Where to live near Princeton (Trenton, East Brunswick: apartment, houses, to buy)

[itkt]

My husband recently took a job in the Princeton area. We currently live on Long Island are are planning on moving to either NJ or PA. I am looking for any input on the NJ area surrounding Princeton. My husband doesn't want a long commute (I would say max being a half hour), we have two children 8 and 9 so we want a great school district, looking to buy a house for under $600,000, not crazy taxes, not a snobby area, and an area that has a great community feel. If you culd suggest any areas that fit this criteria I would appreciate it. I have looked into some of the more well known areas directly surrounding Princeton and know how pricey they can be, but I am not familiar with anywhere else. Thanks for any advice.

[robbiejr]

Lawrenceville; East and West Windsor; and a little further north of Princeton would be North and South Brunswick. I can speak most personally for North Brunswick because that's where I have lived for many years. The school system is nationally ranked as excellent and there are many beautiful parks and many community activites...lots of sports teams for kids to join--hope this is helpful.

[PDD]

Montgomery twp is nearby Princeton and like most of NJ the schools are good.
Hopewell is an charming little town with an old fashond main st. just one town over from Princeton.
You should be able to find something suitable in either of these two towns.

[luckyshoes]

Robbinsville is a very nice town, and you should be able to get something very nice in your price range. They just built a brand new high school, just for Robbinsville, so that is a big draw for people with school-age children.

Montgomery is another nice town, great school system, but more pricey.

On the PA side, Newtown is nice and has a good school district, but depending where you are, it can be a not-so-short commute to the Princeton area. The nice towns over there aren't that much cheaper either we found. I would stick with the NJ side, especially if you want to shorten your husband's commute as much as possible.

Good luck!

[deniss]

If commute time is an issue, stay in NJ. I live in Lawrenceville (in an apartment community), and my commute to Princeton is about 20 mins on a good day. If there's an accident anywhere, along Rt 1, that will become an hour easily. Living in PA will mean extra 5-7 miles on I-95 than what I commute (since you will want to opt for Yardley or Newtown area there).

All the towns mentioned above are good - Lawrenceville north of I-95 is a great area. But certainly school district is much better in Montgomery or Skillman. A lot of people who work in Princeton live in Skillman - another town to add to your list, very safe.

[AnthonyB]

Hopewell/Pennington is lovely, as is Rocky Hill. They will give you a nice village-y feel with a decent commute. Montgomery has great schools, high taxes and is more spread out with no real center.

[luckyshoes]

BTW, Rocky Hill and Skillman both go to Montgomery Schools.

[SweepTheLeg]

As a many-year resident of the area, I'd rank as the following:

1) South Brunswick, specifically Dayton, Monmouth Junction - nice area, best schools in Middlesex county outside of East Brunswick. Easier commute to Princeton than North Brunswick.

2) Plainsboro - excellent schools

3) Cranbury - excellent schools, amazing downtown area, amazing community feel

East Windsor has some nice areas, but can't give you the schools or the better taxes that the above three can.

Not sure about Lawrenceville - borders on Ewing and Trenton.

Personally, I think 600K will give you the most bang for your buck in South Brunswick.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by luckyshoes

BTW, Rocky Hill and Skillman both go to Montgomery Schools.

and Belle Mead

[Lucky Lady123]

Take a look at houses in Robbinsville I think you might be surprised and the commute to Princeton isn't bad either. Good Luck.