Moving to NJ: Central NJ vs Northen NJ??? (Newark, Trenton: appointed, insurance)

[tommyc_37]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

And they'd be wrong. Princeton is part of the greater Philly area and definitely has a South Jersey feel. The point is you are telling me Allendale compares to Princeton and it simply doesn't. That doen't mean Allendale sucks, it just means it's not as desirable as Princeton for a variety of reasons. That should be self-explanatory.

OK, up until this point, you have been speaking on matters of OPINION. Now you're bring up a matter of pure FACT.

Princeton is more desirable? There is only one way to determine that. Real estate prices.

Find me the average price per square foot for homes in Allendale. Then find me the average price per square foot on homes in Princeton.

Then and only then, will we determine which town is "more desirable".

I will bet you $10,000 that Allendale is "more desirable". Would you care to do some googling?

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by tommyc_37

OK, up until this point, you have been speaking on matters of OPINION. Now you're bring up a matter of pure FACT.

Princeton is more desirable? There is only one way to determine that. Real estate prices.

Find me the average price per square foot for homes in Allendale. Then find me the average price per square foot on homes in Princeton.

Then and only then, will we determine which town is "more desirable".

I will bet you $10,000 that Allendale is "more desirable". Would you care to do some googling?

You're obviously either from that area or have some vested interest. You want to be an Allendale shrill, have at it. It's not important enough for me to get into a debate. But I will close with this - Money ranked Princeton 15th best place to live in 2005 when Moorestown was #1 in the nation. There's a reason for this - location, amenities, media, culture, etc, etc., etc.

[DailyJournalist]

I would say take the Princeton job, its a great town.

[tommyc_37]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

You're obviously either from that area or have some vested interest. You want to be an Allendale shrill, have at it. It's not important enough for me to get into a debate. But I will close with this - Money ranked Princeton 15th best place to live in 2005 when Moorestown was #1 in the nation. There's a reason for this - location, amenities, media, culture, etc, etc., etc.

False, I'm from nowhere near Allendale. I was raised in a town that is considered by many to be Central NJ. In fact, YOU have a vested interest in where YOU live, hence why in your opinion, everything South Jersey = good, and anything not South Jersey = bad.

I'm not trying to be a chop buster, you seem like a nice guy, but your views tend to be skewed.

Per Trulia.com, the average price per square foot on a house in Allendale is $418. The average price per square foot on a house in Princeton is $202. Whoa, look at that. Which town is more desirable? Which town are more people willing to spend more money for?

I'll take it a step further. Didn't you say earlier that a purchase in the Princeton area would be a better investment, since "everyone's moving out of Bergen County, so property values would drop" ? Well, according to Trulia, the price per square foot on Princeton homes dropped 25% this year. In Allendale? 0% change.

It's honorable to be proud of where you're from, but you make some pretty bold claims.

Oh, and regarding the Money magazine reference...anybody with any analytical sense knows that those lists are baloney. It's basically a computer-based list based on the silliest things. There was some crappy NJ town that made one of those lists recently...made no sense whatsoever.

Real estate prices dictate desirability.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

You're obviously either from that area or have some vested interest. You want to be an Allendale shrill, have at it. It's not important enough for me to get into a debate. But I will close with this - Money ranked Princeton 15th best place to live in 2005 when Moorestown was #1 in the nation. There's a reason for this - location, amenities, media, culture, etc, etc., etc.

your shrilling about south jersey constantly is downright weird, IMHO. It's great to have pride in where you live, but you take it to a whole new (strange) level. Your posts are the epidome of "to make myself look good I must make you look bad." It's juvenile.

[usedtobeanyer]

Not to state the obvious, but I would just look at what you can get for the money in terms of housing and use that as a starting point for your decision. I live in Central Jersey and $500K can get you a pretty nice place in Robbinsville, East Windsor, Hamilton, Plainsboro, maybe Pennington/Hopewell...but definitely not in Princeton or West Windsor, both of which have excellent schools. Odds are very good that you will not live in Princeton, so start to get to know the neighboring towns a bit. I live in Robbinsville and my wife and I like it a lot. It definitely has the rural feel you mentioned. I am not terribly familar with Northern New Jersey. While some have pointed out that parts of Bergen County are quite congested and not very pleasant, it is also true that there are some really really nice areas up near the border with NY state. But it's pricey, from what I understand.

I'd go with Central Jersey based on your budget and your description of what you are looking for.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

You're obviously either from that area or have some vested interest. You want to be an Allendale shrill, have at it. It's not important enough for me to get into a debate. But I will close with this - Money ranked Princeton 15th best place to live in 2005 when Moorestown was #1 in the nation. There's a reason for this - location, amenities, media, culture, etc, etc., etc.

Why do you constantly refer to a list from 4 years ago- especially one that uses highly subjective criteria to rank cities? If Moorestown is so wonderful, why did it vanish from Money's list in 2006, end up back on the list at #78 in 2007, and vanish again in 2008? Makes you wonder about either the town, the list, or perhaps both, no??

[captne76]

Like the song goes, it all depends on Feeeeelings,,,
There's good & bad points everywhere although these two towns ain't bad.
In Allendale you'll be up in Buggin County, close to NY but closer to the mountains,
In P'ton you'll be closer to the Delaware River, Bucks County, PA, etc.

I'd just have to visit both and see where you feel better or more "at home".

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by tahiti

your shrilling about south jersey constantly is downright weird, IMHO. It's great to have pride in where you live, but you take it to a whole new (strange) level. Your posts are the epidome of "to make myself look good I must make you look bad." It's juvenile.

Asinine. I post plenty of positive stuff about towns in north and central NJ. Unfortunately, many of those northern NJ towns have more cons than pros but it what it is. I am one of the few people here able to speak from experience.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Why do you constantly refer to a list from 4 years ago- especially one that uses highly subjective criteria to rank cities? If Moorestown is so wonderful, why did it vanish from Money's list in 2006, end up back on the list at #78 in 2007, and vanish again in 2008? Makes you wonder about either the town, the list, or perhaps both, no??

I rarely talk about the money ranking but if you must know, Money focused on small towns in 2005 and housing affordability was a much lower weight in their rankings because of the boom. Money often changes its focus, methodology, etc., year to year because of economic conditions and the fact that they are in the business of selling magazines. The point is no other NJ town has ever been ranked #1 in the nation, it is what it is.