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Hello all I thank you in advance any and all help. I recently found a home, and have a deep interest in the home itself and am trying to learn as much as possible about the area. The area is hazlet New Jersey around route 36 and s laurel liberty place. I’ve researched the schools they seem great but was wondering how people have experienced that area of New Jersey, wether it’s a good place to raise a family or not being we have two young children.
Hello all I thank you in advance any and all help. I recently found a home, and have a deep interest in the home itself and am trying to learn as much as possible about the area. The area is hazlet New Jersey around route 36 and s laurel liberty place. I’ve researched the schools they seem great but was wondering how people have experienced that area of New Jersey, wether it’s a good place to raise a family or not being we have two young children.
Thank you!!
I didn't raise a family here (moved to eastern Monmouth County after my own kid was grown), and I don't know about the specific area of Hazlet you mention, but the area in general is a great place to raise children. There are tons of activities, through each community, of course, but also through the excellent Monmouth County park system.
Of course, there's the biggest draw--the close proximity to the ocean and beaches year round. There is always something going on.
I think half of Staten Island has moved to the area in the past 20-30 years, lol. The bad part, because of that, is that when you go back to SI to visit relatives for holidays, understand that unless you plan your traveling carefully, you'll be sitting in line for the Outerbridge Crossing for a long time.
Calling the schools in Hazlet "great" might be a stretch. Maybe great compared to Richmond County, New York. They're solid and fine, though just like 85 percent of schools in the state.
You should know this is going on in that exact area you're looking in. This story is about http://https://patch.com/new-jersey/...holmdel-letter about the building of a gas regulator station that was denied in Holmdel. They are now proposing to build it in Hazlet, about a block from Liberty Place.
I'll go through the negatives first. We moved here from NYC about 10 years ago. It's fine, but I wish we had moved somewhere else. The schools are fine. Way, way better than NYC, but far from 'the best'. They have the schools split in a way that means that between Kindergarten and HS your kids will be in 5 different schools. They are in each for such a short time that there is just no sense of community in the schools. The schools are well funded, so there are opportunities there, but the rate of kids going to college after high school and the SAT scores are lower than surrounding towns.
The town itself is pretty clean and it's very safe. The police are awesome, and unlike NYC there are enough of them to actually prevent crime. They are well trained, dedicated and top-notch. But there is nothing to do here, nothing going on. Other towns have community centers, community days, etc. Hazlet has nothing, even though the taxes are the same or more than the surrounding towns. On the plus side, you can do things in the other towns. The leadership here is just not good, and the people who were born and raised here will vote only for others who were born and raised here.
Another negative is that there is a ton of building going on and you will not be escaping the traffic of Staten Island for very long. On route 36 not too far from you (on Seagate) they will be building an apartment building with 172 units, and they have plans for possibly 100+ more across on the other side of Route 36. The township claims this will not affect taxes, but this of course cannot be true. So whatever the taxes are now at the house you are looking at, they will go up every year. Just be prepared for that. The township reassesses home values each year, so even if they don't increase the tax rate they will increase your home value. Class sizes are 25 usually, which is not a bad ratio.
Holdmel is also putting 110 apartments on their border with Hazlet. 50 will be down the block from where you're looking on Laurel and Middle. 60 more will be on Palmer. Middletown has also recently given approval for 150+ townhomes. Construction has started on that and it will be on Route 35 between Laurel and Palmer. The traffic isn't as bad as Brooklyn and Staten Island, but it's already much worse than it was when we moved here. On the weekends you sit at the jughandles for a couple of light changes at a lot of the intersections.
The good stuff. The beach is beautiful. Sandy Hook is spectacular. The parks system is amazing. I mentioned there's nothing in Hazlet, but the things outside of Hazlet are really close. Red Bank is fun and there are great shows at The Count Basie. PNC is right here. Commuting daily to the city is a horror, but it's easy to get back and forth for a visit/activity. So close to Staten Island and Brooklyn! There are many good restaurants within short driving distance. It's really convenient for shopping - almost any store you want is within 20 minutes. The Monmouth County library system is huge and has everything. The Henry Hudson bike trail runs through right near here. There are some fun spray parks nearby. A little further away is Asbury Park, Point Pleasant. I don't love this town, but it's a good location.
^ This is a great, informative post from someone who obviously knows more of the gritty details.
Good point in that there is no real town center for Hazlet. Also, I moved to Monmouth County from Bergen in North Jersey just ten years ago, and I can't begin to tell you how much has been built since I got here, particularly townhouse complexes and TODs near the train stations. The traffic has worsened noticeably. It isn't going to stop, either.
The last paragraph is why so many of us live here.
^ This is a great, informative post from someone who obviously knows more of the gritty details.
Good point in that there is no real town center for Hazlet. Also, I moved to Monmouth County from Bergen in North Jersey just ten years ago, and I can't begin to tell you how much has been built since I got here, particularly townhouse complexes and TODs near the train stations. The traffic has worsened noticeably. It isn't going to stop, either.
The last paragraph is why so many of us live here.
It's a good reason! We moved here because we thought this would be a really nice little friendly town. It ... isn't. But our son is happy and safe. We can't afford Holmdel comfortably, and the other towns aren't enough of an improvement over this one to justify the cost. And that last paragraph means we just can't bring ourselves to leave the area completely. Monmouth County is a kind of paradise for people who love the outdoors and nature, but still want/need to be in striking distance of a city. It's so close to Philly, too so we get 2 cities now for the price of 1!
It seems like we've been here the same amount of time. I can't believe the changes, and it makes me sad. A lot of the civility has just leaked away. The driving, I think, is what ruins things the most. It's just like driving in NY now. Speeding at all hours, horn honking, road rage. No respect for pedestrians. You literally take your life in your hands walking anywhere.
when i moved to the area from brooklyn (i was raised in marlboro and lived in brooklyn for a few years after i started working) i looked at these new construction homes on meredith way in hazlet. i would have gotten a larger house brand new with a small yard. but i was strongly recommended to avoid hazlet and go to holmdel instead (ended up in beau ridge so smaller house, no yard of my own, house was about 15 years old i think). i definitely feel strongly that i made the right decision.
of course, your budget may price you out of holmdel. looks like you need to spend at least around 600k to get in there. you could get a town house for 400-500k.
There is some bad information here about Hazlet I have to correct.
First, Hazlet has plenty to do: Writer "Irish Eyes" has a son, so is she not aware there is a popular skate part, basketball courts, pool club, and well-subscribed baseball, soccer, and football youth sports? There is the Henry Hudson Rail trail that goes from Sandy Hook to Freehold, right through the town. The town has a multiplex cinema and a bowling alley and gyms and its own train station! There are neighboring beaches of Union Beach, fishing in Keyport, beautiful county park in Holmdel with trails. Longtime restaurants that get to know your family, like Yesterday's. Of course, there is plenty to do through the schools too. But one of the best things about Hazlet is the proximity. You are not imprisoned by the town borders! Everything you could want is a short ride away in our part of the county and you don't have to wade through neighborhoods and sit at train stations, generally, to hop on the highways and get where you want to go.
People move to Hazlet because it is affordable and has excellent resale. I see generations living in town, which is great. It means when kids get married and want to start a family, they can move back to town. Families invest in their lives here and help each other out. This is reflected in the amazing charitable activities you see during the holiday season through the RAINE Foundation.
Raritan High School recently began offering lots of AP level courses and has become more rigorous, allowing students to earn associates degrees. Also, every Hazlet 8th grades student has the ability to compete for a spot in the nationally-ranked Monmouth County Vocational School District specializing in marine science, medicine, technology, biotech. Those are feeder schools to the Ivies. Don't believe me? Verify that at US News Reports. Some Hazlet kids also attend schools like the new all-Girls leadership academy Trinity Hall or all-boys sports powerhouse Christian Brothers Academy or compassionate Mater Dei, community-minded St. John Vianney, elite Ranney School and others.
As for traffic, not so bad! Maybe the week before Christmas the highways are clogged. As for taxes, where in Jersey do taxes go down? Your taxes go up because the value of your house is going up and you'll be happy for that when you sell.
So in conclusion, move fast if you want to buy a house here, cause at the moment there are bidding wars.
Good luck.
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