Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks! My husband commutes to Bergen county, NJ, Orange county, NY, Essex county, pretty much all over north NJ and some parts of NY. We can pretty much live anywhere around there and have no idea where the best place to raise a family is?
We'd like to stay around the 500 price point +/-. Schools are very imp as we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. We researched the latest nj monthly list and anything in the top 75 +/- seems good. We thought Westfield, but just don't think we could afford it comfortably.
We thought about Morris county as well, but just don't know? Any input would be greatly appreciated!
When considering a new county, it's usually best to pick a community that has your main consideration as a positive. Then research that community in detail as far as lifestyle, commute, etc. Based on that research you can then either 1) eliminate the county if it's not going to work or 2) make the county a definite possibility. After number 2, you can explore other communities in that county in detail to find the best match as far as an actual home.
So if good schools are the main thing, I would use Randolph as a test community. A town like Randolph has excellent schools, and is a pretty easy ride to most of the areas you described. I live in Roxbury (adjacent town) and I can make it to Middletown in Orange County in about 90 minutes. Randolph would be similar. Suffern is about 50 minutes, Paterson 35 minutes, and I can make it to Fort Lee in about 50 minutes. All of this presumes that it is NOT the rush hour. You can also take back roads through Sussex County and make it to Warwick in 70 minutes.
So Morris County might be a possibility in the $500,000 range in towns like Randolph, Denville, Rockaway, Jefferson, etc. You could even look in a town like Chester if you are willing to sacrifice the size and condition of the house for the excellent schools.
Another possibility would be Wayne in Passaic County. Central to everything with lots of backroads to utilize during the rush hour. Much smaller house and yard, you can get a 1,800-2,000 sqft 4BR Cape in your price range on a small but OK lot. Good schools (although perhaps not as good as Chester or Randolph - you'll have to research).
Since you can live in any number of areas and the market has come down in all communities, I would think you would have tons of choices.
Thanks! My husband commutes to Bergen county, NJ, Orange county, NY, Essex county, pretty much all over north NJ and some parts of NY. We can pretty much live anywhere around there and have no idea where the best place to raise a family is?
We'd like to stay around the 500 price point +/-. Schools are very imp as we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. We researched the latest nj monthly list and anything in the top 75 +/- seems good. We thought Westfield, but just don't think we could afford it comfortably.
We thought about Morris county as well, but just don't know? Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!!!
Try using SCHOOLDIGGER.COM . Great site that ranks all the nj schools.
Look serisouly at Long Valley, NJ. It's next to Chester. Best bang for your buck with A+ schools.
My recommendation as well! If hubby commutes to different areas everyday... Rt. 206, Rt. 78, Rt. 80, Rt. 46..etc. can all be easily reached from Long valley!
thanks so much! i was thinking long valley, but everyone tells me it's so far and they never heard of it. We're going this weekend! Any thoughts on Montville area --just trying to rule it out once and for all -can't seem to do that other than the very pricey homes we keep seeing that we can't afford! Thanks!
thanks so much! i was thinking long valley, but everyone tells me it's so far and they never heard of it. We're going this weekend! Any thoughts on Montville area --just trying to rule it out once and for all -can't seem to do that other than the very pricey homes we keep seeing that we can't afford! Thanks!
Montville is a great choice as well. It's probably better situated (on rt 287) for your husband to get around BUT your $500k wont go as far there.
If you are going to check out Montville also check out next door town of Boonton Township. Make sure it's Boonton Township not Boonton Town. Confusing becuase they share the same zip code but the Township uses Mountain Lakes High School which is a big plus.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
can't thank you enough
