Moving To Mercer County (Trenton, Princeton: renting, house, new construction)

[kv78]

Hello,
I am originally from Chicago, currently reside in San Francisco with my husband and infant child. My husband is being relocated to a job in NYC but we have decided we want to move to Mercer County to be closer to some of his family now in Philadelphia and get some more house than we would in North Jersey. Problem is we don't know much about the area except what some friends in Philadelphia have told us. We are looking at Princeton, Pennington, Hopewell, Robbinsville and Hamilton (although we hear that the last 2 are more of a second tier to the first 3). Our key criteria are good schools, young families, somewhat close to train (my husband knows the commute is not great), restaurants and lots of activity/community feel. I think we have ruled out West Windsor/Plainsboro for a few reasons so not interested in that. We certainly want a house with a decent yard and hopefully not more than 5 years old. Is this even possible????? Please let me know if it is not.

[MoorestownResident]

You can definitely find that in Hopewell, good schools, nice house and lot size for the money. There's a lot of mcmansions out there so if you are not looking for that, perhaps Pennington is a better choice. Also be aware that there is a freight train that runs through Hopewell and some developments were built close to it. The downside to Hopewell is that everything is going to be a drive and the small boro area that it has it not impressive.

[kv78]

By mcmansions do you mean new developments? We certainly would prefer anything from brand new to 2-3 years old. What are you thoughts on Hopewell/Pennington vs. Hamilton/Robbinsville?

[MoorestownResident]

I personally like Hopewell/Pennington over Hamitlon/Robbinsonville but I prefer open space, quiet, wooded areas, etc. I don't mind driving to craziness but I don't want it in my backyard. Plus I like to drive my Acura so I don't care about 10 miles to shopping, etc. There will be a flood of 0-5 year old homes in Hopewell but they will be large and expensive. I'm assuming your budget is 700K and above. Just understand that everything will be a drive in Hopewell and Pennington, there some local conveniences and small strip malls but not a lot.

[kv78]

We are looking to spend between $700 and $800. Thanks for the comments. I think we actually prefer being near the craziness and convenience so maybe I should look at Robbinsville or Hamilton. Between those is one better (schools, safety) than the other? I see on the map they are both close to Trenton which I am told is not a good thing.

[MoorestownResident]

Schools are better in Hopewell. I wouldn't rule it out. Go drive around the area and see for yourself. IMO Hopewell is clearly 'better' than Hamilton/Robbinsville and it will have the type of housing stock you are looking for. Also, Trenton will not be a factor in any of these locations. Hamilton is the most built up of these locations. I would say schools between Hamilton and Robbinsville are roughly the same - slighly better than average.

[Lucario]

Originally Posted by kv78

We are looking to spend between $700 and $800. Thanks for the comments. I think we actually prefer being near the craziness and convenience so maybe I should look at Robbinsville or Hamilton. Between those is one better (schools, safety) than the other? I see on the map they are both close to Trenton which I am told is not a good thing.

If you are renting, I can see why you wouldn't like West Windsor or Plainsboro, even though they have the best schools in the area. I do think Robbinsville and Hamilton would be your best bet price-wise. There are parts of Hamilton which are right up next to Trenton, and indistinguishable from it, there are parts that are quintessential suburbia, and there are parts that are very much rural/backwater. Robbinsville has variations, too, but it tends to be newer and more upscale in the areas that are most desirable.

[AnthonyB]

First 3 ARE the nicest as mentioned - but the commute to NYC from either Hopewell or Pennington would be unbelievably long, neither is anywhere near any kind of transportation.
Princeton would be better situated for commuting, still long, but not quite as horrific. Nice town, good school. Harder to find new construction and a yard there but they are building a few on the edge of town although I think the prices are closer to $1mil+.
I'm not a fan of Hamilton, not sure why you would prefer it over West Windsor.

One other suggestion, not in Mercer but in that general direction and OK for Philly would be Cranbury in Middlesex County. Princeton High School, cute little town, lots of new construction and reasonably convenient for commuting to NYC (although still very long).

[kv78]

Thanks for the comment. Yeah as you were posting that last response I looked at the map and while Hopewell looks great, I think it could be a miserable commute. I wish $1MM was our price range because I would be heading straight to Princeton!! It seems all the homes in West Windsor are on top of one another and our friend who is Indian and moved to California from the area last year has told us it is almost an all Indian and Asian community which being white she said we might prefer to live in one of the other neighboring towns.
Does anyone on here have children in the Hamilton/Robbinsville school districts? Trying to get opinions on the schools or rankings.

Thanks for the comment on Cranbury, that is a town I did not know about, but from the map it looks like it could be a bit closer to NYC although its it strange they bus their kids to a different school?

[Lucario]

Originally Posted by kv78

It seems all the homes in West Windsor are on top of one another

Not true. There are those, sure, but there are others with lots of space.

and our friend who is Indian and moved to California from the area last year has told us it is almost an all Indian and Asian community which being white she said we might prefer to live in one of the other neighboring towns.

It is largely Asian and Indian, but there are plenty of white folks there. I am not white, Asian or Indian and I find the diversity of WW and P a positive, not a negative. My little boy just went to a party where there were kids whose ancestry was from all over the world. Why would you not want this? Other than Hopewell, there really aren't any overwhelmingly white towns in Mercer.

Does anyone on here have children in the Hamilton/Robbinsville school districts? Trying to get opinions on the schools or rankings.

Robbinsville has a better reputation than Hamilton.

Thanks for the comment on Cranbury, that is a town I did not know about, but from the map it looks like it could be a bit closer to NYC although its it strange they bus their kids to a different school?

In NJ it's not strange. Lots of small communities here that don't have the resources, or the community will, to have their own schools.

You can actually take a direct bus to NYC from Cranbury. Exit 8A I believe.