Working in New Brunswick NJ and living in PA cross border towns (Philadelphia: home)

[MoeMan]

Hi all ,
I am considering a job offer in New Brunswick , NJ. I live in Dallas , TX and the cost of living in NJ is way to high compared to Dallas.

Some People told me that I can live in PA across the border which will save me a lot of money. So i am looking at towns and places within 50 minutes drive from New Brunswick that are affordable , good schools and reasonable.
Since the new job requires three days in office and 2 days from home and sometimes entire week from home then I do not mind driving for 45-50 minutes to work each way , this is not a daily commute everyday.

I really appreciate it sharing your thoughts about towns , places in PA that has good schools, safe and within 50 minutes drive from New Brunswick NJ.

I have three kids, a 15 years old, 12 years old and 4 years old. pretty much I need good schools elementary , middle and high school...

Looking to buy a house, or maybe a town house. The budget is around max 600K but more important is good schools, nice and safe neighborhoods. I did not search in NJ since everyone i spoke to recommended PA due to NJ HIGH PROPERTY TAX but if there are reasonable places in NJ within 50 minutes drive to New Brunswick then I will consider it.

Thank you very much and looking forward to your input.

[toobusytoday]

It would be helpful if you gave us a price range and perhaps some towns or areas that you'd be interested in. I have no idea where New Brunswick is so don't know what's within 50 minutes. I just looked at a map. That's really deep into NJ and I'm not sure you can get to anywhere in the Lehigh Valley in that amount of time. I live in Southern Lehigh county, about a mile from the Bucks county line. I have family that lives in Princeton and it takes me over an hour to get there and that's west of New Brunswick. If you go directly west into PA, you'll be looking at some of the most expensive land in the state of PA. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion.

One suggestion would be Quakertown in Northern Bucks county, but still the outer range of your commute.

[briantroutman]

A 50-minute commute time limit basically rules out the Lehigh Valley entirely. It would take about 50 minutes—with no traffic—to get from the very last I-78 on-ramp in Pennsylvania to New Brunswick, NJ. And once you add your travel time getting to the Interstate, and then account for typical traffic, you’d be well over your threshold.

The fastest drive from PA to New Brunswick would be in the far eastern end of Bucks County along the I-295 corridor—the Newtown/Yardley area. You’d have a fairly straight shot across I-295 and then up US 1, although keep in mind that US 1 is not a freeway, and you’d find yourself regularly coming to a grinding halt at traffic signals for a solid 20 miles from I-295 to New Brunswick. From Yardley to New Brunswick is about 40 minutes with no traffic, and you might be able to keep to an average of 50 minutes on a daily basis if you time your drive carefully.

[MoeMan]

Originally Posted by briantroutman

A 50-minute commute time limit basically rules out the Lehigh Valley entirely. It would take about 50 minutes—with no traffic—to get from the very last I-78 on-ramp in Pennsylvania to New Brunswick, NJ. And once you add your travel time getting to the Interstate, and then account for typical traffic, you’d be well over your threshold.

The fastest drive from PA to New Brunswick would be in the far eastern end of Bucks County along the I-295 corridor—the Newtown/Yardley area. You’d have a fairly straight shot across I-295 and then up US 1, although keep in mind that US 1 is not a freeway, and you’d find yourself regularly coming to a grinding halt at traffic signals for a solid 20 miles from I-295 to New Brunswick. From Yardley to New Brunswick is about 40 minutes with no traffic, and you might be able to keep to an average of 50 minutes on a daily basis if you time your drive carefully.

Thank you very much for the input, I guess I should have posted in Philadelphia forum. I am not from PA nor NJ and trying to find the best place to post my question.

[blazerj]

It’s about 30 miles from the PA border to 287 on 78. That can take anywhere from 28 to 45 minutes (assuming no crashes/ lane closures...). Then from 287 to New Brunswick is about 10-15 miles. That can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes (same caveat).

I have driven from the border to New Brunswick in 45 minutes on weekends or non-commute hours. I think you would be much worse off coming from 295 (say Yardley, PA). Rt 1 is a disaster much or the day (lights, shopping, and businesses). The other way to NB is 27, which isn’t much better.

You may want to consider living in Bridgewater or Hunterdon County. Both don’t have the crazy Jersey taxes and housing prices that you read about, since it’s kind of a pain to commute from there to NYC.