Woodcliff Lake or Englewood Cliffs (Hackensack, Teaneck: renters, low crime, homes)

[NEWJERSEY1]

i wanna which town is better to raise kids in

[EEEPNJ]

You seem to be asking this same question with different towns in many different posts. What are you looking for in terms of raising your family - let us know that and your budget and perhaps we can better help you find your ideal NJ town.

[NEWJERSEY1]

I'm looking for low crime, diversity, and nice neighbors who aren't racist, that's about it. My budget is 400,000

[zhelder]

Originally Posted by NEWJERSEY1

I'm looking for low crime, diversity, and nice neighbors who aren't racist, that's about it. My budget is 400,000

Bwa ha ha! Kiss these two towns goodbye, unless you at least double (and maybe triple) your budget. They're both beautiful towns. They're also both insanely expensive.

For $400,000, I'd recommend checking out the following towns in Bergen County:

Fair Lawn
Rutherford
Teaneck
Dumont
New Milford
Maywood
Rochelle Park
Hasbrouck Heights
Wood-Ridge
Saddle Brook

You might be able to get something for $400,000 in these towns with a lot of hard work and patience:

Waldwick
Midland Park
Westwood
Emerson
River Edge (A big stretch)
Hillsdale (Again, a big stretch)


Other towns will most likely blow way past your budget or aren't worth considering.

[EEEPNJ]

Zhelder gave you some good advice.

Keep in mind, racism exists everywhere...and you never know who your neighbors will be until you are moved in...that said, I do understand what you mean.

Just some tidbits on the towns Zhelder mentioned:

Fair Lawn: Large Jewish Community. Part of town that borders Glen Rock tends to be nicer than section that borders Elmwood Park.

Rutherford: Good schools for lower Bergen, diverse and a lot of renters in addition to owners. Has a nice downtown that is (sadly) suffering a bit w/ the economic crisis. Train station in town is always good. Very "walkable" town. Many good restaurants. VERY high taxes and big increases in recent years.

Teaneck: I'm not as familiar as others, but it's diverse. Schools are not wonderful. Overall a nice town and you have a good hospital, Holy Name, right in town.

New Milford: Nice town, I think most of the "diversity" would be that it has a large Phillipine population. Schools in this town are a mess (search it on Bergen Record's website) and taxes are very high... and you are not getting a whole lot for those taxes.

Maywood: Overall nice town. It is diverse. Has easy accessibility to major roads. Borders Hackensack where you have a great hospital. Not familiar w/ taxes here. Elementary school is not bad. No HS town members go to Hackensack HS which is not rated too well.

Rochelle Park: See Maywood... all applies, but I think Maywood is better overall.

Hasbrouck Heights: Nice town. Very pretty and you can have a nice suburban feel but it's not "the sticks." Right off 17, 46, 80 ... so quick access to these roads. Good schools and a nice little main street.

Wood-Ridge: Borders Hasbrouck Heights. Schools are just ok. Low crime though and a cute town where you can find a deal. Taxes are reasonable for Bergen County. Don't know how diverse the town is, but there is not a racist "feel" to it.

Saddle Brook & Dumont, I have been in, but don't know all that well.

There is a HUGE inventory of homes in Waldwick right now, so you could find some luck there. Westwood is a charming little town w/ good schools and diversity and a rather large (by BC standards) "downtown" area. A good choice and in todays market you can probably get in under $400 for a starter home.

Emerson's nice and has decent schools...it's "downtown" is kind of dumpy and supposedly undergoing a renovation soon.

River Edge - BIG stretch. Good Schools (shares HS w/ Oradell...forget about Oradell...$$$$) taxes tend to be high in RE too.