Any thoughts on Union Township? (Newark, Elizabeth: lower-class, real estate, crime)

[jules8710]

School Districts? Property taxes? Commute to NYC? I really don't know anything about Union county and would appreciate some insight.

[nobi]

Quiet town little crowded, schools are OK not the best not the worst just try to stay away from Vauxhall section, taxes are not too high average about 6500$ and up. It has a train station but you have to change trains in Newark but it takes about 20 min to get to NY. I live there since 1992 and love it, have 2 houses there and as a real estate salesperson i sold a lot of houses to family and friends in Union and they all love it.

[Busch Boy]

One of my friends lives in Union and she loves it. She lives very close to the Springfield border and she says its a very good area. It's also pretty diverse.

[Judge Smails]

Great area. It's a little crowded and it's still growing! A little pricey, but where isn't it in NJ?

[njmomto2]

I grew up in Union, the whole town has gone to Hell. Crime is up terribly, people aren't taking care of the town. i wouldn't live in Union for free!

[Busch Boy]

Originally Posted by njmomto2

I grew up in Union, the whole town has gone to Hell. Crime is up terribly, people aren't taking care of the town. i wouldn't live in Union for free!

I don't even want to know what you think about Newark or East Orange.

LMAO

[hrjersey]

I know three families that currently live in Union. They all found the houses to be affordable but they all send their kids to private school. I have found traffic to be pretty bad here too.

[nobi]

Traffic is getting bad especially on Morris Ave and Hwy22 and Liberty Ave. Schools arent terrible, elementary schools are good but high school are Burnet Middle School is just OK, they are overcrowded and too many kids think they are too cool. Houses are taken cared of and is far from being not taken cared of. Its quiet, safe, but crowded.

[jy_2007]

I think Union is a great value. It's not one of the "premier" towns in the area (like Westfield), but your housing dollar goes a long way. There is some great housing stock that can be had relatively cheaply. On either end of town (putnam manor on the elizabeth side, battle hill on the springfield side) people really keep up their houses, lots of renovating going on. There are some lower-class neighborhoods in the section of town that borders irvington, however.
The commute to the city isn't bad - it's about 40 minutes to Penn w/ a xfer in newark, and there's plenty of parking at the train station - probably because the station is only a few years old and the town has not traditionally been considered a 'commuter' town. That will probably change over the next few years.

[njmomto2]

Originally Posted by Busch Boy

I don't even want to know what you think about Newark or East Orange.

LMAO

Well I lived in Irvington until 6th grade when we moved to Union, so Union is a step up from Irvington, Newark, East Orange, and Elizabeth but not that big of a step up!