Bergen County (Montclair, Paramus, Ridgewood: homes, cost , move)

[Will's mom]

We live on Long Island and are thinking of making a move to north jersey. We really like Ridgewood but the info I am getting from this forum seems pretty negative. Not too crazy about the whole "east side/west side" thing, etc.
1. I would like to know more about Glen Rock, Wyckoff, and Ho-Ho-Kus.(schools as good as Ridgewood? are Ridgewoods schools that great to begin with?)
2.What are the best parochial schools in the area? (Elementary and high schools)

Thanks!

[brookdaleresident]

I never got the impression that people were negative about Ridgewood. Great town and schools. Really nice downtown.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by Will's mom

We live on Long Island and are thinking of making a move to north jersey. We really like Ridgewood but the info I am getting from this forum seems pretty negative. Not too crazy about the whole "east side/west side" thing, etc.
1. I would like to know more about Glen Rock, Wyckoff, and Ho-Ho-Kus.(schools as good as Ridgewood? are Ridgewoods schools that great to begin with?)
2.What are the best parochial schools in the area? (Elementary and high schools)

Thanks!

not sure why you think there's negative feedback about ridgewood. other than taxes, it's one of the more universally-praised towns in the entire state, on this site and elsewhere. seriously, it has it all - great schools, beautiful homes, lively downtown with plenty of shops and restaurants, excellent mass transit to nyc, and proximity to several highways.

some people will say that the town's residents (or at least a portion of them) can be snobbish, but you'll find that in any wealthier town. i wouldn't worry about that if i were you.

all of the towns you listed are great and have excellent school systems; you can't go wrong with any of them. although i can't speak for specific school rankings, i wouldn't necessarily choose one over the other based on what nj monthly or some other magazine thinks; all of the towns you mentioned are on the short list of great bergen county school districts.

some parochial high schools in the area are bergen catholic (oradell), don bosco prep (ramsey), and st. joe's (montvale), which are all-boys schools. there's also immaculate heart academy (IHA) in washington township and academy of the holy angels in demarest; these are all-girls high schools. and then there's dwight-englewood school, which is not a parochial school, but rather a super expensive private school (pre-K through 12th grade) in englewood. another expensive non-parochial school is saddle river day school in saddle river.

there's a co-ed parochial high school in paramus called paramus catholic, but from what i understand it's considered no better than average.

sorry, but i don't know anything about parochial elementary schools in the area.

[Will's mom]

thanks for the info! i guess i was concentrating on what a few people had mentioned about Ridgewood being snobbish. I agree, the town is beautiful and the schools have a great reputation. i will just ignore the snobby few!!

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by Will's mom

We live on Long Island and are thinking of making a move to north jersey. We really like Ridgewood but the info I am getting from this forum seems pretty negative. Not too crazy about the whole "east side/west side" thing, etc.
1. I would like to know more about Glen Rock, Wyckoff, and Ho-Ho-Kus.(schools as good as Ridgewood? are Ridgewoods schools that great to begin with?)
2.What are the best parochial schools in the area? (Elementary and high schools)

Thanks!

You're never going to find another place as nice as LI that's for sure...

[jrzygal]

I would throw Ramsey into the mix as well. Great town with top notch schools. very family oriented with a real community sense. down town is adorable and convenient. everyone is so friendly.

[NorthNJ]

Mahwah has good schools, River Edge, Paramus, Tenafly etc.

[Will's mom]

i really like ramsey too. it is a little too far though. wanted something a little closer (for the nyc commute.)

what about westwood, oradell, cresskill, etc? i am not familiar with these areas at all!!

another question to put in the mix....Ridgewood or Montclair?

[jrzygal]

i don't believe wyckoff has an ideal commute. no train line. westwood is beautiful, but i don't think the schools have the best reputation, i could be wrong though. not familiar with cresskill or oradell.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by Jdawg8181

You're never going to find another place as nice as LI that's for sure...

um, ok. there are many areas of jersey that can hold their own with the best or most scenic areas of long island. not dissing on LI at all, and that's cool that you're repping your home area, but just wanted to point out that your statement is questionable at best. you can find many things to like in pretty much any direction away from nyc.

to be honest, i look at bergen and nassau counties as having a lot in common. they're really equivalent in many ways, with the main differences to me that nassau's larger, has a bigger af-am community, and a smaller asian population. it also has beaches, but bergen's closer to manhattan. otherwise, pretty much the same deal as far as cost and quality of living.