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We were previously looking to move to Morris County, but now I think we might start looking in Bergen County as well. I'm not familiar with most of the towns in BC, so I was hoping I could get some input from people who've lived/worked around the area. Here are some towns we're looking at:
Demarest
Old Tappan
River Vale
Closter
Montvale
Allendale
Park Ridge
Franklin Lakes
Mahwah
Paramus
Ridgewood
Wyckoff
Upper Saddle River
I know this is a pretty long list, but our real estate agent keeps adding more! I'm trying to narrow it down. We hope to have at least a medium sized yard, and I've noticed some of these towns have smaller lots. Please let me know if any of these towns have major flood zones that I should be aware of. If you have any other towns you'd recommend, please let me know as well. Thanks!
We were previously looking to move to Morris County, but now I think we might start looking in Bergen County as well. I'm not familiar with most of the towns in BC, so I was hoping I could get some input from people who've lived/worked around the area. Here are some towns we're looking at:
Demarest
Old Tappan
River Vale
Closter
Montvale
Allendale
Park Ridge
Franklin Lakes
Mahwah
Paramus
Ridgewood
Wyckoff
Upper Saddle River
I know this is a pretty long list, but our real estate agent keeps adding more! I'm trying to narrow it down. We hope to have at least a medium sized yard, and I've noticed some of these towns have smaller lots. Please let me know if any of these towns have major flood zones that I should be aware of. If you have any other towns you'd recommend, please let me know as well. Thanks!
Those are pretty much the wealthiest 'burbs in BC. Nearly all have really good schools. Ridgewood has the best downtown out of those listed. Paramus has no downtown, mostly malls and lots of traffic. you could get a very sizeable backyard in Mahwah, Franklin Lks or USR.
I'm partial to Allendale because it's a good combination of small town, good schools and just enough downtown for a bite to eat or to stroll around
Paramus is full of malls (the highest retail sales of any zip code nationwide) and has terrible traffic and crazy draconian laws about what can be open on Sundays. I wouldn't live there.
Ridgewood has a great downtown and has the best "town" feel of the list you're looking at. It also has some of the best public schools in the entire state.
There's more ethnic diversity in Closter and Demarest, that have a fairly significant Korean community (larger further south, though). Closter also has a good downtown.
Otherwise... they're all pretty much the same. Northern Bergen County blurs together, and each town is a lot smaller, geographically, than they really should be. The list looks a little random, too, not sure why some towns got included while others did not.
If you're looking along train lines for commuting, check out the NJ Transit maps. Many of these towns have good train service, but some (Closter, Demarest) do not.
Any town from Ridgewood/Washington Twp/Westwood/River Vale/Harrington Park/Norwood north on the below map is pretty much the same otherwise.
Thanks for the replies so far! This is exactly what I was hoping for.
Our criteria: excellent school system, bigger lot (preferably more than half an acre), nice neighborhood. We don't commute to NYC for work, and don't really need a downtown.
Thanks for the replies so far! This is exactly what I was hoping for.
Our criteria: excellent school system, bigger lot (preferably more than half an acre), nice neighborhood. We don't commute to NYC for work, and don't really need a downtown.
If you want bigger lot, go with USR. Their zoning laws require at least 1 acre for any residential property. Since you don't need NYC commute, I suggest to stay away from any towns that are located along the train line such as Ridgewood and Allendale. Why pay extra for commute that you don't need (and deal with lots of local traffic)?
Since you don't need NYC commute, I suggest to stay away from any towns that are located along the train line such as Ridgewood and Allendale. Why pay extra for commute that you don't need (and deal with lots of local traffic)?
GREAT! Please tell me what other towns to 'avoid'! This will help me narrow down the list. Neither my husband nor I commute to NYC for work, so we really don't need it! Thanks!!
GREAT! Please tell me what other towns to 'avoid'! This will help me narrow down the list. Neither my husband nor I commute to NYC for work, so we really don't need it! Thanks!!
I'd say cross Paramus off your list. Not as upscale as other towns you mentioned. Too much traffic. Schools are definitely lacking compared to other towns on your list. Other than that, it's hard to narrow it down. I guess it would depend on your budget. If your budget is under a milllion, don't bother with USR and Franklin Lakes - you won't get anything decent. If it's somewhere in the range of 1.3M and above, those two towns might be your best bet.
I'd say cross Paramus off your list. Not as upscale as other towns you mentioned. Too much traffic. Schools are definitely lacking compared to other towns on your list. Other than that, it's hard to narrow it down. I guess it would depend on your budget. If your budget is under a milllion, don't bother with USR and Franklin Lakes - you won't get anything decent. If it's somewhere in the range of 1.3M and above, those two towns might be your best bet.
Upper Saddle River isn't particularly more rich than the other towns. It's Saddle River that's really expensive.
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