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Thanks for everyone's help; and please, keep the great advice coming!
To answer some of your questions, yes, my partner will indeed be working. We are estimating our combined income to be approx. $140K/yr.
Our first choice is not move out Maine, since we both were born and plan to retire here, but unfortunately the job market is dry for what I do and I was laid off just prior to the holidays. I need to go where the jobs are. With that said, I still want a nice area for our son to play and grow and obviously a place that won't judge him for having two moms...a concern I have with the more rural parts of NJ mentioned. Is this a founded concern?
Mahwah has been mentioned several times and I'll be checking out that area for sure. Any suggestions on how to go about finding a house or condo to rent? Is the typical Craigslist/internet search the most efficient way to go about it?
As for the commute, 30 mins. isn't bad at all. Like I had mentioned previously, I spent 17 years in the Los Angeles area (Orange County actually) of Southern California, so traffic won't shock me. If anything it sounds like NJ is right in the middle: not quite Maine, not quite L.A.
Are there any other areas similar to Mahwah that I should be looking towards? I'm hoping to rent a 2 bd/2ba for around 1800-2000 a month. Is that doable in that area?
Thanks again for all of your help. Your advice and suggestions have been a real life saver!
My first question is: Why? I don't particularly care for the cold weather, but if I had the ability to move from where I am now in NJ to anywhere in Maine, I would do it in a heartbeat.
That said, you should look into Warren, Sussex, and Hunterdon counties if you want something that feels a bit more like what you're used to. Northern Passaic County is a bit more rural as well (I believe someone mentioned West Milford), though nothing like northern New England rural. The immediate NYC metropolitan area (Hudson, Bergen, Essex) is the absolute pits.
Your best bet would be to stay put, really
Why do you have to question WHY the OP wants to move to NJ? She obviously has a reason, or she wouldn't be asking here...right?
You have to realize that a lot of people would like to move to NJ, for a lot of different reasons. I'm certain that many Maine people would wonder why you want to move to Maine, when in NJ you have a relatively strong local job market, great schools, NYC, Philly, AC, and miles of warm sandy beaches at your disposal.
Grass is always greener on the other side, right?
Oh--and there are many people in Hudson, Essex, and Bergen who think that Warren, Hunterdon, and Sussex are "the absolute pits". Why do some people have such a hard time understanding that certain people have different opinions and preferences than they do?
I live in the town next to Woodcliff Lake. Mahwah will be well under 1/2 hour, even in rush hour. I don't understand the recommendations for Mahwah, it's hardly rural, and the most idyllic sections are the most expensive, unless you live with the Jackson Whites in a dilapidated shack on one of the few hills they still own.
For rural or rustic, better for you is Rockland or Orange County, both in NY. Look at Sloatsburg and points north and west of there.
West Milford, NJ is semi-rural, not as rural as it once was, and it's overpriced compared to the towns over the border in NY state. Personally, I'd sooner live in NY than West Milford, considering the costs.
If you want a cute little artsy type town try Warwick, NY. Probably the most New England-ey thing you'll find and it's a town with more progressive/liberal attitudes than the surrounding areas.
A lot of people here have mentioned West Milford, it's a VERY big town (maybe even the largest in NJ, in size not population) so if you do look there make sure you look in a section of town that is close to the highway. When we were house hunting we saw a couple of houses in West Milford that were a good 20 minutes away from the nearest highway, so beware.
We ended up moving to Ringwood (neighbors West Milford to the SE) It is VERY beautiful. There happens to be a rental house very close to me; cute 2 bedroom cottage with a bonus room. It's lakefront property and the lake has a nice community with a clubhouse and lots of family activities (game nights, dinner w/ santa, mommy & me, sports teams for the kids) I believe the lakefront properties are required to join the lake ($500 a yr) not bad for all the activities they offer (there is a beach with lifeguards and a nice playground during the summer months). I just moved there myself so I don't know if there are any other gay families but I don't imagine it being a problem, NJ is pretty liberal. I think it's listed at $1900 but the owner told me she's fine with $1800 if need be which is a steal in my opinion considering that it's lakefront. DM me if your interested and I can tell you the name of the realtor it's listed with.
As far as daycare, recommendations are really going to depend on where you end up moving to but just to give you an idea of prices my son has been in 3 daycares since we moved to NJ 2 years ago. 1st on was $300 a week, pretty place but the staff was horrible, I pulled him. 2nd place was $160 a week, not so pretty but the woman that ran it was a total doll. Now I am paying $200 a week for an EXCELLENT center with a beautiful facility and great teachers. The rental I mentioned has a day care down the street, it's montessori, not sure how you feel about that style and I have no clue how much it costs but just so you know it's an option. Make sure you do your research when you move though, one place i looked into was $1800 a month!! That's more than what I used to pay in the heart of NYC, craziness!
I live in Vineland, it's about 10 square miles smaller than West Milford. The thing about living in a town of that size is, you have to ask about how a certain area is. For example, my high school was in the ghettoish part of town, my friends live in the middle of the woods, my uncle has a farm, my grade school and church are in the middle of cornfields, and I live in the suburbs. I say I'm from Vineland, and some people react thinking I live in the ghetto, while others a farm or trailer etc.
So my advice would be to try and find people from the part of town you want to move to.
Why do you have to question WHY the OP wants to move to NJ? She obviously has a reason, or she wouldn't be asking here...right?
You have to realize that a lot of people would like to move to NJ, for a lot of different reasons. I'm certain that many Maine people would wonder why you want to move to Maine, when in NJ you have a relatively strong local job market, great schools, NYC, Philly, AC, and miles of warm sandy beaches at your disposal.
Grass is always greener on the other side, right?
Oh--and there are many people in Hudson, Essex, and Bergen who think that Warren, Hunterdon, and Sussex are "the absolute pits". Why do some people have such a hard time understanding that certain people have different opinions and preferences than they do?
She later stated her reason and I sympathize with her plight. New Jersey's one thing if you're prepared for it, but I feel sorry for those who move here later in life, as it must indeed be a rude awakening.
About Maine: I wouldn't move there as a first option, as I hate the Northeastern winters which are only intensified in northern New England, but I would certainly take anywhere in ME over what I have here any day, as I prefer rural culture and ME's a great state.
About New Jersey: The schools aren't a concern for me as I don't have any kids at the moment, the job market's just fine, but we recently jumped to the national average in unemployment - I don't feel secure; the cities are rundown and crime-filled and while NJ is indeed close to NYC and Philadelphia, I'm not a big city person, so that has never much impressed me. One thing I will miss upon moving is going down the shore and the boardwalk culture, but many states, from Florida to Michigan to Alabama have great beaches.
I understand that people have different preferences, but I absolutely loathe this area of the state. I was raised in Essex county so I'm very familiar with northern NJ and the NYC metropolitan area, and while there are some nice towns here and there (I happen to live in one), Essex, Hudson, and Bergen counties are really just dumps. There are a lot of counties in NJ which I actually think are quite beautiful and have had great experiences with (Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Ocean, and Cape May, mainly), but with what it would cost to move to a different area of the state and the general criminal COL up here, it's not worth it to even attempt.
She later stated her reason and I sympathize with her plight. New Jersey's one thing if you're prepared for it, but I feel sorry for those who move here later in life, as it must indeed be a rude awakening.
About Maine: I wouldn't move there as a first option, as I hate the Northeastern winters which are only intensified in northern New England, but I would certainly take anywhere in ME over what I have here any day, as I prefer rural culture and ME's a great state.
About New Jersey: The schools aren't a concern for me as I don't have any kids at the moment, the job market's just fine, but we recently jumped to the national average in unemployment - I don't feel secure; the cities are rundown and crime-filled and while NJ is indeed close to NYC and Philadelphia, I'm not a big city person, so that has never much impressed me. One thing I will miss upon moving is going down the shore and the boardwalk culture, but many states, from Florida to Michigan to Alabama have great beaches.
I understand that people have different preferences, but I absolutely loathe this area of the state. I was raised in Essex county so I'm very familiar with northern NJ and the NYC metropolitan area, and while there are some nice towns here and there (I happen to live in one), Essex, Hudson, and Bergen counties are really just dumps. There are a lot of counties in NJ which I actually think are quite beautiful and have had great experiences with (Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Ocean, and Cape May, mainly), but with what it would cost to move to a different area of the state and the general criminal COL up here, it's not worth it to even attempt.
Bergen County is no "dump". Moderator cut: language I'm sure you couldn't afford the majority of Bergen County.
Last edited by knoxgarden; 12-01-2009 at 05:38 PM..
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judging
