cranford/verona? (Montclair, Hoboken, Westfield: condos, house, theatre)

[mel1012]

we are moving out of Hoboken and are looking for a place to live. we would love a great downtown, great neighbors, great shools for our family ---everything everyone wants right? We were looking in Cranford & also Verona? My husband works in North Bergen so we need his commute to be easy. Any thoughts on either of these towns.

we are used to a lot of town activities and being able to walk out of our house & meet people so i am a little nervous about what town we are going to.

any help would be great. ARe there any sections of these towns to steer away from? I know Cranford's flood zone. Don't know much about Verona other than it was near Montclair & the taxes were not as high.

thanks in advance for the help.

[MMTeacher]

I don't know too much about Verona except working there. I don't think there is much of that small town feel with town activities going on. At least compared to Cranford. Cranford is a small, quaint town with activities in it's town and in neighboring towns. Westfield is near and has things going on at different times of the year. In the summer they have Jazz music on one of their main streets- near the shops and all the outdoor restaurants.

Cranford has nice shops, small movie theatre, nice tree lined streets and activities. Also, they hold different events at the park- in front of the local community college. By the way, the college also has a nice planetarium and nice tennis courts on the college grounds. I also know that they have a town pool and park with different sports.

I have never lived there but lived in a neighboring town for most of my life. I used to go to Cranford/Westfield for some of the activities I mentioned above. Small towns but with all of the big town things nearby. Also, the community college and the train stops there and in Westfield.

Cranford is near Rt. 22 where there are alot of the popular stores- big movie theatre, Pier 1, all chain restaurants, Olive Garden and other chain restaurants, car dealers, electronic stores, Target, Walmart, etc.

I hope this helps. Send me a DM if you want. I thought someone else would've answered. Someone who knows the town better but it seems they haven't yet. I will help in what I can.

Personally, I would go with Cranford from what I've seen.

[Spincycle]

Originally Posted by mel1012

we would love a great downtown, great neighbors, great shools for our family ---everything everyone wants right? We were looking in Cranford & also Verona? Any thoughts on either of these towns.

we are used to a lot of town activities and being able to walk out of our house & meet people so i am a little nervous about what town we are going to.

Both great towns, lived in Verona/WC/FF a year each love Verona and west essex area. Cranford may be more happening socially speaking. Verona gives you Montclair w/o cost of Montclair. If I lived again in Verona I'd try to be close to the Verona park and the avenue too.

On another thread here i posted a ton of links on Verona and it may be pushed 2-4 pages back.

[Caro257]

Originally Posted by Spincycle

Both great towns, lived in Verona/WC/FF a year each love Verona and west essex area. Cranford may be more happening socially speaking. Verona gives you Montclair w/o cost of Montclair. If I lived again in Verona I'd try to be close to the Verona park and the avenue too.

On another thread here i posted a ton of links on Verona and it may be pushed 2-4 pages back.

Hi,
I have been looking for a condo in NJ for a while now. First Springfield than Cranford, Summit, Butler et al
Now my agent sent me some listings for Verona and was wondering how often do the taxes go up. The rate is rather high 9-12% and it worries me a lot. Condos are very affordable but the taxes make up for the difference. Can you tell me why the taxes are in fact so high? I'm still trying to go back and find your posts about Verona.

Thank you.