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Please help by giving opinion/info on what areas/counties/towns I should look seriously into. Is it possible to get all 4 things I want?
My family and I have come to the conclusion we need to move from Northern CA to either New Jersey or New York. Where is the question?
We need to coordinate 4 important factors. 1. An excellent school district with great services for special needs kiddos. 2. 1hr or less in each direction commute to midtown NYC 3. Jewish community/walking distance to a synagogue with a vibrant/ family-oriented Jewish community. 4. Beautiful home in a nice neighborhood.
#4 is the only negotiable requirement
I am just OVER NorCal. Yes, the weather is good. Yes, I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the Californian Coastline. Yes, I finally have my kids in good schools. But my husband is commuting 6 HOURS A DAY from Carmel by the Sea to Mountain View and it is killing the "Peace of the home/Shalom Bayit" of our family. It just is not a sustainable model. Not to mention this state is going down the drain.
We are Jewish and want to live in a Jewish community. While there are Jewish people in NorCal, VERY few are even remotely religious. I’m sick of explaining why my kids cant eat pizza during Passover or why the High Holidays are a big deal.
There are 4 prerequisites that effect WHERE exactly
1. Excellent schools and or close to a private school that can accommodate "twice exceptional" children.
Not just good or great but excellent. Both our children (7 and 8 years old) are "special needs" "2E" in that they have significant ADHD and executive functioning issues and are also above average in intelligence. They both need to be in a school with a ton of structure, a curriculum that can be customized, small class size and support. Currently, our daughter is at a private school (Chartwell in Seaside CA) and is doing well. Our son has recently been assessed with ADHD, high IQ, and sensory issues. They are NOT autistic.
2. One hour max in each direction commute by bus, train, to Midtown NYC. Ideally, he could work on the train or bus on his way in and out. He is a programmer
3. Jewish community. We used to live in San Francisco and belonged to a Modern Orthodox Shul. We enjoyed being observant of the Sabbath and hosting dinners and or lunches for the Sabbath. I have worked as a pro Chef for more than 2 decades and I LOVE to host parties and have people over for Shabbat and Yom Tuvs. I favor myself to be a Balabusta and keep Kosher. Our observance level and comfort zone is “Conservadox” / Traditionally Jewish. We long to be part of a vibrant Jewish community that concentrates more on making mitzvahs rather than judging how others “hold.”
4. Last but not least, a nice older home that is 2,000 to 3,000 sq ft. Our budget to buy a home is around 1-1.5 million. We do know the property taxes are very high compared to CA and are prepared for that. I LOVE older homes (1900 to around 1950, ideally the 20s or 30s) and details that one finds in them. I do not like modern homes. I love the homes in Montclair NJ but it feels more “WASPy” than Jewish.
HELP! we need recommendations for areas that might be a good fit.
Please help by giving opinion/info on what areas/counties/towns I should look seriously into. Is it possible to get all 4 things I want?
My family and I have come to the conclusion we need to move from Northern CA to either New Jersey or New York. Where is the question?
We need to coordinate 4 important factors. 1. An excellent school district with great services for special needs kiddos. 2. 1hr or less in each direction commute to midtown NYC 3. Jewish community/walking distance to a synagogue with a vibrant/ family-oriented Jewish community. 4. Beautiful home in a nice neighborhood.
#4 is the only negotiable requirement
I am just OVER NorCal. Yes, the weather is good. Yes, I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the Californian Coastline. Yes, I finally have my kids in good schools. But my husband is commuting 6 HOURS A DAY from Carmel by the Sea to Mountain View and it is killing the "Peace of the home/Shalom Bayit" of our family. It just is not a sustainable model. Not to mention this state is going down the drain.
We are Jewish and want to live in a Jewish community. While there are Jewish people in NorCal, VERY few are even remotely religious. I’m sick of explaining why my kids cant eat pizza during Passover or why the High Holidays are a big deal.
There are 4 prerequisites that effect WHERE exactly
1. Excellent schools and or close to a private school that can accommodate "twice exceptional" children.
Not just good or great but excellent. Both our children (7 and 8 years old) are "special needs" "2E" in that they have significant ADHD and executive functioning issues and are also above average in intelligence. They both need to be in a school with a ton of structure, a curriculum that can be customized, small class size and support. Currently, our daughter is at a private school (Chartwell in Seaside CA) and is doing well. Our son has recently been assessed with ADHD, high IQ, and sensory issues. They are NOT autistic.
2. One hour max in each direction commute by bus, train, to Midtown NYC. Ideally, he could work on the train or bus on his way in and out. He is a programmer
3. Jewish community. We used to live in San Francisco and belonged to a Modern Orthodox Shul. We enjoyed being observant of the Sabbath and hosting dinners and or lunches for the Sabbath. I have worked as a pro Chef for more than 2 decades and I LOVE to host parties and have people over for Shabbat and Yom Tuvs. I favor myself to be a Balabusta and keep Kosher. Our observance level and comfort zone is “Conservadox” / Traditionally Jewish. We long to be part of a vibrant Jewish community that concentrates more on making mitzvahs rather than judging how others “hold.”
4. Last but not least, a nice older home that is 2,000 to 3,000 sq ft. Our budget to buy a home is around 1-1.5 million. We do know the property taxes are very high compared to CA and are prepared for that. I LOVE older homes (1900 to around 1950, ideally the 20s or 30s) and details that one finds in them. I do not like modern homes. I love the homes in Montclair NJ but it feels more “WASPy” than Jewish.
HELP! we need recommendations for areas that might be a good fit.
First town that popped into my mind was Livingston, NJ. Now, I don't know about private schools, so you may need to do a bit of research there, but if you ask specifically on the NJ forum, you might get some answers to that.
Coincidentally, I heard the term "Balabusta" for the first time last week. I have a friend who plays Mahjong with a group of women. My friend is Jewish by birth, but converted long ago when she married an Italian Catholic (she is close to 80). She has become good friends with a Jewish woman in the Mahjong group, and she described her as "what my mother would call a Balabusta". She said her friend keeps a kosher home, and it's a showplace.
(By the way, that's down in Wayside, NJ, which is part of Tinton Falls, a larger township. The private, well-regarded Ranney School is nearby, but it's somewhat outside the one-hour commuting distance to midtown.)
You may also want to check out Teaneck, New Jersey.
Scarsdale in Westchester County NY comes to mind right away. I thought about Ardsley, which is a good SD with a pretty good Special Education program from what I've read, but I'm not sure about other factors. Pelham is another one.
Please help by giving opinion/info on what areas/counties/towns I should look seriously into. Is it possible to get all 4 things I want?
My family and I have come to the conclusion we need to move from Northern CA to either New Jersey or New York. Where is the question?
We need to coordinate 4 important factors. 1. An excellent school district with great services for special needs kiddos. 2. 1hr or less in each direction commute to midtown NYC 3. Jewish community/walking distance to a synagogue with a vibrant/ family-oriented Jewish community. 4. Beautiful home in a nice neighborhood.
#4 is the only negotiable requirement
I am just OVER NorCal. Yes, the weather is good. Yes, I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the Californian Coastline. Yes, I finally have my kids in good schools. But my husband is commuting 6 HOURS A DAY from Carmel by the Sea to Mountain View and it is killing the "Peace of the home/Shalom Bayit" of our family. It just is not a sustainable model. Not to mention this state is going down the drain.
We are Jewish and want to live in a Jewish community. While there are Jewish people in NorCal, VERY few are even remotely religious. I’m sick of explaining why my kids cant eat pizza during Passover or why the High Holidays are a big deal.
There are 4 prerequisites that effect WHERE exactly
1. Excellent schools and or close to a private school that can accommodate "twice exceptional" children.
Not just good or great but excellent. Both our children (7 and 8 years old) are "special needs" "2E" in that they have significant ADHD and executive functioning issues and are also above average in intelligence. They both need to be in a school with a ton of structure, a curriculum that can be customized, small class size and support. Currently, our daughter is at a private school (Chartwell in Seaside CA) and is doing well. Our son has recently been assessed with ADHD, high IQ, and sensory issues. They are NOT autistic.
2. One hour max in each direction commute by bus, train, to Midtown NYC. Ideally, he could work on the train or bus on his way in and out. He is a programmer
3. Jewish community. We used to live in San Francisco and belonged to a Modern Orthodox Shul. We enjoyed being observant of the Sabbath and hosting dinners and or lunches for the Sabbath. I have worked as a pro Chef for more than 2 decades and I LOVE to host parties and have people over for Shabbat and Yom Tuvs. I favor myself to be a Balabusta and keep Kosher. Our observance level and comfort zone is “Conservadox” / Traditionally Jewish. We long to be part of a vibrant Jewish community that concentrates more on making mitzvahs rather than judging how others “hold.”
4. Last but not least, a nice older home that is 2,000 to 3,000 sq ft. Our budget to buy a home is around 1-1.5 million. We do know the property taxes are very high compared to CA and are prepared for that. I LOVE older homes (1900 to around 1950, ideally the 20s or 30s) and details that one finds in them. I do not like modern homes. I love the homes in Montclair NJ but it feels more “WASPy” than Jewish.
HELP! we need recommendations for areas that might be a good fit.
Before I even read the first comment on your thread, I thought of Livingston too. I do live next to Livingston in a town called East Hanover. East Hanover is in Morris County and that town has lower property taxes compared to typical NJ property tax. Livingston is in Essex County, which is a Jewish community, and you pay high taxes in Essex County. There is a large Jewish school in Livingston.
I recommend living in East Hanover, which is known as the "land of low taxes and heavy shopping". East Hanover has a good public school system.
Now, both towns have I-280 running through them, which is what you will need to use to get to NYC every day. I do not know anything about commuting to NYC since I never worked there, but yes, please have access to I-280. Part of East Hanover Livingston runs through 280, but the southern part of Livingston is where the Jewish school is located, so don't live too far south in these towns.
Great Neck, Nassau County, Long Island springs to mind. It's about 60% Jewish. ~30 minute train ride to Penn Station. You should be able to find the kind of pre-war housing you're looking for at that price point. With a quick glance, I see a 2,228 sf 1925 dutch colonial for $1.25 million.
I suspect the problem you'll have in any of the massively affluent NYC tri-state suburbs is getting admitted to private schools where everybody in town can afford the top private schools if you want better than the gold-plated public schools.
Great Neck, Nassau County, Long Island springs to mind. It's about 60% Jewish. ~30 minute train ride to Penn Station. You should be able to find the kind of pre-war housing you're looking for at that price point. With a quick glance, I see a 2,228 sf 1925 dutch colonial for $1.25 million.
I suspect the problem you'll have in any of the massively affluent NYC tri-state suburbs is getting admitted to private schools where everybody in town can afford the top private schools if you want better than the gold-plated public schools.
I feel you on your second paragraph. Most people in NJ have salaries high enough to afford private schools making them more like a public school.
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