Waldwick or Demarest (Ridgewood, Wyckoff, Park Ridge: house prices, to buy, schools)

[NEWJERSEY1]

Which town between the two do you think is better? Better education, better neighbors, better quality of the town, etc. Thanks!

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Originally Posted by NEWJERSEY1

Which town between the two do you think is better? Better education, better neighbors, better quality of the town, etc. Thanks!

I think they're about equal, although Demarest, being older, has more older homes and more smaller ones, also. I like Demarest's location much better, but I'm partial to being east of rt 17.

[luckyshoes]

Originally Posted by NEWJERSEY1

Which town between the two do you think is better? Better education, better neighbors, better quality of the town, etc. Thanks!

On schools, definitely Demarest.

[zhelder]

Demarest is considered the more upscale town, but Waldwick is a nice town as well (I lived there for seven years). Waldwick has better highway access (Rt. 17 is easy to get to). Schools are better in Demarest. I would think housing is quite a bit cheaper in Waldwick though (still expensive though). Waldwick does have a slightly higher blue collar population than most of the other comparable burbs in Bergen County (still mostly white collar though).

Either town is a good choice.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by NEWJERSEY1

Which town between the two do you think is better? Better education, better neighbors, better quality of the town, etc. Thanks!

Traditionally, I would think Demarest off the top of my head, but Waldwick, which was in the past sort of a low-income town with so-so schools seems to have upgraded itself in recent years. Was recently looking at house prices there and I was kind of taken aback that it had become so expensive.

It might be just me approaching old age. I remember Allendale being a hick town and now I know someone who moved out of Allendale partly because he's a landscaper and the newer, snootier McMansion kids made fun of his kids because their father cut THEIR fathers' lawns.

But back to Waldwick--it does seem to have improved in the past decade or so, and it's accessible to everything.

[PEBCAK]

Waldwick is undergoing a little renaissance with it's updated downtown and train station area, sidewalk cafe/deli etc.. The people are nice, not a lot of pretense and the schools are good. Ultimately, I suggest you do what My wife and I did before we moved to Waldwick. Go to the Diners etc.., talk to the people who live there to make an informed decision.

Demarest is a nice town, my wife and I considered it along with Ridgewood, Wyckoff and Park Ridge. We liked the people of Waldwick more and we have warm, great neighbors. Those other towns were a bit more "cold", at least that was our experience when we were running around looking to buy a home. We bought in Waldwick 4 years ago and still love it. Good Luck

[Collegeguy12]

Demarest schools have a MUCH, MUCH BETTER reputation but it is kind of far removed from the highways. It is a nice, quiet, very upscale town.

Waldwick is much more middle class and has okay schools...they are ranked lower than most who are in the same income class in the county. And it is much cheaper. But it is in a better, more accessible location.

Have you considered Allendale? It is similar to Demarest in schools and income demographics, but has a phenomenal location right off rte 17.

[luckyshoes]

Originally Posted by Collegeguy12

Demarest schools have a MUCH, MUCH BETTER reputation but it is kind of far removed from the highways. It is a nice, quiet, very upscale town.

Waldwick is much more middle class and has okay schools...they are ranked lower than most who are in the same income class in the county. And it is much cheaper. But it is in a better, more accessible location.

Have you considered Allendale? It is similar to Demarest in schools and income demographics, but has a phenomenal location right off rte 17.

Allendale is nice but the housing stock is the pits unless you have a huge budget.