western ave, morristown (Madison, Chatham, Sussex: apartment, rentals, crime)

[yunjin]

Looking for a house now. How is the western ave at morristown, say a couple of blocks away from the washington st? Is it safe to walk to the Green at night? Saw a rehabilitation center there but don't know how it affects the neighbourhood. Thanks for any input!

[doc1]

If your asking about near proximity to a substance abuse rehab center, that would be a no-go for me.

[cire0220]

We live in Morristown- probably an area that is comparable to Western Avenue. We have lived here, right off of Sussex Tpk, across the street from the sussex avenue school since June of 2006. Not once have we had any thing stolen nor vandalized. We walk around all of the time. As long as you stay away from MLK, Speedwell, Etc., you should be alright. There are some other small pockets of town that you might want to stay away from. Just use your common sense. If the house is 150k less than other comparables than there is a reason. Take a drive by at night. So far we have not felt unsafe, as long as we stay out of bad areas. Even then it still doesn't feel that rough.

It is kind of a little city, so you have to take the precautions that you should take while in a city. What I am concerned about is the school system. I think that the gossip is a lot of hype, personally. But I will have to see. I know a bunch of doctors in the hospital send their kids to Motown high and don't even think twice about it. I think that all high schools have their trouble. I hope that the bad reputation regarding the school is incorrect. I know that it ranks high enough. I am looking to hear from people who have kids in the school system to make sure that it is ok.

As far as the physical area goes- we couldn't be happier. We like our house a lot. There are tons of trails, parks etc.. I am 2 mile from the gym and 2 miles from work. There are a lot of great restaurants. We like walking around Morristown some times.

Good luck.

Good luck!

[natona666]

I grew up right by there, by Sussex Avenue School.
It sure has changed in Morristown since I was a kid.

[natona666]

What's going on with the schools there? I have been looking to move backto Mo-town for 4 years.

[cire0220]

90% of the people that I talk with say that the schools are fine. About 45 grads are going to ivy league schools from last year. Academically it has a lot to offer, if students are willing to work. I come from a more suburban area, so I was a little afraid. My wife comes from NYC, so she doesn't know what the hell my problem is. To her this is paradise.

I have spoken to tons of people in the school and neighborhood and they all seem pleased.

I did talk to a cop that said some negative things about the school (drugs, etc..) but I guess that happens every where.

I guess if I try to put the time in with my kids than they should be alright.

I don't mind diversity, I just don't want hastles. I fear bloods, crips etc.. So far I think that my fears are relatively unwarranted. Every time some one says that they fear crimes and gangs than they are racists. From what I have heard from a teacher is that most of the black kids work really hard in the schools and some of them do quite well. Maybe if people realize that true opportunity exists for them regardless of their race then they really work for it. Some of the latinos have a hard time with language, etc. and some of them act out, I have heard.

When do you leave Morristown? Did you like Morristown? You want to come back? Where do you live now?

I think that the town gets a bad rap most of the time, maybe because of the riots that happened 35 years ago. The funny thing is that riots were going on all over the place then!

[NYruralrider]

Hi,
I lived in Morristown until 1987. I did not want to raise my children in the same environment I was raised in. We lived on Rolling Hill Drive, behind the Armory off Western Ave. Our house was broken into and robbed once and several other attempts were made when I was home. Neighbors had been broken into & robbed. A couple times random shootings took place on the street where street lights were shot out and houses fired into. I remember 1x my older sister had us hit the floor in the kitchen as someone was driving and shooting! As far as the schools went, they were pretty bad. Hillcrest had it's share of bullies and I was beaten up on many occasions from the 3rd grade on up. Middle School was not too bad. Sadly one of my classmates and the fellow I was paired up with for graduation was murdered by his father as the father murdered the entire family. I decided not to attend my middle school graduation. Morristown High School was dangerous. I was held at knife point when I called for help a faculty member ran past me. It was a very hard & dangerous place to be. Drugs were prevelent. One English class the teacher I had joked with a student as he cleaned his pot pipe. After I married we moved out of state to upstate NY. No regrets!

[MotownResident]

I am so angered by all the Morristown bashing that goes on in this forum - mostly by people who have no idea what they are talking about. I lived in Morristown on Western Avenue for 5 years during the 90's. I rented an apartment there and had the greatest time. I could walk to town, to the train, to the bars and restaurants, etc. Made a ton of great friends there. I worked in the city so the Midtown Direct was fantastic - less than an hour each way. Western Ave. has a great mix of people - from 20-something yuppies to hard-working immigrant families. NEVER had a problem there. No robberies, no car theft, no drugs, no vandalism, no violence. Western Ave. has a lot of colonial homes that have been converted to rentals as well as some nice upscale homes further up the street. The area around Western Ave is equally diverse in the style of homes and type of people. Plus there's a nice park down the hill on Budd St. I did read that there was a murder on Western Ave recently, but hell, a Mod cut PRIEST in the next town over from us (Chatham) was murdered last month! It happens everywhere people.

This guy that claims to have lived in Morristown until 1987...I dunno. What can I say? Morristown in the 80's was a little sketchy I guess, but all of NJ was back then. I grew up in Montville - an "affluent" suburb north of Morristown during the 80's and I can't tell you the problems that we had in our high school - drug overdoses, knife fights, teen pregnancies, DWI deaths etc. That high school is now a top-25 school, and it still has problems. The difference is that the parents, teachers, and faculty do a lot more damage control and keep the stories out of the papers so the school maintains its top-25 status and home prices in town stay lofty. Oh yeah, and while we lived in Montville, our house was broken into several times and we had a guy murdered execution-style with a samurai sword on his front lawn in Montville!! Ever had THAT happen in Morristown?!?! Didn't think so...

Morristown is indeed a small city, so you're going to have some problems. But as one person pointed out, the problem areas are very isolated and the cops do a good job of keeping things in check. But you will have problems in ANY TOWN in NJ. Morristown has so much to offer, and I think with the recent development going on there, it's only going to become a more disireable place to live and raise a family. There are top-rated restaurants, a theater, four-star hotels, shopping, cultural and historic attractions...why WOULDN'T you want to live there? Mod cut

As for the schools, it doesn't matter how wealthy the town is, kids will be kids. They're going to fight, do drugs, have sex, yada, yada, yada. You're foolish to think that it doesn't happen in your tight-ass yuppie town...it does! We live in Madison now and I guarantee the kids here drink and do more drugs than any of the kids at Morristown High School! Morristown HS has its share of issues for sure, but the caliber of education they receive there is top-notch. Great teachers, sports, programs, etc. If your kid is smart, well mannered and raised to know right from worng, they will do well in any educational environment.

By they way, to the guy who lived on Rolling Hill Drive, too bad you don't live there now - your house would be worth over half-a-mil. Have fun in upstate NY - certainly there's no problems up there

[stevemorse]

Albany and Troy have more crime and bad areas than Morristown.