Where to live when working in Morristown? (Montclair, Summit: rent, mortgage)

[Leesaw73]

We may be relocating to New Jersey from Texas. My husband may be offered a job in Morristown, NJ. We want to get close to the northeast again because I have family in Delaware. So.... where are some good places to live that would be about 45 minutes or less from Morristown, NJ and about 1.5 hours from Wilmington, DE? I know you have all heard this before but I have small children so the schools must be good and the area clean and safe. I am also open to PA as well as long as it fits my commute time frames. I also have a very close couisin who lives in Princeton, NJ that I wouldn't mind being about an hour from her. Thanks!

[captne76]

Well anywhere in PA would be more than 45 minutes to Mo'town for starters. Motown has lots of residential suburban to rural even towns around it, particularly to the South and West since you mention P'ton and DE. I think a lot depends on your budget. If you had a boatload of $$ you could settle into some big country mansion outside of Mo' and be like 30 to 45 mins from P'ton. DE from most anywhere up here would take a lil bit longer, like 1 1/2 or 2 hrs unless you're down in S Jersey, but then you'd be too far for a daily commute to the North.

[Obrero]

What is your budget?

[sarahw]

That would be around 30 mins to Morristown, a little over 1.5 to Wilmington, 50 mins to Princeton, and has an excellent school district, very pretty and very safe...a bit pricey though.

[Hal Jalikeakick]

lots of great towns near Morristown:
Madison, Chatham etc. Morris county in general is great. Again, budget is crucial along with preferences for what you are looking for in a town. is a walkable downtown important? how important is a large yard, etc?

[tahiti]

<45 min to M'town and <1.5 hrs to Wilmington is going to be tough if not impossible regardless of budget. IMHO, Clinton's more than 1.5 hrs (but overall a very good suggestion). If I were you, I'd focus more on being close to work than being close to Wilmington. In general, living south of M'town will yield the worst commute (I'm thinking commute on 287), living east will give you the best commute. West is doable, however, you can't expect to live in PA and have a 45 minute commute. I wouldn't go further west than Clinton (more southern), or northwest of Hackettstown (due west) and still be in that 45 min timeframe.

As far as specific towns, we'll need budget and desires, as mentioned above. HTH

[mike0421]

Under 45 minutes to Morristown AND less than 1.5 hours from Wilmington is not possible. Tahiti is absolutely correct: focus on being closer to Morristown.

[Leesaw73]

Thanks everyone. It didn't look like it was possible to be 45 min from Morristown and yet still be 1.5 hours away from Delaware but I was really hoping. My whole family lives in DE including my 14 year old daughter. She decided to go back to DE for high school and live with her Dad. (She did not like Texas very much.) My husband is in the small aircraft industry and business in booming in New Jersey and Texas but unfortunately not in DE.

He will be asking for a salary for $95,000 per year, I will not be working at first but I am pursuing my bachelors in accounting right now so I have 2 years to go before I can provide income. Right now our mortgage is $161,000 (you get more house for your money in TX) and our mortgage payment is $1500 a month. (Taxes are high in Texas) I really don't want to go more than a $2000 per month mortgage payment. (taxes included.) I want a large yard, right now I have a little postage stamp for a yard and with 2 little kids and a dog it really stinks! When I say large I mean at least maybe .35 to half acre. More would be nice but I know land is hard to get unless you have the $$$.

[diva360]

I recently moved here from TX, and I would strongly suggest that you rent first and that you live East of Morristown. Also think about if you want to visit the city frequently for culture and entertainment or whatever--see what's on the train lines. Summit and Chatham are, and I think they are a little less expensive than Morristown itself. I was able to find a nice 3-bedroom in range of my 1600 ideal, but it was a hunt.

I'm saying rent first because the suburbs here are different than TX. (Maybe it's like this in DE too and you know this already, haven't been). Each little town has its own downtown with varying numbers and kinds of shops and restaurants. Each kind of has a slightly different feel. For example, Montclair, a half hour drive North of Summit, has a liberal, kinda hippie (in a good way) feel, and it's more diverse. Coming from Austin as I did, this appeals to me, and if I were to buy, I'd seriously consider that area. It's hard to know what area is the best fit until you're here. I'd also consider something more urban because I prefer that, but that would make my commute not so great.

[RhysNJ]

Well, you might look into my own suburban town, which is Florham Park. Comparably low taxes, ten minutes from Morristown, and quite safe. I've lived here just about all of my life. Houses start in the mid 400,000 and up to over a million. Good time to buy.

Rhys