Nutley v. Clifton (Newark, Paterson, Passaic: renting, crime rate, townhouses)

[MMan710]

Hello! I am currently renting in Rutherford and thinking about purchasing a townhome either in Nutley or Clifton. The main section I have looked at in Clifton is Cambridge Crossings, as there seem to be some reasonably priced units there (some are nicer than others and the prices range from $370s to the mid 400s - I think the upper part of that range is probably a stretch).

I haven't really looked at the Nutley townhomes yet, but I know they are older and the taxes are higher. If I found comparable units, what do you think would be a better deal? Would the homes in Nutley have a better resale value? Are the schools better in Nutley?

Any comments would be appreciated.

[EEEPNJ]

Very simple answer to this one....

NUTLEY.

[STrapani1105]

Originally Posted by EEEPNJ

Very simple answer to this one....

NUTLEY.

it's not always that simple. i like Nutley better too. but we don't know what this guy likes.

So here's the facts about nutley and clifton:

Nutley is a bit nicer than Clifton. Nutley is about half the size of Clifton in terms of population. Clifton has over 60,000 people and Nutley has a little under 30,000 people. Nutley is more residential than Clifton. Nutley is predominantly white, it's a very Italian community, but there's a growing number of minorities too. Clifton, however, is more diverse, it has a significant Latino population. At one point it had a # of Italians, but it's not going as strong as Nutley is. i'd say Nutley and Clifton were very similar about 20 years ago, but nowadays they are growing increasingly different with each passing day. Clifton might have a slightly higher crime rate than Nutley. What a lot of people don't realize, I think, is that the two towns are right at the county line. They are very similar towns, in terms of appearence, with some noticable differences, but Clifton is acutally in Passaic county and Nutley is in Essex. so any stuff that you might have to deal with for the county (like if you need to go to court or something, let's say) you'd be dealing with that in Paterson if you live in Clifton, or Newark if you decide to go with Nutley. taxes in both counties are around the same, Essex has always been very high, and I heard Passaic was very high too.

so to sum it all up, if you like more of an urban vibe, and fast-paced life go with Clifton. it's not like some cosmopolitan metropolis, but it's more so than nutley. if you want a more quiet and laid-back lifestyle. go with Nutley. Nutley is a nice residential town, big Italian community, and a lot of nice families. good luck with your decision, hope I could help.

[MMan710]

Thanks for the reply, it's definitely helpful. One of the things I seemed to notice about the Cambridge Crossings townhomes in Clifton is that they seemed a little bit detached/isolated from the community since it's a large community to its own. Admittedly, I don't know the surrounding area terribly well. It also seemed that to get to supermarkets, etc. you would have to hop onto Route 3 or US 46. Granted, you have pretty much any store you want within a 10 minute radius.

I also noticed that some rough-looking parts of Paterson (near St. Joseph's Hospital) are only about a 5 minute drive away form Cambridge Crossings in Clifton. Given that Clifton is separated from Paterson by the highway, I am assuming this is not a big deal (and I know that similar areas are probably in close proximity to Nutley, too, especially if you go toward Newark), and I didn't get any indication that it was not safe or anything like that.

The one thing I like, on its face, about Nutley, is that it seems more like Rutherford/Lyndhurst, in the sense that it's not completely surrounded by highways like Cambridge Crossings (yet it's still close to Route 3, and the major roadways). Where exactly would the "town center" of Nutley be? For example, where would one find the major roads, like Ridge Road in Lyndhurst where a lot of local stores/restaurants are located? While I have lived very close to Nutley for a while, I've never really examined it and I'm not from New Jersey, so I don't know much about many of the smaller towns.

One downside of Nutley seems to be higher taxes, and since the Nutley townhomes tend to be older, it may be difficult to find a newer (or newly renovated) one, which is really what I am looking for, since I don't want to have to make substantial renovations.

[johnfrisco]

Originally Posted by MMan710

Thanks for the reply, it's definitely helpful. One of the things I seemed to notice about the Cambridge Crossings townhomes in Clifton is that they seemed a little bit detached/isolated from the community since it's a large community to its own. Admittedly, I don't know the surrounding area terribly well. It also seemed that to get to supermarkets, etc. you would have to hop onto Route 3 or US 46. Granted, you have pretty much any store you want within a 10 minute radius.

I also noticed that some rough-looking parts of Paterson (near St. Joseph's Hospital) are only about a 5 minute drive away form Cambridge Crossings in Clifton. Given that Clifton is separated from Paterson by the highway, I am assuming this is not a big deal (and I know that similar areas are probably in close proximity to Nutley, too, especially if you go toward Newark), and I didn't get any indication that it was not safe or anything like that.

The one thing I like, on its face, about Nutley, is that it seems more like Rutherford/Lyndhurst, in the sense that it's not completely surrounded by highways like Cambridge Crossings (yet it's still close to Route 3, and the major roadways). Where exactly would the "town center" of Nutley be? For example, where would one find the major roads, like Ridge Road in Lyndhurst where a lot of local stores/restaurants are located? While I have lived very close to Nutley for a while, I've never really examined it and I'm not from New Jersey, so I don't know much about many of the smaller towns.

One downside of Nutley seems to be higher taxes, and since the Nutley townhomes tend to be older, it may be difficult to find a newer (or newly renovated) one, which is really what I am looking for, since I don't want to have to make substantial renovations.

Franklin Ave is the equivalent to Ridge Rd. Franlkin @ Center Street is the busiest part of town.

Here's an older thread comparing Nutley with Clifton:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...ce-nutley.html

[awd250]

did you check out riverwalk in clifton?

[nykstevenyg]

Clifton is nice for a city of its a size, but it does have some parts that are not as nice. I would say the schools in Nutley are much better than Clifton.

[PG631]

i just made the exact same decision and went with nutley. saw the townhouses in both... didn't like the layout of the clifton ones and also, as far as i could tell, no backyards with any of them. not walkable to public transportation. and when i looked it up online, nutley's school disticts were better. prices were similar, so it was a no-brainer.