Hillsdale or Lodi ??? (Hackensack, Teaneck, Fort Lee: apartments, to rent, low crime)

[NEWJERSEY1]

i wanna which town is better to raise kids in or if your living by yourself. pros of both towns would be great, as well as cons!!

[Waldwick04]

I would go with Hillsdale. its a very nice town in a great area. Lodi is a nice town in my opinion, but it has more traffic and is more densely populated, with smaller lots. Lodi has more to do in the surrounding area though.

I would say Hillsdale, but it is more expensive also. Either way you cant really go wrong because they are both nice places to live

[EEEPNJ]

Hillsdale and Lodi are comparing apples and oranges. Hillsdale is an upscale town with an excellent school system, very low crime, mostly single family homes (but some apartments to be had) and a hefty price tag to accompany all of these niceties.

Lodi is historically a lower Middle Class/Blue Colar town. The school system leaves a lot to be desired. While I would not say it's a "dangerous" town, it certainly has a higher crime rate than Hillsdale. Lodi does have some gang activity. There was also recently talk of opening a meth clinic in town, I know there were citizens groups fighting it, but I don't really know what the outcome was. While nothing in northern NJ is CHEAP - it is certainly going to be more affordable than Hillsdale.

Are you considering any other towns?

[Nancy-NJ-NY-ME?]

If you'd like a more suburban town, then Hillsdale would be the place. It's a well-maintained town that has a true community feel.

Lodi is bi-sected by more highways. I'm curious how you came to compare these two municipalities. Have you been to both of them?

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Hey Waldwick04 - Do you live in 04763 now? I grew up there. Ooops - meant to type 07463. ;-)

[Waldwick04]

Originally Posted by Nancy-NJ-NY-ME?

If you'd like a more suburban town, then Hillsdale would be the place. It's a well-maintained town that has a true community feel.

Lodi is bi-sected by more highways. I'm curious how you came to compare these two municipalities. Have you been to both of them?

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Hey Waldwick04 - Do you live in 04763 now? I grew up there.

I do live in Waldwick. I can see its been a while. the zip is 07463

[NEWJERSEY1]

Originally Posted by eeepnj

hillsdale and lodi are comparing apples and oranges. Hillsdale is an upscale town with an excellent school system, very low crime, mostly single family homes (but some apartments to be had) and a hefty price tag to accompany all of these niceties.

Lodi is historically a lower middle class/blue colar town. The school system leaves a lot to be desired. While i would not say it's a "dangerous" town, it certainly has a higher crime rate than hillsdale. Lodi does have some gang activity. There was also recently talk of opening a meth clinic in town, i know there were citizens groups fighting it, but i don't really know what the outcome was. While nothing in northern nj is cheap - it is certainly going to be more affordable than hillsdale.

Are you considering any other towns?

of course. Norwood, ridgefield park, river edge, and emerson help me out

[EEEPNJ]

Tell us what you are looking for. Renting? Buying? Single? Married? Kids? Do schools matter? Looking for urban/suburban? What's important to you.

[NowOrNever]

Originally Posted by NEWJERSEY1

of course. Norwood, ridgefield park, river edge, and emerson help me out

I would say Norwood and Emerson. Emerson would be more expensive and also probably more congested at times.

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Lodi, Ridgefield Park, and the southern Bergen County towns are less expensive in terms of home prices and rents. They are also more crowded and less sedate. The schools are fine just about everywhere in Bergen County.

If your concern is raising kids, I'd say the quieter, more secluded towns in northern Bergen county are better. More open space and parks, generally better facilities at the schools, more places for kids to hang out without getting into as much trouble. Streets are less traveled in the neighborhoods and are safer. Less transients and passers-through.

Obviously, the same money will buy you less in the northern towns but if you can afford a decent sized home with a decent yard (not big, just enough to enjoy and have your privacy) then that's the way to go.

Another nice thing is that most towns in northern Bergen County have nice little town centers. I live in Park Ridge, but to me Hillsdale's center of town is the nicest (which is why it was featured on the TV show "Ed"). From up here we can access all the shopping and entertainment of Paramus within 10-15 minutes, but the rest of the time we're not dogged by the traffic that people have to put up with in towns like Lodi, Rutherford, Ridgefield Park, etc. Up here, nobody really has a reason to come here unless they live here. The corporate parks are right off the Parkway so workers who commute don't have a reason to come into the towns and generally don't.

Hillsdale is the town of choice, in my opinion. It's not snobby (well, not too snobby, and not yet, at least) but it's nice, safe, attractive, perfectly situated, and has a good school system w/ Pascack Valley High School. Nice parks, nice town center, all the conveniences are close-by - Kmart, ShopRite, fast food, walgreens, King's, and Paramus is only 10 minutes away, the Parkway is five minutes away. And, best of all, the prices seem to be holding out at the lower end for all the towns in this area, WHY I have no idea, but I don't see how anyone can go wrong with Hillsdale as long as they can afford it.

I think for someone who is a younger, single person that is looking to rent or own a small, inexpensive home then the Lodi's, Ridgefield Parks, etc. would be better. Closer to the city, and each one has a little bit more urban feel, and they are right in the heart of businesses, industrial buildings, entertainment (bars/restaurants), shopping, major highways (80, Parkway, 17, 46, 4). For a single person or a young couple it translates to lower costs, lower maintenance, more conveniences for people of that age, most likely it's closer to work for them as well, or easier to get to work from there. Schools and quiet streets don't matter so much to a 26 year old guy who just wants to work all week and then go out every Friday and Saturday night and meet babes. For him it's all about easy access and low maintenance so he can spend more time out socializing. Lodi is great for that as are Ridgefield Park, Rutherford area, Fort Lee area, etc.

[Newarkbomb]

I live in Lodi right now and it's an ok town to rent in i guess, since i'm renting.. but to plan on owning a house here and raising a family is not the best place to do it.
The schools are one of the wirst in bergen county (Garfield being the worst probably, and it's the neighbor). So called Hackensack's terrible schools are better than Lodi's.
I'm not trying to rag on Lodi because it is the town i called home for almost a year but I seriously am looking forward to move next month to my new home in Teaneck.

Lodi gets thumbs down in property taxes, schools, and crime compared to Hillsdale. (Lodi isn't terrible or anything, it's just the strange comparison to Hillsdale that makes it look bad)

ok, now i have to name pros about Lodi because it's really not a bad town.
Lodi has a better location if you want to have a lot to do.You can also try the schools because my daughter goes to the public elementary here in Lodi and she had no problems really. It's also a lot more diverse when you compare it to Hillsdale which might be a big plus for you.