job in New York, need EXCELLENT NJ schools

[NJ200822]

Clearly you are not very familiar with NJ lol because as the others have said the answer to this question depends ENTIRELY on your budget. The best commute to Manhattan would be from Norther Jersey (i.e. Bergen, Essex, or Morris Counties). However the towns in these areas with good schools tend to be VERY pricey. If your husband works on Wall Street some of the Northern shore towns would be nice because the ferry from Highlands is 35 min to Wall St. These towns located in Monnmouth Co. include, Rumson, Little Silver, Fair Haven, and Monmouth Beach) they are also less pricey (with the exception of Rumson) than the North Jersey towns. Schools in these towns are very good and tend to be small. If your're commuting by train the North Jersey towns are ideal, but very much in demand and very pricey. Depending on the location of your work there are other Monmouth Co. towns that would be nice. Colts Neck and Holmdel both have top notch schools, however the train ride would be 60min. Parts of Middletown and Red Bank would be nice too depending on your budget, but schools not as great. I would'nt recoment the train commute from the E. Monmouth Co towns (Rumson, Little Silver etc.) as anywhere south of Middletown you're looking at a train commute of 120min or more. Taxes also something to consider, as NJ has the highest property taxes, and the towns with good schools are highest. North Jersey taxes are very high, while the central Nj towns are not quite as high, but still high in comparision to anywhere else.

[dmccauley]

Here is the 2008 tax rates for Monmouth County. You'll see Rumson has a very low tax rate but the home prices are outrageous

http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxa...t/gtr08mon.pdf

[mmakov]

I also moved here from Chicago.
Consider a 40 minute Ferry ride!!! The Jersey Shore in Monmouth County is super nice and he would love commuting by ferry, which really beats the train!
I live in Fair Haven, a small, family-oriented town right along the Shore, 5 minutes to the Beach, 5 minutes to Red Bank for great fun, restaurants. Most "dads" and lots of moms here commute by ferry to NY. Average home is $700K, and schools are outstanding. I have kids in 2nd and 3rd grade and they walk or ride their bike to school, play with neighbor kids, do baseball, basketball, etc.
A true "Mayberry" town. Rumson is also very nice, but avg home is $1Mill.
Moderator cut: no solicitation YOu would love it! It's like Wilmette, Winnetka/North Shore communities only a bit more small-town feel.

[Ms.Charlotte]

Originally Posted by mmakov

A true "Mayberry" town. Rumson is also very nice, but avg home is $1Mill.
I'm a realtor, and happy to answer any questions you might have or show you the area. YOu would love it! It's like Wilmette, Winnetka/North Shore communities only a bit more small-town feel.

Ha ha! A "true Mayberry town" if Aunt Bea carried a Prada purse and Andy drove a Mercedes. Sorry, I love Fair Haven but couldn't resist.

[Phillip S1]

Move to Bergen County, great schools & close to NYC

[lagourmande]

Hi,

Many thanks for all this advice. We decide to rent a place in Summit for a year and see how it goes. Luckly, there is no commute to worry about right now, since he's immediately working overseas. Now I just have to meet people here and we will have to see!

[Lusitan]

Summit is a good choice, I think you will like the town. Renting is a smart move in this market, perhaps by next year if you decide to stay in the area the market will have stopped sinking and houses will be more reasonably priced. You'll also have a good feel for the area by that time. Good luck and welcome to NJ.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Phillip S1

Move to Bergen County, great schools & close to NYC

But not good enough to teach you how to read the TOS it would seem, or is that a hold-over defect from Sweden?