8a Park And Ride And It Took 50 Minutes With Very Little Traffic. I Too Am Interested In Finding Out About Parking In The Park And Ride Lot . When I Took The Bus There My Wife Picked Me Up....i Love The Town And Every Now And Then We Stay At The Residence Inn So We Can Explore And Get Familiar With Cranbury.

RIC109,
The link below has some information regarding the Park & Ride on Rt 130 in South Brunswick. I am a Realtor who works in this area. If you are interested in additional info, send me a direct message so we can chat.

http://www.kmm.org/kmm/pdfs/southbrunswick.pdf