Moving from greater Philly area suburb to Northern NJ (Irvington: sale, renting)

[46H]

Originally Posted by Everglore

Thanks!!

I am not interested in blue collar or areas that has rough parts. It is North Bergen then. Can you please suggest some of the towns that fit the bill: great school districts, new constructions, diverse culture and good restaurants

Northvale , Norwood, Closter, Demerset, Harrington Park, Old Tappan, Cresskill, Haworth all have decent schools and will be a reasonable commute to cross the Tappan Zee Bridge to Tarrytown. These towns offer a wide range of house type and size. These towns do not have train service.

The best downtown is Closter. Northvale and Norwood have commercial main drags that are sort of downtowns. Cresskill has a small downtown.

A little farther commute gets you to Rivervale, Hillsdale, Westwood, Park Ridge and Montvale. Again, the schools are all decent, although Park Ridge has some issues with its high school due to its small size. These towns are on the Pascack Valley train line with train service to NYC/Hoboken.

Westwood has a great downtown and the other towns have smaller but still useful downtowns.

New construction is not in your price range. There is nothing being built for under $1 million and that price point will only be a knockdown in one of the less expensive towns.

In this area of Bergen Cty, the towns are close, so living in one town does not limit restaurant and other commercial choices. Many of the towns also share sports/rec programs for the kids and high schools. The towns are diverse in different ways, but that will be something you can research.

[Everglore]

Thanks so much. This is very helpful

What is the demographics there in terms of age of people residing at Ridgewood? Also we are looking for modern established towns or up and coming but please no farms, rural or old buildings / stores because this is what my wife has been complaining about since we came here in PA.

I am picky because I want to take my time to ensure it is the right spot in terms of the parameters mentioned above but thanks again

[HudsonCoNJ]

I don’t think you can go wrong with Ridgewood

[Everglore]

Originally Posted by 46H

Northvale , Norwood, Closter, Demerset, Harrington Park, Old Tappan, Cresskill, Haworth all have decent schools and will be a reasonable commute to cross the Tappan Zee Bridge to Tarrytown. These towns offer a wide range of house type and size. These towns do not have train service.

The best downtown is Closter. Northvale and Norwood have commercial main drags that are sort of downtowns. Cresskill has a small downtown.

A little farther commute gets you to Rivervale, Hillsdale, Westwood, Park Ridge and Montvale. Again, the schools are all decent, although Park Ridge has some issues with its high school due to its small size. These towns are on the Pascack Valley train line with train service to NYC/Hoboken.

Westwood has a great downtown and the other towns have smaller but still useful downtowns.

New construction is not in your price range. There is nothing being built for under $1 million and that price point will only be a knockdown in one of the less expensive towns.

In this area of Bergen Cty, the towns are close, so living in one town does not limit restaurant and other commercial choices. Many of the towns also share sports/rec programs for the kids and high schools. The towns are diverse in different ways, but that will be something you can research.

I can reach 1m USD I think. Now, the train service isn’t a priority. Having said that towns are close and since I have a couple of trips to do to find homes, where shall I drive to get a feel on the towns mentioned above? Any tips?

[Everglore]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

OK. As I said, Ridgewood.

Good schools, just did a quick Google Maps and it give me a 35-minute drive town to town (Garden State Parkway connects to 287 and right over the TZ), known for it's shops and restaurants and culture and very good schools.

Plus I was born there.

OK, I didn't grow up there after I came home from the hospital, but rather in an adjacent town which might not be fancy enough for you, and the schools might not rank as high as Ridgewood, but hey, I raised my kid there and she has a PhD. Anyway, look at Ridgewood. I think it fits what you are looking for. Seriously.

Also, as someone suggested, look at Glen Rock, next to Ridgewood. Interesting that you listed teeny-tiny Ho-Ho-Kus, which doesn't even have a high school of its own, but not Ridgewood or Glen Rock.

Wyckoff, maybe, too, since you don't need to commute to the city, and Allendale. They both have some semblance of a walkable downtown with restaurants and shops, though not quite the same as Ridgewood because they developed out of farm towns much later. But Ridgewood would be the best out of all them for a commute to Tarrytown because of the proximity to the Garden State Parkway.

I don’t know how I missed that but really thanks so much. Ho-ho-kus was a wife selection after she found some nice but expensive homes

[Everglore]

Originally Posted by 46H

Northvale , Norwood, Closter, Demerset, Harrington Park, Old Tappan, Cresskill, Haworth all have decent schools and will be a reasonable commute to cross the Tappan Zee Bridge to Tarrytown. These towns offer a wide range of house type and size. These towns do not have train service.

The best downtown is Closter. Northvale and Norwood have commercial main drags that are sort of downtowns. Cresskill has a small downtown.

A little farther commute gets you to Rivervale, Hillsdale, Westwood, Park Ridge and Montvale. Again, the schools are all decent, although Park Ridge has some issues with its high school due to its small size. These towns are on the Pascack Valley train line with train service to NYC/Hoboken.

Westwood has a great downtown and the other towns have smaller but still useful downtowns.

New construction is not in your price range. There is nothing being built for under $1 million and that price point will only be a knockdown in one of the less expensive towns.

In this area of Bergen Cty, the towns are close, so living in one town does not limit restaurant and other commercial choices. Many of the towns also share sports/rec programs for the kids and high schools. The towns are diverse in different ways, but that will be something you can research.

Thanks - so if you put these towns in the pecking order to meet the kinda check list I provided, how would you do it?

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[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Everglore

Thanks so much. This is very helpful

What is the demographics there in terms of age of people residing at Ridgewood? Also we are looking for modern established towns or up and coming but please no farms, rural or old buildings / stores because this is what my wife has been complaining about since we came here in PA.

I am picky because I want to take my time to ensure it is the right spot in terms of the parameters mentioned above but thanks again

Hey, I heard there's this website that was formed to provide exactly that type of information!

https://www.city-data.com/city/Ridge...ew-Jersey.html

[46H]

Originally Posted by Everglore

Thanks - so if you put these towns in the pecking order to meet the kinda check list I provided, how would you do it?
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In today's market and the $800k-1million price range, you are only going to find an updated house. There is very little for sale in the towns I mentioned. Covid and high interest rates have reduced knockdowns to just about zero. You need to understand that new homes will be very hard to find.

Without knowing the details of your commute to Tarrytown (work hours, everyday or couple days/week), I was looking at the NE section of Bergen Cty. These are the most convenient towns for your commute. Certainly Ramsey/Allendale/Hohokus/Ridgewood/GlenRock fit your needs with high quality schools and downtowns. You can also include Upper Saddle River and Mahwah, although they are more suburban while still having easy access to commercial. Once again you will be looking at older updated homes in your price range. These towns will have a longer commute to Tarrytown.

As for order for the NE Bergen County towns-
1. Closter
2. Old Tappan (no downtown)
3. Norwood
However, you would be just as happy in most of the other towns I mentioned.

If you do want new, there are new townhomes being built in River Vale (The Fairways), in Montvale (Village Springs) and in Upper Saddle River (The Grove) all at the top of your range. These are all fine towns.

[Everglore]

Originally Posted by 46H

In today's market and the $800k-1million price range, you are only going to find an updated house. There is very little for sale in the towns I mentioned. Covid and high interest rates have reduced knockdowns to just about zero. You need to understand that new homes will be very hard to find.

Without knowing the details of your commute to Tarrytown (work hours, everyday or couple days/week), I was looking at the NE section of Bergen Cty. These are the most convenient towns for your commute. Certainly Ramsey/Allendale/Hohokus/Ridgewood/GlenRock fit your needs with high quality schools and downtowns. You can also include Upper Saddle River and Mahwah, although they are more suburban while still having easy access to commercial. Once again you will be looking at older updated homes in your price range. These towns will have a longer commute to Tarrytown.

As for order for the NE Bergen County towns-
1. Closter
2. Old Tappan (no downtown)
3. Norwood
However, you would be just as happy in most of the other towns I mentioned.

If you do want new, there are new townhomes being built in River Vale (The Fairways), in Montvale (Village Springs) and in Upper Saddle River (The Grove) all at the top of your range. These are all fine towns.

Thanks so much! Montvale is definitely a place I am targeting due to having Lifetime fitness which we have here and don’t want to stop going as it will also ease the transition to NJ.

[Everglore]

Importantly, if I decide to purchase at any of these areas, how long will the commute be at rush hour be as an estimate if I buy close to the bridge vs further at Ridgewood and Glen rock?