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I just came across this site and plan on doing some research reading through some of the threads here, but thought I could post a question to jump start my search.
I am looking at a possible move and am looking for some great towns to consider moving to within an hour drive of Trenton, NJ. Safety is number one as I will be away from home sometimes for a week at a time. My wife stays home with our two year old and we are expecting another little one in soon, so schools are also very important. I was halfway thinking about PA because I have heard taxes are lower. Going to start out renting and then probably buying a house within a year. Probably looking in the 300-400k for a 4 bed 2 bath house. I would ideally like to rent in the the same town/area I plan on purchasing.
Any suggestions on some nice areas with great schools and not too expensive houses????
In NJ I'd start with Hopewell/Pennington, Montgomery, South Brunswick, Robbinsville. All are safe, good school districts. Looking south of Trenton, Chesterfield is nice.
On the PA side of the river, the only town I really like is Newtown, although it's not much cheaper than the towns I named. Be careful with any commute into PA, it can take a lot longer during rush hour than it looks on a map.
Honestly, your budget is kind of low though for a single family. You'll definitely be more up by 400 or more than 300. 300 is a townhouse in any of the town I mentioned.
Schools, safe, and in your price range, I would recommend the following towns:
East Brunswick (1 Hour Away)
Great school system, beautiful town, and offers everything within the town. Close to all major highways as well (Route 18, Route 1, Route 130, NJ Turnpike).
South Brunswick/Princeton Junction (15-30 Minutes Away)
Great schools, just like East Brunswick in comparison. Larger town with a more open feel as things are a bit more spread out. Town as well has everything but things can be a little away from residences. Also lots tend to be a bit larger here.
Edison/Metuchen (1 Hour Away)
More city like feel out of the four towns as Route 1 runs through the majority of it and centrally located. Great schools as well. I would not say they are as good as EB or SB but close. EVERYTHING is available in this town.
Monroe (45 Minutes to an hour)
Want great schools and OPEN SPACE? This is the town for you. Not uncommon for people to have acres of land with their homesites. Problem with this town is if you are not into large amounts of open space, you will not like it.
Hope this helps a little bit. If you need anymore help, don't hesitate to ask or PM me.
Lambertville is a half hour north of Trenton on Rte. 29 and is very nice and safe. New Hope, PA is across a small bridge from Lambertville and is also nice. You might be able to find a small place in one of those towns.
In NJ I'd start with Hopewell/Pennington, Montgomery, South Brunswick, Robbinsville. All are safe, good school districts. Looking south of Trenton, Chesterfield is nice.
On the PA side of the river, the only town I really like is Newtown, although it's not much cheaper than the towns I named. Be careful with any commute into PA, it can take a lot longer during rush hour than it looks on a map.
Honestly, your budget is kind of low though for a single family. You'll definitely be more up by 400 or more than 300. 300 is a townhouse in any of the town I mentioned.
Good luck with your move HTH
Actually, with that budget/price in mind, they can probably find something in Hamilton Township, which is just south of Trenton...
for fair taxes, nice homes in your price and great schools look into Cinnaminson. About 40 minutes from Trenton.
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