Seeking a quiet neighborhood, walkability, & decent commute to NYC (Union: condo, homes)
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I absolutely adore Maplewood/South Orange, but the taxes are outrageous. The high taxes drove of us from NJ years ago.
Love the Cranford/Westfield area, there was not a lot of inventory. We ended up in Roselle Park, right next to Cranford and love it. Great little area, the train is right in town, very walkable.
That said these are all about 30 miles= 1 hour to the shore.
Thanks for the ideas, vinodelotus, JG183, and veuvegirl. We don't know the Roselle Park area at all and have only been through Bernardsville once, but both sounds promising.
My husband has been looking into Hazlet, Middletown, Little Silver, Atlantic Highlands, Matawan, and Tinton Falls. Any thoughts on these options? He's concluded that once we have to commute again we could travel by bus or ferry, which both appear to be faster than the train.
It seems like generally these towns are not highly walkable, but there are pockets where a resident could walk to bagel shops, delis, convenience stores, etc.
Thank you RiggerNY and kosb! We'll look into Cranford and the Wesmont area of Wood-ridge. Am I correct in thinking most of the trains from Cranford terminate at Newark Penn Station? Having to change trains in Newark or switch to/from the Path occasionally late at night would be a downside.
Just a note: The trains that run on the North Jersey Coast Line, which would be Red Bank, have very limited service to Hoboken morning or evening, so you would have to make the switch at Newark and take PATH unless you only take those few trains.
In that respect, the Bergen Line towns, such as Rutherford, would work best for you.
My husband has been looking into Hazlet, Middletown, Little Silver, Atlantic Highlands, Matawan, and Tinton Falls. Any thoughts on these options? He's concluded that once we have to commute again we could travel by bus or ferry, which both appear to be faster than the train.
It seems like generally these towns are not highly walkable, but there are pockets where a resident could walk to bagel shops, delis, convenience stores, etc.
Metuchen would probably be up your alley. Highland Park, Clark, and Cranford are also good options for more walkable towns, nice downtowns, and Victorian era homes. The perfect balance between being close to the Shore and NYC.
Metuchen would probably be up your alley. Highland Park, Clark, and Cranford are also good options for more walkable towns, nice downtowns, and Victorian era homes. The perfect balance between being close to the Shore and NYC.
Victorian-era homes in Clark? Nope!
The bulk of the homes in that town were built anywhere from the late '60s through the mid-'70s. Plus, there are many newer homes. The older homes in that town were almost all small bungalows, and most of them were demolished in order to build the newer homes.
And, while I am not knocking Clark's truly tiny "downtown", it essentially runs for ~5 blocks. That walkable downtown would be a very short walk.
Last edited by Retriever; 07-11-2020 at 03:01 PM..
My husband has been looking into Hazlet, Middletown, Little Silver, Atlantic Highlands, Matawan, and Tinton Falls. Any thoughts on these options? He's concluded that once we have to commute again we could travel by bus or ferry, which both appear to be faster than the train.
It seems like generally these towns are not highly walkable, but there are pockets where a resident could walk to bagel shops, delis, convenience stores, etc.
Atlantic Highlands I would consider walkable if you're near First Avenue. I don't know a lot about Matawan, but near the train station is walkable. They were starting to get some nice places there, but I don't know how the shutdowns have affected everything. Nothing in Hazlet, I don't really think in Tinton Falls either. Maybe some blocks close to shopping centers in Middletown - like by the Lighthouse, I think it's called The Junction?
The peak trains from cranford/Westfield are transfers at Newark and the off-peak trains are direct to NY. I mostly take the express bus from Cranford, they are very frequent and fairly reliable.
RiggerNY - How's the commute time from Cranford train station to Penn station in the morning? Is bus much faster than train in the early morning (before 6:30am?)
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