Why is homes in Hunterdon County so expensive? (Washington: schools, place to live)

[luckyshoes]

Originally Posted by Phish Head

Route 31 is bad, Route 206 is worse, but I'd take commuting on either road over Route 4, Route 3, Route 17, Route 18, 287, 440, or 80!

31 is not fun. The 206 stretch from Princeton to Somerville is the worst in the state though IMO.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by Phish Head

I guess you don't have to use 206 if you like riding behind some guy on his tractor on Bartley Road!

Or taking your life in your hands on Schooleys Mountain Road in the rain!

I know a lot of people in LV and they shop at the International Trade Center, and you pretty much have to use 206 or 46 for that....

what does bartley road have to do with avoiding 206? they don't even intersect or go in the same direction! LOL

yes, to get to ITC you have to use 206/46 but we're not talking about 46, and 206 isn't bad during non-rush hour (and the vast majority of lv people would use 46 to get there.) .

bottom line, the township is large and depending on where you live, 206 does not have to be part of your life (if you live near tewksbury you're not using 206, if you live near hackettstown you don't have to use 206). my husband rarely drives on 206, and if he does it's only on weekends.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by luckyshoes

31 is not fun. The 206 stretch from Princeton to Somerville is the worst in the state though IMO.

this i'll agree with - i hate visiting my SIL for this very reason.

however, phish and i are talking about 206 around chester.

[luckyshoes]

Originally Posted by tahiti

this i'll agree with - i hate visiting my SIL for this very reason.

however, phish and i are talking about 206 around chester.

206 isn't fun anywhere in the state IMO.

It's not a highway, it's a road.

Unfortunately it's the only straight north-south route for most of the state. It should have been made a real highway fifty years ago, instead we have five billion highways that run NE/SW from Philly to NYC.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by luckyshoes

206 isn't fun anywhere in the state IMO.

It's not a highway, it's a road.

Unfortunately it's the only straight north-south one for most of the state. It should have been made a real highway, instead we have five billion highways that run from Philly to NYC.

it's not that bad by me and not bad down in burlington county.

[luckyshoes]

Originally Posted by tahiti

it's not that bad by me and not bad down in burlington county.

I'm not that familiar with the part by you. I am familiar with the part in Burlington County, and while it's not as bad as some parts, it's still a road, not a highway.

[Phish Head]

Originally Posted by tahiti

what does bartley road have to do with avoiding 206? they don't even intersect or go in the same direction! LOL

yes, to get to ITC you have to use 206/46 but we're not talking about 46, and 206 isn't bad during non-rush hour (and the vast majority of lv people would use 46 to get there.) .

bottom line, the township is large and depending on where you live, 206 does not have to be part of your life (if you live near tewksbury you're not using 206, if you live near hackettstown you don't have to use 206). my husband rarely drives on 206, and if he does it's only on weekends.

You better check a map: Bartley Road certainly does intersect 206. I take Bartley Road to avoid 206 all the time. If you coming from the west on Route 513, make a left on Bartley Road (near Ort Farm), follow that and it dumps you right onto 206 at Flanders-Bartley Road, much closer to the ITC. You avoid the section of 206 on the mountain where two lanes go into one.

[Northeastcouple]

I dont know any of the Routes you guys are discussing (except for 80, 206 and 31), so I figured I would back up and let the rest of you battle it out..lol...

I appreciate everyones help, and opinions very much. Someone else from another thread suggested Washington twp,in Morris ( which prior to this thread,I though for some reason was in Warren county). I did a search, and yes the homes do seem fairly reasonable,at least for north/central NJ standards. When I saw some of them actually in the $230k range, I got a little nervous, like maybe there is a reason why they are $230k (neighborhood wise). But since a few of you suggested it, I may take a ride out there as well..BTW: Does Washington twp. intersect with the RT46 corridor?

Overall we like the Northwest/centralwest and the southeast shore area so far..We are still looking to check out the southwest part of the state. We def. dont want to be in the Northeast/Centraleast parts of the state its a little to fast pace and being close to NYC obviously out of our price range..

[Northeastcouple]

so Im not crazy: There is another Washington twp in Warren County, right?

[sammi_nj]

Hunterdon is actually a bargain compared to northern NJ; Glen Gardner, Hampton, High Bridge all good choices for decent homes under $250,000; I lived in High Bridge for years, taxes high as are sewer/water bills because waste is pumped into Clinton.
The other 2 towns are better choices; also Washington Tsp (Warren) or Union Twp (Hunterdon) still has some good finds. Hunterdon means you commute Rt 78, 31, or 202 and all are nasty @ rush hour; Rt 78 BAD in morning eastbound + evening going west. Washington Twp in Morris has high taxes but very pretty area. Don't rule out older farmhouses, they don't build stuff like they used to; some new construction is just plain scary, not built to last. Check out the realty sites again, try the towns I mentioned I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Always check exactly what is included in the taxes, some towns include water, sewer + garbage. Well/septic ok if it passes inspection so don't let that scare you off. Have older properties "swept" by an oil tank company for anything underground that may be a problem later. Soil tests not accurate, better to have tanks removed and put above ground; pulling them only sure way to be certain there is no contamination. My hubby does this for a living, just passing along info to save you money later if you buy in that area. My friend bought a house, old tank "filled + certified" before they bought it; they had it pulled and replaced above ground, was leaking where inspector didn't see so there was missed contamination fortunately it wasn't too bad. Lots of oil heat in northwest Hunterdon.