Compare Fair Lawn, Midland Park, Maywood, Bergenfield, Saddle Brook, Rochelle Park (Hackensack: home, neighborhoods)

[leo06]

Considering moving to one of these towns in Bergen County, Fair Lawn, Midland Park, Maywood, Bergenfield, Saddle Brook, Rochelle Park. How would you compare them, property cost, taxes, schools, diversity, community, nightlife (downtown, restaurants) etc.

[rural_urban]

It really depends what you're looking for. These towns are different in many ways. Please be more specific. Also providing your budget would be helpful.

[leo06]

I want to stay between 300-400k, taxes no more than 9500. Looking for a diverse community where my child will not be the only AA in her school.

[rural_urban]

First off, Midland Park is going need to come off your list since it will be very difficult to find a home in your price range with taxes below $9500.

Secondly if you were curious I looked at each towns high school to see the percentage of African-Americans who attend the school. I found that African-Americans make up 2% of Fair Lawn and Midland Park high schools, 4% of Saddle Brook high school, 9% of Bergenfield high school and 29% of Hackensack high school (where students from Maywood and Rochelle Park attend).

Personally I feel Maywood would be the best fit for you. It's a tight-knit community, fairly diverse, and it has a nice downtown area (West Pleasant Ave). You are also close to shopping, highways (4, 17, 80) and taxes are very reasonable. However of all the towns you listed, Maywood and Rochelle Park send their kids to the high school that needs the most improvement of the other schools listed.

Rochelle Park offers low taxes but has had some issues with flooding over the years. You are close to highways but the area lacks a downtown.

Saddle Brook has low taxes (higher than Rochelle Park though) and also has issues with flooding along Saddle River Road.

Fair Lawn is nice since it has two train stations in town along with great access to highways. The northeastern part of town is considered the nicest (not to say that other areas of town are bad). The schools are also one of the best of the towns you're considering (Fair Lawn HS is right up there with Midland Park HS). Population-wise it is larger than Saddle Brook, Rochelle Park and Maywood combined.

Bergenfield is diverse and it has a population size roughly the same as Fair Lawn. Taxes are fairly high for the area considering what you get.

Another possible option you could check out is Teaneck, however the taxes in that area can get high.

[ALackOfCreativity]

I don't really know Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park

Fairlawn and Midland Park you will run into the "where my child will not be the only AA in her school." issue.

Maywood is a nice town, but sends its kids to Hackensack highschool which is not the greatest.

Bergenfield has some AA population (super diverse town, AA is the smallest group but still present) and better schools than Hackensack, and is in budget. The downsides are that tax rate is high and the "downtown" isn't really a downtown but a really long commercial street that runs the length of the town (used to be somewhat run-down a couple decades ago but isn't anymore).

Teaneck is another option you should put on your list. Schools are more African-American than anywhere on it, are about on-par with Bergenfield in quality, and the town itself (both the downtown and the residential neighborhoods) is absolutely gorgeous. The restaurants are so good relative to menu prices that people go there sometimes from suburbs two or three towns away for dinner. High taxes again although not quite Bergenfield levels.