~500K 2/3BR Condo, Good Schools And <1 Hour D2D Commute To NYC (Bloomfield: 2009)

[hitmantb]

New Jersey High School SAT Scores - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com

>1000 = good school
>1100 = great school

(I know SAT score is not everything, but it is a quick way for me to filter schools/areas out)

I have been looking for housing in Fort Lee/Edgewater area. I took the bus there to test out the commute last week but I still don't have the experience of someone who take those buses on a day to day basis.

According to the time table, it is possible to go from Fort Lee South (156 which runs frequently during rush hour, right around 800 Palisade Avenue) or Edgewater (158 from Grand Cove Marina) to Port Authority in 35 minutes between 7-8AM! That allows a potential 1 hour commute door-to-door to most areas in Manhattan if you live very close to the bus stop. I took the buses on a Saturday when I did my test so it was even faster than that, but I am not sure if it counts for rush hour experience.

To anyone who take those buses day-to-day, is that the "average" commute time from these locations? Obviously there are traffic delays and what not, but is that the norm or exception? There are more bus delays than train delays, but buses also run a lot more frequently so it is not as big of a deal if you miss one. And you get lucky express's during off hours (I do work late sometimes) when there is no traffic, I have seen 25 minute trips around 7:30PM.

Also looking for suggestions from other areas. The train/bus part needs to be around 35 minutes or less to squeeze the door to door into 1 hour. I know Rutherford fits the criteria but I didn't see any family oriented condo/townhouse there. Nutley schools didn't pass the SAT score test. Metuchen didn't pass the commute test. I did see something interesting in Glen Ridge but the taxes are like 15K a year and it feels like a tiny neighborhood surrounded by sketchy ones (lower Montclair, Bloomfield). My wife requires the building she lives in to be younger than her, that is 1980 or newer.

[JerseyGirl08]

It is not really easy to go bye SAT scores. With your wife only being around 29 years old I can only assume you don't have HS aged children. The HS in some towns are ranked way different from their grammar schools. Rochelle Park and Maywood have wonderful schools but the HS is hackensack HS. Moonachie has had good schools but because they don't have their own HS they go to Woodridge.

Do you plan on staying in this TH until your child/ children go to HS?

[hitmantb]

I hate moving, not to mention high school is what people generally shop for. It has much bigger impact on property value and neighborhood quality than elementary.

SAT score is not everything, but it is the most objective filter, way way way more accurate than NJ Monthly Rankings. Leonia over JP Stevens and East Brunswick, Cedar Grove over Fort Lee and Paramus, sorry I don't agree.

Obviously you can't say a 1050 verbal math school is always better than a 1040, but at 50 points or more gap it says a lot about the overall strength of the school and yes social economic status of the students should be part of a school's strength. People don't go to ivy leagues for superior educations alone, they go for connections and stronger peers.

[clevedark]

SAT scores are directly correlated to income and race. So move to the richest white town you can find and the average SAT score at your local high school will be really high.

It's simple, if all you care about is SAT scores!

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by hitmantb

New Jersey High School SAT Scores - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com

>1000 = good school
>1100 = great school

(I know SAT score is not everything, but it is a quick way for me to filter schools/areas out)

I have been looking for housing in Fort Lee/Edgewater area. I took the bus there to test out the commute last week but I still don't have the experience of someone who take those buses on a day to day basis.

According to the time table, it is possible to go from Fort Lee South (156 which runs frequently during rush hour, right around 800 Palisade Avenue) or Edgewater (158 from Grand Cove Marina) to Port Authority in 35 minutes between 7-8AM! That allows a potential 1 hour commute door-to-door to most areas in Manhattan if you live very close to the bus stop. I took the buses on a Saturday when I did my test so it was even faster than that, but I am not sure if it counts for rush hour experience.

To anyone who take those buses day-to-day, is that the "average" commute time from these locations? Obviously there are traffic delays and what not, but is that the norm or exception? There are more bus delays than train delays, but buses also run a lot more frequently so it is not as big of a deal if you miss one. And you get lucky express's during off hours (I do work late sometimes) when there is no traffic, I have seen 25 minute trips around 7:30PM.

Also looking for suggestions from other areas. The train/bus part needs to be around 35 minutes or less to squeeze the door to door into 1 hour. I know Rutherford fits the criteria but I didn't see any family oriented condo/townhouse there. Nutley schools didn't pass the SAT score test. Metuchen didn't pass the commute test. I did see something interesting in Glen Ridge but the taxes are like 15K a year and it feels like a tiny neighborhood surrounded by sketchy ones (lower Montclair, Bloomfield). My wife requires the building she lives in to be younger than her, that is 1980 or newer.

I don't know school information but I've been commuting to the city for 30 years. If you need less than an hour commute, you need to pretty much live in a city that borders on the Hudson, or at best, the first stop on one of the train or bus lines. Example: I commuted from Ridgewood for years. It's 29 miles from Hoboken and it's 1 hour and 20 minutes door to door, and that's to the WTC. If you have to take subways and/or go to the East side or somewhere else away from any Jersey-fed terminals, it's going to be longer.