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My family and I will be relocating to New Jersey from Southern California in August. I will be working in Ridgefield Park but it doesn't seem like my ideal place to live. I know nothing about the area and have never even been to New Jersey.
What are some other towns I should look at based on factors below?
Safe, family oriented area
Good schools (my wife is a teacher though she won't be working right away, and we have a 2 year old)
Contains some retail shopping (target, Walmart, macys etc)
Is within a 30 commute to Ridgefield Park
Able to rent something other then an apartment
Average rent < 2500 for 2BR or <3k for 3br
Paramus. It's safe and family oriented, don't know about schools, though. LOTS of retail shops there, your commute is less than thirty minutes, and above all, you'll be able to find something in your price range.
Paramus schools are quite good, and it's likely a good choice. On the other hand, going in you should know it's a massive retail center and traffic can be horrendous as a result -- the highway traffic should be tolerable coming from SoCal but do visit any house you want to rent on a Saturday before signing on the line to make sure you're not living in the route of mall traffic, there are a few residential areas which get hit by it, it's a small chunk of the residential parts of the town but really bad where it is. Of course all that in-town retail leads to much lower taxes which leads to lower rent so on the net it's a good thing -- Paramus is a great town and I don't mean to be down on it, just to make sure you are aware of the one major downside and don't move in to a house on the route between a mall and the highway out of ignorance.
What do you not like about Ridgefield Park? Understanding that might let us give better advice.
I hear about Paramus and traffic, but in my experience all of Bergen County has a traffic problem unless you live north of Ridgewood (ex. Mawah, Rockleigh, Montvale, Park Ridge).
In other words, traffic is horrendous if you live in Ridgewood, Maywood, Fort Lee, Ridgefield Park, Oradell, and so on...
I have found times when the traffic wasn't bad in all these areas including Paramus.
Paramus schools are quite good, and it's likely a good choice. On the other hand, going in you should know it's a massive retail center and traffic can be horrendous as a result -- the highway traffic should be tolerable coming from SoCal but do visit any house you want to rent on a Saturday before signing on the line to make sure you're not living in the route of mall traffic, there are a few residential areas which get hit by it, it's a small chunk of the residential parts of the town but really bad where it is. Of course all that in-town retail leads to much lower taxes which leads to lower rent so on the net it's a good thing -- Paramus is a great town and I don't mean to be down on it, just to make sure you are aware of the one major downside and don't move in to a house on the route between a mall and the highway out of ignorance.
What do you not like about Ridgefield Park? Understanding that might let us give better advice.
Thanks for the recommendation. Ridgefield Park seems like a nice area, however I haven't been able to find more then 1-2 places available for rent that accept pets and are in our price range.
Quote:
Originally Posted by d_vader123
I hear about Paramus and traffic, but in my experience all of Bergen County has a traffic problem unless you live north of Ridgewood (ex. Mawah, Rockleigh, Montvale, Park Ridge).
In other words, traffic is horrendous if you live in Ridgewood, Maywood, Fort Lee, Ridgefield Park, Oradell, and so on...
I have found times when the traffic wasn't bad in all these areas including Paramus.
I'll be coming from Orange County/Los Angeles...I'm used to terrible traffic
Thanks for the recommendation. Ridgefield Park seems like a nice area, however I haven't been able to find more then 1-2 places available for rent that accept pets and are in our price range.
I'll be coming from Orange County/Los Angeles...I'm used to terrible traffic
Nice! Yeah, the traffic here can be bad (maybe not as bad where you'll be coming from), but you get used to it because you can find backroads and such.
I've driven all over bergen county and I experienced traffic on Rt. 4, Rt. 17, Rt. 80, Rt. 3, pascack rd., paramus, rd., farview rd., forest ave. (all in the southern region where the malls are located.), spring valley, kinderkamack rd., prospect st., tenafly rd., etc.
The point is that traffic in Bergenfield, Maywood, Ridgefield Park, Ridgewood, and Fair Lawn are all as busy as traffic Paramus.
I personally would not move my family into Ridgefield Park. Its not that bad of a town, but if you work there, there are so many more options to choose from, esp if your renting and you have kids. Paramus is a great choice, as is all the above towns d_Vader and others mentioned.
I hear about Paramus and traffic, but in my experience all of Bergen County has a traffic problem unless you live north of Ridgewood (ex. Mawah, Rockleigh, Montvale, Park Ridge).
In other words, traffic is horrendous if you live in Ridgewood, Maywood, Fort Lee, Ridgefield Park, Oradell, and so on...
I have found times when the traffic wasn't bad in all these areas including Paramus.
Yeah, my point wasn't to avoid Paramus entirely because of traffic but that the route between some of the mall parking lots and the highways runs through a few residential streets in Paramus and those specific small areas are critical to avoid. The rest of the town isn't any worse than the rest of that part of Bergen County for traffic, once you get off the highway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KellyIngle7
Thanks for the recommendation. Ridgefield Park seems like a nice area, however I haven't been able to find more then 1-2 places available for rent that accept pets and are in our price range.
Ridgefield Park is actually one of the cheaper parts of Bergen County, so in that case I'd recommend looking across the whole area, seeing what has inventory that fits your needs and then researching the various towns rather than locking yourself into a small set ahead of time. Avoid Englewood, Hackensack, Bogota, & Lodi (or move there with the plan of moving again in a couple years) because of the schools but otherwise if inventory is the dealkiller for Ridgefield Park I'd say keep an open mind. If I had to go with initial places to look Paramus would probably be the first place to look, New Milford number two if Paramus doesn't pan out in budget with pets but just stay away from the 4 listed and you should be good.
I would look into Paramus -- and it should fit into your budget, vis a vis townhouse or a single-family house. I just saw a 3BR, 2 1/2 bathroom, very nice, expansive townhouse for rent in Paramus -- very nice community -- and it was about $3000 per month. I also saw a small single family home for rent in Paramus, on the other side of Rt. 17 (east of Rt. 17), same specs I think, and it was also around $3000 per month. Paramus fits your other parameters as well. As far as traffic, sure, Rt. 4 and 17 has traffic, and during rush hour, bottom line -- there is a lot of traffic, relatively speaking. Period. However, it doesn't have to impact you as you can go from Paramus to RP without taking 4 and 17. You can also avoid 4 and 17 during other hours, but not completely. Going certain places -- along 4 and 17 -- yes, you'll have to take either/both. It's no big deal. It's not a problem. Taking 4 and 17 is not a death-walk. There might be some traffic. That's OK though. Paramus traffic is not unbearable...you are coming from SoCal!!! Paramus will be a walk through a rose garden for you!!! LOL.
Paramus is a much more diverse town than RP -- it has a lot more to offer -- and in my opinion it scores higher in all the areas you are looking at.
I don't live in Ridgefield Park but like you I work here. I commute from Montclair which is 30 minutes in the morning if I leave at 8 just to give you an idea of commute times and range from the SW. I'm not really familiar with rents but have you tried the adjacent towns of Hackensack, Teaneck, or Maywood?
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