Moving to north NJ/ Work in NYC (Elizabeth, Edison: low income, for sale)

[GKNYC]

I am soon going to be moving to NYC for work. Looking for best places and moderately priced apartments to stay in north new jersey so that I can commute to NYC (Penn Station plus commute to SoHo / Brooklyn). I have been looking at Elizabeth as it seems to have good apartments to rent. Are there any other places I could consider? Hows Elizabeth for living? It seems to be about a 20 minute communte and also has malls / shopping area etc. I am single, no kids and 34, and a teacher by profession.

[MrOutrageous]

Wouldn't really recommend Elizabeth. However, many people on this board say the Elmora section is nice. I would think you would want a town with a nice downtown but not a crazy commute. Try Montclair. Also look at Morristown, Summit and South Orange/Maplewood. All are somewhat pricey but there's bound to a condo or apartment in your range.

[kort677]

Originally Posted by GKNYC

I am soon going to be moving to NYC for work. Looking for best places and moderately priced apartments to stay in north new jersey so that I can commute to NYC (Penn Station plus commute to SoHo / Brooklyn). I have been looking at Elizabeth as it seems to have good apartments to rent. Are there any other places I could consider? Hows Elizabeth for living? It seems to be about a 20 minute communte and also has malls / shopping area etc. I am single, no kids and 34, and a teacher by profession.

I wouldn't advise anyone to consider Elizabeth, maybe you're the type of person who is willing to save money by living in aged substandard housing with low income types and that's ok by me, you should take a ride there and see for yourself, I would never live there.
the malls are in the port area and far from any residential areas and the downtown area is filled with chicken places and dollar stores, it's glory days are long gone.

[GKNYC]

Thanks much for the feedback...this helps...I am awaiting more responses to help me make a decision in choosing a place!

[ehs]

You can also consider Edison Hollow South Edison Hollow South that is 5 min walk to Edison Train Station and 45 min NJ Transit to NYC Penn Stn. One bed room condo is around $1,200 to $1,375 depending on the condition, if top floor, if with builtin washer/dryer.

Edison is top 10 safest town in the US and one stop south is New Brunswick, with very large train station, with Rutgers University if you like seminars, concerts, sports games ...etc.

I recently helped someone from Iowa to rent a 1br at Menlo Park Apartment that can walk to Menlo Park Mall and near Metropark Train Station (2 stops north to Edison) which is only $1,000. I personally feel may be a very convenient place, next to mall is nice park with lake, and hospital, another mall at Woodbridge also very convenient.

Next to it is Margate Coops REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail which is about the size with security gate to enter and exit. I found it is very good size for single and only $85,000 (so cheap!) If you would rent or buy, you can find in realtor.com very good price. Location wise, just across street to Menlo Park Mall which has very nice 2 story Barnes & Nobel; that is to say, as a teacher, you got a huge library behind your backyard... how nice!

[summerly]

You should check out the areas I listed above: Weehawken, West New York, Edgewater, Guttenberg, North Bergen -- all really lovely -- affordable to rent/buy and tons of perks!!

If you need a good realtor, I HIGHLY recommend Elayna Center -- she is with ReMax and helped me rent when I first moved to the city after college, then she helped me buy my first little apt -- then helped me sell that and buy a 2 family brownstone -- I have know her for ages and she is very knowledgeable about the areas.

Her info is: elaynacenter@earthlink.net

Or -- to avoid a brokerage fee for rentals -- you chould also check out Craig's List craigslist: san francisco bay area classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events and click on New York City and then NJ. You want to be close to Blvd East or Park Avenue for the best areas.

best of luck!

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by summerly

You should check out the areas I listed above: Weehawken, West New York, Edgewater, Guttenberg, North Bergen -- all really lovely -- affordable to rent/buy and tons of perks!!

i'm not sure i'd go as far as classifying these places as "really lovely". i wouldn't even classify them as "lovely". they are very old, populated, urban areas. but hey, one person's lovely is another's hell.

[GKNYC]

Thanks for all your replies....I also looked at Bloomfield and Nutley....how are these towns? Are they better than montclair and maplewood for NYC commute?

[GKNYC]

Anyone has an idea about Lyndhurst? Hows the town to live?

[ehs]

Lyndhurst is nice town, but, as I said, the closer to NYC and Northern Jersey, the more expensive ...