Move to Westfield, Glen Ridge, Chatham or Bernardsville? (Montclair, Ridgewood: low crime, new house)

[njmom8]

Hello all. We lived in Westfield for quite a few years and loved it. We are now living in Washington, DC and anticipating a move back in 1-2 years (can't wait!!!).

While we loved Westfield completely, we are considering opening our search to some other areas to give us a larger housing selection. We are planning on spending in the 700K range, and hoping for a cute 3BR in a nice area. I am currently thinking of: Westfield, Chatham, Glen Ridge and Bernardsville.

I am a stay at home mom, looking for a family friendly town with a great sense of community. Any thoughts on these towns? Should I eliminate any?

Thank you!!!

[tallguylehigh]

I will chime in here since I have some experience with some towns.

Glen Ridge is a great town, but the taxes there are a KILLER. Granted, the schools are great and if you need to get into the city the train is a great asset to have, but still, be ready to pay.

Chatham I would probably rate higher than Glen Ridge. It is in Morris County, which I prefer to Essex in general, plus it is in a great stretch of towns (Morristown, Madison, Chatham, Summit). Lots of parks, Madison has a great downtown and college vibe and again you have train access.

Westfield also has a nice downtown, but other than that I have little experience.

Bernardsville is the real change of flavor here- it is a lot more rural than the other three choices, but it a really beautiful area. The downtown is small, but it has some restaurants, a local theater (I love those) and you will probably get a lot more space here than in the other places.

Not sure why I mentioned Glen Ridge schools in particular because all of these areas have great schools, you can't lose.

[Spincycle]

Originally Posted by njmom8

We lived in Westfield for quite a few years and loved it. We are now living in Washington, DC and anticipating a move back in 1-2 years (can't wait!!!).

Cool.

Originally Posted by njmom8

While we loved Westfield completely, we are considering opening our search to some other areas to give us a larger housing selection. We are planning on spending in the 700K range, and hoping for a cute 3BR in a nice area. I am currently thinking of: Westfield, Chatham, Glen Ridge and Bernardsville.

In leiu of Westfield would you eye Cranford, in leiu of Chatham would you consider Madison, and in leiu of Glen Ridge would you consider Verona? Bernardsville is awesome IMO.

I am a big fan of Madison and Verona. Sense of community and I want to see you get more for your money. With a $0.7M budget you could do a great renovation (TV style) and throw in some nice ammenities into the house reworkins.

[HelgaB]

Besides the fact that Bernardsville is a beautiful family-oriented town, it is convenienty located next to the major highways (Rt. 287, 78, 206, 202). Also there are several train stations in the area (Bernardsville, Far Hills, and Basking Ridge).

[accelv]

Come to Montgomery. Montgomery is just north of Princeton and has a suburban-rural environment with excellent schools (better than Princeton's and 552 others in NJ, with the nation's highest SAT scores in 2005) and high quality of life and low crime rate. You get more for your money and excellent resale in Montgomery, without the congestion and gang problems in Princeton. It's a 15 minute ride to downtown Princeton from Montgomery.

Moderator cut: no advertising

[njmom8]

Montgomery would not work, location wise- I prefer to be closer to NYC. I also am more interested in more of a suburban-town type living (not rural). I definately like an area with some type of town center, and old homes w/ character. Thank you, though.

I am not sure about Madison, will check it out though. I do like the downtown- it just always seems that there is a beautiful area above my budget- and the other areas are not as attractive. Maybe I missed the area of more mid priced homes...

Is the crime rate still low in Glen Ridge, even though it is Essex?

[tallguylehigh]

Originally Posted by njmom8

Montgomery would not work, location wise- I prefer to be closer to NYC. I also am more interested in more of a suburban-town type living (not rural). I definately like an area with some type of town center, and old homes w/ character. Thank you, though.

I am not sure about Madison, will check it out though. I do like the downtown- it just always seems that there is a beautiful area above my budget- and the other areas are not as attractive. Maybe I missed the area of more mid priced homes...

Is the crime rate still low in Glen Ridge, even though it is Essex?

Quick question, but have you driven around these places?

My family lived in Glen Ridge for about 5 years (near Brookdale park) and it was very nice. As for crime, using city-data (eh, rep for referencing hose site? ) it looks as though Glen Ridge might be a little high, still below average, but I will leave you the info to analyze:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Glen-R...ew-Jersey.html

I would also say that location in Glen Ridge is pretty important as well. Even though the town is small, the variations between the lots can be quite large. Like I said we were close to Upper Montclair (on Watchung Ave) by Brookdale Park and Ridgewood drive and that is a VERY nice area of town. However, when my wife and I were looking for a house, we considered some properties in Glen Ridge and while in still "in Glen Ridge", they were a couple of blocks away from some areas that we weren't too happy with.

Also, what are you unsure of in Madison? Let me know, I was also looking for a house there so I might be able to help.

[njmom8]

I looked for a home in all of these places (except Glen Ridge) about 4 years ago.

I liked the charm and location of Chatham. At the time it seemed more expensive than Westfield. Right now, there are more interesting possibilities in my price range. Bernardsville also has more interesting housing options on the market now- it is a little more "rural" than I'd prefer (but the rest of my family lives in Hunterdon County- so it is closer to them- a trade off).

Westfield I know, as I lived there almost 9 yrs. I would move back with no hesitation, but right now there is not much in my price range that I would be interested in. I am trying to be realistic, that in our price range we might do better by having more towns to choose from.

I have never been to Glen Ridge, or Montclair, but stumbled across it doing some looking. I like the idea of walking to Montclair (downtown), and I like that the schools are great (and not as large as Westfield). Next time I am in Jersey I will take a look for sure....

When we looked in Madison last time, I really liked the downtown. My thought, though, was: that there is a beautiful, charming area of very large, expensive homes- and that the area with more moderately priced homes was just not as attractive at all.... I may be wrong.... It seemed to have an exaggerated "right side" and "wrong side" of the track compared to the other towns. Any thoughts?

I know people say Westfield is "snobby". I did not find it so, it is very family friendly. I hear Bernardsville is "snobby". Would there be any reason to think it would be more so? In Westfield most of the very wealthy sent their kids to private school at some point- they just travelled in different circles, I guess. I have not heard anything about Glen Ridge...

[tallguylehigh]

Originally Posted by njmom8

I looked for a home in all of these places (except Glen Ridge) about 4 years ago.

I liked the charm and location of Chatham. At the time it seemed more expensive than Westfield. Right now, there are more interesting possibilities in my price range. Bernardsville also has more interesting housing options on the market now- it is a little more "rural" than I'd prefer (but the rest of my family lives in Hunterdon County- so it is closer to them- a trade off).

Westfield I know, as I lived there almost 9 yrs. I would move back with no hesitation, but right now there is not much in my price range that I would be interested in. I am trying to be realistic, that in our price range we might do better by having more towns to choose from.

I have never been to Glen Ridge, or Montclair, but stumbled across it doing some looking. I like the idea of walking to Montclair (downtown), and I like that the schools are great (and not as large as Westfield). Next time I am in Jersey I will take a look for sure....

When we looked in Madison last time, I really liked the downtown. My thought, though, was: that there is a beautiful, charming area of very large, expensive homes- and that the area with more moderately priced homes was just not as attractive at all.... I may be wrong.... It seemed to have an exaggerated "right side" and "wrong side" of the track compared to the other towns. Any thoughts?

I know people say Westfield is "snobby". I did not find it so, it is very family friendly. I hear Bernardsville is "snobby". Would there be any reason to think it would be more so? In Westfield most of the very wealthy sent their kids to private school at some point- they just travelled in different circles, I guess. I have not heard anything about Glen Ridge...

There are definitiely some hit-and-miss areas of Madison, then again no town is universally beautiful. The Fairwoods section of Madison is very nice- charming Arts & Craft style houses. But be on the lookout, if you want walking distance there are some parts of Madison that are a hike to downtown.

As for Westfield and Bernardsville being snobby, I really can't say personally. What I CAN say is that I have lived in some "snobby" areas and have found the people to be genuinely nice and pleasant. I think the snobby label is given to a town considered to have money with a little envy and lack of information mixed in. Once you immerse yourself in the town or have any kind fo interaction, that impression is usually dispelled. Case in point, my new house could be in what is called a "snobby" area- yet in our first month in the house I had more people and neighbors say hello and welcome me than in 3 years at my other place.

The irony of the whole thing is that more often than not, the people labelling towns as being "snobby" are being more judgemental than the claimed "snobs." I always thought that to be a little comical.

[njmom8]

I completely agree with you! I found Westfield to be much more down to earth and friendly than an area I lived in Hunterdon county (that does not have that "snobby" reputation).

Thank you for your insight!