Bloomfiled vs Belleville (Newark, Irvington, Bloomfield: sales, real estate, crime)

[2Motherof2]

I am a 30 year old mother of 2. Next year my husband and I plan to move from the Upper West side of Manhattan to NJ. We wanted to spend around 330 – 350K. So far two of the towns we were looking into were Bloomfield and Belleville. When reading other posts I would gather that Bloomfield is a better town than Belleville. But when I look on the NJ stats, Bloomfield is higher up on the crime rank than Belleville. This confuses me. Also I noticed that everyone in favor of Bloomfield suggests the Brookdale/Oakview section. But what if this section is out of your price range? Are there any other areas in Bloomfield that is suitable for raising 2 young children?
Any comments will be helpful.

[Newarkbomb]

Belleville has better schools then bloomfield.

Bloomfiled is better (more stuff to do) then belleville.

I would choose Bloomfield because the schools arent Horrible, but there not great either.

[DowntownJerseyCity]

Originally Posted by Newarkbomb

Belleville has better schools then bloomfield.

Bloomfiled is better (more stuff to do) then belleville.

I would choose Bloomfield because the schools arent Horrible, but there not great either.

Belleville schools are atrocious for the most part.

[brookdaleresident]

Bloomfield schools are better. Oakview is a Blue Ribbon school, and Brookdale a close second. I know of a few homes that just sold in the Brookdale area for around $350k. A year ago they would have sold for much more. Make a trip out here, drive around, and find a realtor in Brookdale. There's one (Century 21/Gemini) right on Broad St in Bloomfield; also several on Bellevue Ave in Upper Montclair which handles Brookdale area.

[johnfrisco]

Don't forget to check out Nutley, which neighbors both Bloomfield and Belleville. Nutley is a great town and has good schools. Do a forum search on Nutley.

NUTLEY, NJ (zip code 07110) real estate - home value estimator, recent home sales , house value trends

Brookdale section of Bloomfield is nice too. Stay away from Belleville.

[Calico696]

Originally Posted by brookdaleresident

Bloomfield schools are better. Oakview is a Blue Ribbon school, and Brookdale a close second. I know of a few homes that just sold in the Brookdale area for around $350k. A year ago they would have sold for much more. Make a trip out here, drive around, and find a realtor in Brookdale. There's one (Century 21/Gemini) right on Broad St in Bloomfield; also several on Bellevue Ave in Upper Montclair which handles Brookdale area.

I'm sure Oakview and Brookdale are great schools, but they are Grammar schools. What is the state of BHS these days? I heard from a friend that still lives there (I grew up there) that BHS has become a regional school and kids from E. Orange, Irvington and Newark are now attending there and that there are metal detectors at the entrances. Is this true? If this is the case will you send your kids to private HS? Just curious.

[Newarkbomb]

O i guess you guys are right about the schools in belleville, Bloomfields schools are only alrite tho.

Bloomfield- rank in schools 347th (of 546 citites in jersey)
belleville- 467th of 546 cities in jersey

[Busch Boy]

Originally Posted by Newarkbomb

O i guess you guys are right about the schools in belleville, Bloomfields schools are only alrite tho.

Bloomfield- rank in schools 347th (of 546 citites in jersey)
belleville- 467th of 546 cities in jersey

Also, NJ Monthly ranked their high schools as:

Bloomfield: 225/316
Belleville: 241/316

Alot of people doubt NJ Monthly's rankings but they seem accurate to me for the most part.

[brookdaleresident]

As far as I know, it's not regional. I never heard anything about metal detectors. What must be realized about most highschools, especially when there is only one in a town, all the kids come together and form one group. If there are a few schools in a district with poor performers, the ranking of the school is reduced. That doesn't mean a child won't get a good education. The teachers and the school itself (Bloomfield just did a major renovation) are fine. If a student does well, has parental support, he/she will be fine no matter what. While classmates would be a concern, I would hope by that time my kids would be able to pick and choose their friends carefully. I think if parents remain in their kids lives (to a point ), then trouble can be avoided.

[Busch Boy]

Originally Posted by brookdaleresident

As far as I know, it's not regional. I never heard anything about metal detectors. What must be realized about most highschools, especially when there is only one in a town, all the kids come together and form one group. If there are a few schools in a district with poor performers, the ranking of the school is reduced. That doesn't mean a child won't get a good education. The teachers and the school itself (Bloomfield just did a major renovation) are fine. If a student does well, has parental support, he/she will be fine no matter what. While classmates would be a concern, I would hope by that time my kids would be able to pick and choose their friends carefully. I think if parents remain in their kids lives (to a point ), then trouble can be avoided.

I agree with everything you've said. I am tired of saying this already, but I have seen kids from both Millburn and Newark equally succeed. Motivation and parental involvement make a huge difference. The kids that you really have to be careful with are the ones that easily fall into peer pressure or the ones that aren't that bright to begin with. Putting them in a bad district can hurt them.