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Hey everyone, my wife 2 babies and I are moving out to New Jersey in April, but we have no clue where to start. I have been to the south point of Cape May, and that's it and really liked it there because of all of the small businesses in the area, and beautiful homes. We can not live there though because I need access to the Eastern Philadelphia suburbs, and the Newark\Jersey City suburbs both within a short drive. I have heard Franklin was a nice place, but do not know anything about it, or other areas. Which towns should I look into with good infastructure access to both within a short drive, and also moderate traffic, and nice homely businesses (ie: mom and pop resturants, cinemas, etc....)? If anyone could help us out it would be greatly appreciated.
Hey everyone, my wife 2 babies and I are moving out to New Jersey in April, but we have no clue where to start. I have been to the south point of Cape May, and that's it and really liked it there because of all of the small businesses in the area, and beautiful homes. We can not live there though because I need access to the Eastern Philadelphia suburbs, and the Newark\Jersey City suburbs both within a short drive. I have heard Franklin was a nice place, but do not know anything about it, or other areas. Which towns should I look into with good infastructure access to both within a short drive, and also moderate traffic, and nice homely businesses (ie: mom and pop resturants, cinemas, etc....)? If anyone could help us out it would be greatly appreciated.
I had never heard of Franklin before, but I looked it up and it's way north, almost to the NY border. I would think that would not be a good option if you want quick access to the philly suburbs. I would suggest somewhere along 95, like New Brunswick. It has a nice college atmosphere and it wouldn't take you long at all to get to Essex county or Bucks County in PA. Also, the Lehigh Valley in PA wouldn't be hard to get to either with 78 closeby.
There are several "Franklins" in NJ- I'm assuming you're talking about Franklin Township in Somerset County, since that's the one that would be somewhat central to Jersey City and the Philly area. That said, Franklin Township is an OK area, but nothing to write home about, and the schools are just fair.
With regard to traffic, there's no such thing as "moderate traffic" when you're commuting to the Jersey City/Newark area, so you're going to have to look long and hard at that. It may help people to provide better info if we had more information on what you're looking for in the way of housing type/size/cost.
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
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TX_AGGIE13,
It depends upon which Franklin you are talking about. mattjd is referring to "Franklin Lakes" which is also home to Becton Dickinson.
I think the "Franklin" you are referring to is here in Central Jersey, specifically Somerset County along the border with Middlesex County which is known as Franklin Township. As with most places, there are good part and bad parts of this Franklin as well. It will definitely put you in easy striking distance of Philadelphia and the Newark/JC area either by train or car. Below is a link to a map of the area:
The area to the Northwest of John F. Kennedy Blvd. is the "better" section, especially as you move further out toward Somerville which is the county seat.
While New Brunswick is going through another renaissance, it is still a college town and prone to its fair share of problems. You may also want to look at the South Brunswick area. Great schools and proximity to many roads that will get you north and south quickly. These is a good amount of open space as well here.
I'd also suggest looking at the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor and I-95 to see locations that would work for you. If you are going to be working in one area more than another, it probably would be best to actually get closer to that area as a trip from either end point (Philadelphia or JC) is going to be about an hour one-way off-peak and about an hour and a half peak.
The schools in Franklin are bad and that's putting it mildly.
Somerset County, by and large, is a great place to live and in the middle of both of your locations. Do a craigslist search of Somerset County and see what you find.
Just as a point of reference, Cape May is to the rest of NJ as Padre Island is to the rest of Texas. To answer your question, you will be at least a 1 hour drive from any location convenient to both Newark and Philadelphia. Princeton is roughly midway between and is a nice area but rather expensive. You did not mention cost as a factor in where you would want to live. One thing to keep in mind about NJ is, that a very short drive can change the scenery from peaceful farmland to urban sprawl. You may want to consider a place that is near a train line, as the commute to the cities you mentioned can get old real fast. Post back with information on what you are looking to pay for rent/house and some of the members should be able to give you some towns to consider.
Thanks guys, good info! To be specific I was refering to Franklin Township, my apologies. ICost is not a factor, but I will be working in the Philadelphia, and Jersey City areas equally.
Thanks guys, good info! To be specific I was refering to Franklin Township, my apologies. ICost is not a factor, but I will be working in the Philadelphia, and Jersey City areas equally.
You should definitely check out Princeton. An interesting town with lots to see and do. Beautiful surrounding area where you can choose from upscale suburban developments to lovely rural surroundings.
I did actually do alot of online looking today, and will be taking a trip up in 3 weeks. From what I have seen I agree with the Princeton suggestion. I also am going to look around East Brunswick because of it's location as well. Thanks for the help everyone.
Btw....does anyone in here live in Princeton? If so can you tell me a little about it?
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