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I think you should look west of Morristown, like Stanhope, Succasunna, Hackettstown area. You also might like the Hampton, Glen Gardner, Washington (07882) area. There are options for you - they will have a bit of a drive - but they are nice areas out of the craziness of central/north NJ so you might actually enjoy it better.
I think you should look west of Morristown, like Stanhope, Succasunna, Hackettstown area. You also might like the Hampton, Glen Gardner, Washington (07882) area. There are options for you - they will have a bit of a drive - but they are nice areas out of the craziness of central/north NJ so you might actually enjoy it better.
Train go from hackettstown to Morristown limited schedule but still
Until your wife finds a job, definitely look to rent, as that will factor into things, and also give you time to get to know towns. With her field of higher education, the most likely places she could find a job are probably Rutgers-New Brunswick/Piscataway, Seton Hall (South Orange), FDU (Madison and also Teaneck), Rutgers Newark, NJIT (Newark), Stevens Tech (Hoboken), Kean (Union), and Montclair State. There are also community colleges and some other smaller colleges in North Jersey. Near Morristown, both Centenary (Hackettstown) and Drew University (Madison) have had some struggles with enrollment in recent years. And depending on what field you are in, being able to commute to NYC/Newark/Jersey City could be something to think about for down the road.
The job in Morristown is less about future career growth, and more about getting away from a dead-end boring job in Plattsburgh. I also want to get the hell out of Plattsburgh; it's a very depressing place (all of northern NY is), and the winter is far too long. Sure the cost of living in NJ is significantly higher, but you also "get more" for your money.
West of Morristown was my initial thought, especially if avoiding 287 is a good idea. Would the traffic still be bad, since you are driving towards NYC like everyone else?
My wife also was considering Princeton, which could weigh in to a west vs south of Morristown decision.
For the work required on a house, I should have clarified better. I have no problem purchasing a house that needs some work, and I'm fairly handy. I just don't want a fix-er-upper that needs significant remodeling. Mainly because I don't expect to have enough free time to work on it constantly. Quite honestly I don't know what we could afford. My wife and I would have a pretax combined income of about $145,000.
Thank you all for the help so far, the information has been very helpful.
The job in Morristown is less about future career growth, and more about getting away from a dead-end boring job in Plattsburgh. I also want to get the hell out of Plattsburgh; it's a very depressing place (all of northern NY is), and the winter is far too long. Sure the cost of living in NJ is significantly higher, but you also "get more" for your money.
West of Morristown was my initial thought, especially if avoiding 287 is a good idea. Would the traffic still be bad, since you are driving towards NYC like everyone else?
My wife also was considering Princeton, which could weigh in to a west vs south of Morristown decision.
For the work required on a house, I should have clarified better. I have no problem purchasing a house that needs some work, and I'm fairly handy. I just don't want a fix-er-upper that needs significant remodeling. Mainly because I don't expect to have enough free time to work on it constantly. Quite honestly I don't know what we could afford. My wife and I would have a pretax combined income of about $145,000.
Thank you all for the help so far, the information has been very helpful.
287 north of Morristown is not bad traffic wise. I believe south is a different story. Route 80 West of Parsippany is notoriously bad traffic wise. I believe there would be some alternative routes depending on where exactly you end up.
You could also look into the Butler/Bloomingdale area if your wife ends up working somewhere north of Morristown.
I've commuted to Morristown from Warren County for the past 22 years. For 10 years I did it from Independence Twp. (just west of Hackettstown) and for the last 12 years from Oxford. It was far worse from Independence driving Route 80E and 287S then it is from Oxford driving Route 78E and 287N.
The time you commute is key as well. I leave my house just after 6:00 in the morning and get out of work at 3:30. Most of the time it takes me 50 minutes (the drive is about 47 miles). Of course, if there is an accident or it's the sun glare time of the year. Honestly, the longest part (time wise) of my commute is Route 31 getting to and from Route 78.
We've narrowed down our search, and have really been focusing on Hopatcong, Dover, Rockway, Wharton, and Mine Hill. The homes seem to be very reasonably priced, they're very close to Morristown, and the proximity to the state park and lake seem like a big perk. Is there some reason to avoid this area?
We've narrowed down our search, and have really been focusing on Hopatcong, Dover, Rockway, Wharton, and Mine Hill. The homes seem to be very reasonably priced, they're very close to Morristown, and the proximity to the state park and lake seem like a big perk. Is there some reason to avoid this area?
No, this area is great for what you need. I would remove Dover from your list and keep the rest. Maybe add Succasunna.
Just forget Dover, unless you are from central America. Morristown is a great town to work in.
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