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I don't mean any offense because this is a well-thought out post, but it's funny to me because Upper Saddle River developed as a wannabe Saddle River. Saddle River is still much more exclusive than Upper Saddle River and nicer because of its two-acre minimum lot size. If OP could afford it, I would recommend SR over USR for a larger lot.
That is true (I don't know about USR developing as a wannabe SR, just that SR has always been more exclusive/expensive, but it's also very small, Pop < 4K.)
You would need to hire a team of educational evaluators to figure out the difference between USR and FL K-8 schools. They are both great systems.
USR is in the Northern Highlands Regional High School with Allendale/Hohokus and SR (SR has the option of choosing Ramsey, too). FL is in the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional HS district with Oakland and Wyckoff and you can choose Ramapo or Indian Hills in 8th grade. You will be fine in either system.
You just need to decide if you like a the more compact USR (5.27 sq miles vs 9.88 sq miles) and the location differences. There might be more shopping choices near USR. It is real about how you feel and what you want to spend and what is available.
They are both wonderful towns. I don't know if you are considering Saddle River as well. If not, perhaps you might consider it. Price point is an issue. Like many towns, certain people will find likes and dislikes about the town, the people who live there, the shopping, the schools, and so much more. However, there are also people who will find the likes only -- and someone else's dislikes will be non-existent for them. Even if they are existent, they won't impact them. I think people attract who and what they are, and they look for that as well. I've never had a friend move to any one of the three towns and say they didn't like it because the entire town was this, or all of the people are that. There's good and bad everywhere when it comes to people. LOL.
That said, my parents lived in FL. They moved to SR. Not because they didn't like FL. Not at all. That said, I have friends in both towns, spend a lot of time there, and in USR as well.
For the issues you (the original poster) are talking about -- larger lot size -- you can find that in either town, and in both existing houses, new builds, or re-builds. As far as the schools -- in USR, the kids go from kindergarten through eighth grade, in-district, right there in USR, and they are known to have an excellent "student to teacher" ratio, and is in the highest rated category (state-wide). For high school, the kids go to Northern Highlands Regional High School. Kids from Ho-Ho-Kus and Allendale go there as well, and some of kids in Saddle River go there as well as they have a choice of going there or Ramsey High School. Northern Highlands Regional also has an "student to teacher" ratio.
In FL, similar situation, the kids go from kindergarten through eighth grade there in-district and they have an excellent -- top rated -- "student to teacher" ratio. They are in the second highest rated category (state-wide). For high school, the kids go to the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District -- which consists of two schools -- with kids from Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff. I believe the kids still have the option to choose which school to go to. Kids from Franklin Lakes can go to either Indian Hills High School, which is in Oakland, or Ramapo High School, which is in FL.
Those factors were the only ones you mentioned, but there could be many others. I just spoke to the ones you mentioned. I would also look at specific houses -- and compare the taxes. Same price considered, you could be looking at two different types of "neighborhoods" or "developments. I just had a good friend, with young kids, who was looking between SR and FL. Two houses he found, one in each town, were very similar in the neighborhood feel, layout, etc. Two others he found, again, one in each town, were very different. All three towns, none of them have "bad neighborhoods" so to speak. If you are a "good person" -- a quality person -- you'll meet plenty of good, quality people in each of those towns.
Hey, if you move, come back and tell us your story and let us know what you decide! Future posters can benefit from your information. And you can hang out and argue about NJ stuff with the rest of us!
We have friends who pulled their kids out of FL schools and sent them to private schools as they did not like the community at all and felt the schools were substandard (not nec the schools themselves just the culture, lack of interest in achievement, etc). Both are also very politically different from Ridgewood, as I'm sure you're aware.
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