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I think I infoed myself and my husband to death!
We are from NYC and want to move to NJ- the problem is where-. We both work in the city and don't mind a max commute of 1.5 hr (door to door) and we want somewhere where the school system is excellent, as plan to have kids soon, you can get a decent house, and where the taxes don't break you (less than 15K).
You might want to look at Cranford. It has everything that you describe, with easy access to all major highways. You don't mention what your price range is, or what type of property you are interested in. You may want to get pre-approved before you go any further, to be sure what your price range is. Pre-approval is the first step towards home purchase. DM me for more info.
Congratulations . We used to live in Green Brook and my husband comuted to the city for years. The train is the Raritan Valley line on NJ Transit and the stop is Dunellen. It's about a six minute drive to the train station and parking is cheap and easy (I think $40 a month - may be higher now - and plenty of spots).
Green Brook, Warren and Watchung all send their kids to Watchung Regional High School, a top-ranked school. They're all also part of Somerset county which has a great facilities (parks, golf courses, libraries, roads, etc.). I'm not sure how people in Warren and Watchung commute to NYC. It's a bit far to drive to Dunellen. Some may drive to Berkeley Heights and take the train from there.
I think I infoed myself and my husband to death!
We are from NYC and want to move to NJ- the problem is where-. We both work in the city and don't mind a max commute of 1.5 hr (door to door) and we want somewhere where the school system is excellent, as plan to have kids soon, you can get a decent house, and where the taxes don't break you (less than 15K).
Thanks so much!
What's your budget ? I think the typical place in most towns has lower taxes than that -- even Glen Ridge with its reputation for great schools and high property taxes.
Do plenty of due diligence on commuting time. When you say 1.5 hours door to door, many read it as "1.5 hours on the njtransit". I'd suggest shooting for an njtransit ride that is no longer than 45 minutes to Hoboken for a lower Manhattan commute, or 1hr to New York Penn if going to midtown.
Hi everyone-
Thanks for all the responses!
To give you more info
My husband and I work in midtown Manhattan and our max price we would like to pay for a house is $550K
IF it where me, I would look towards the west a bit yet staying close, like Summit or thereabouts.
Check commute times on the NJ Transit website and I'm getting repeatative posting this. but suggest d/l Google Earth on your pc and flying around the area using your pc to get some feel for the topography, density, surroundings, etc.
Somebody mentioned Berkeley Heights and that is a great town itself too. They put on a yearly fireworks show that is superb and the whole town and surrounding areas come to town. Very pleasant and nice areas too.
Prior to the real estate bubble bursting I'd say $550,000 wouldn't get you anything in a decent area while being close to NYC.....now that home prices went down you need to look along the "train corridor towns" to see which area fits your needs and budget. Would you consider a condo? Are you OK with a blue collar town which butts up against a higher priced town? Some suggestions: Fanwood, Scotch Plains, Westfield, Summit, Garwood, Cranford, Millburn/Short Hills, Chatham, Madison (Kenilworth, Clark, Springfield, Livingston, Florham Park, Hanover, East Hanover - but you would need to drive to train station in next town(s) over). Bayonne is a nice, old fashioned town and close to NYC - might be a bit blue collar - if that matters to you. South Amboy is up and coming and has ferry service so there's a bit of a commute - may have a train connection to NYC I am not sure. Woodbridge Township has many sub-communities such as Edison, Fords, Iselin. Colonia, and there is a commuter train called "Metro Park." It may not be in walking distance enough for you.
Not as nice as above mentioned, but very good access to NYC train, but you may have to put your children in private school, if that matters to you: Roselle Park, Union Twp., Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange
High crime area to avoid: Jersey City, Elizabeth, East Orange, Orange, Newark, Irvington and their borders: if that matters to you.
I do not know anything about Kearny or Harrison....check carefully. Google Earth is a nice idea, but you really have to go there on a weekday and weeknight and weekend to see the neighborhoods and how the neighborhoods are set up - how far apart are the houses, how far away are stores/downtowns, how old is the school buildings, in addition to many other factors which give you a level of security, etc.
Look into Morris County there are many great towns that would be right in your price range and the schools are very good. Many of the towns have either a train or bus stop in them that takes you directly into the city.
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Green Brook in Somerset County
. We used to live in Green Brook and my husband comuted to the city for years. The train is the Raritan Valley line on NJ Transit and the stop is Dunellen. It's about a six minute drive to the train station and parking is cheap and easy (I think $40 a month - may be higher now - and plenty of spots). 
