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I'm a Canadian from Montreal who got two possibilities to work (in Mahwah or Allendale).
Last week-end, I went to NYC for Easter and I decided to visit the places where I will possibly work. OMG those two towns are too burbs for me!!! My stomach twisted out terribly. They are nice towns, but i'm single father, 37 yrs old and my teenaged daughter will stay in Montreal with her mom. I have to move to USA cause there are no jobs here in Montreal in my field (medical devices engineering's).
Montreal is about 3 millions people. I feel really at home in NYC for the fast-pace, the energy and the things to do.
I took my car and checked out the towns from Mahwah to Fort Lee, then hitting south till Hoboken. I didn't see Jersey City Downtown neither the Water Front. None of them pleased me. Too much burbed for me. Except Hoboken or probably Jersey City.
I know those towns are about 40-50 minutes driving from Mahwah and/or Allendale.
My question... What about living in Upper West Side NYC? I will feel so much home there. I know its more expensive but for me the living environment is really important. Is it a real P*** IN T** A** driving from there to Mahwah even if it's reverse commuting?
You seem to know what you like. The city life can't be duplictaed, so it sounds like you should live there. Your commute might be more like an hour, but the reverse should help a lot. But there will be days when it will be horrendous -- but if you love the city that much, probably worth it. Try it for a year and you can always bail to the suburbs later.
Living in Hoboken or Jersey City will take the same commuting time than UWS? Is there short terms leases in UWS? seems to be fulled ones on Pad Mapper (which includes Craigslist, etc...)
I don't think the commuting time for Hoboken/JC will be significantly shorter, and it seems like you have a very significant preference for UWS.
The one aspect to explore would be whether your company has any sort of shuttle from the nearest train station. Then you cold be looking at some different commuting options which could effect the decision.
Commuting time is 1h40 by public transportation via GWB from UWS and about 1h20 from Penn Station... So I think i'm better going by car if it's an hour of driving.
A friend of mine lives in Washington Heights (area just over the GWB), which I always thought of as all drugs and violence until I visited her beautiful apartment. She is prof at Ramapo College in Mahwah, and makes the "reverse commute" every day. She says it's great--traffic moves well in both directions, since her rush hour is going the opposite way of everyone else's. I think it takes her less than an hour.
As people have said, try it out for a year and see how the drive fits. I've got a buddy who lives on 108th and Amsterdam and drives to Westwood NJ daily for work, never heard a complaint from him about the commute. Try looking further north in the UWS, or what might be Harlem/Morningside Heights and called UWS by a realtor (name is a name, if you like and feel comfortable in a neighborhood then all is meaningless) as the rents tend to be a bit less.
If the commute ends up being horrid for you though, check into towns like Ridgewood in Bergen County. Has a nice sized downtown area that is "small city" like to a degree. There's also a train station there that will get you to NY in a pretty decent time.
Could you live in hoboken and train up to Allendale or mahwah (problem is getting from the train station to wherever you work could be far in Mahwah....).
Car from NYC and back to Mahwah sounds horrible to me but i am picky haha
There are limited options for me as I understood. Hoboken or UWS...
I'll probably look to share an apartment in those two nightmares parking areas though...
For UWS, I was thinking living near the 96th for my budget (around 1300$).
Here in Canada, we are taxed a lot and on incomes mine is around 40%, but everything is cheaper and healthcare is totally free. Although salaries are less then in the US. Can you give me an average % on incomes in the US? I'll probably make 75k$.
There are limited options for me as I understood. Hoboken or UWS...
I'll probably look to share an apartment in those two nightmares parking areas though...
For UWS, I was thinking living near the 96th for my budget (around 1300$).
Here in Canada, we are taxed a lot and on incomes mine is around 40%, but everything is cheaper and healthcare is totally free. Although salaries are less then in the US. Can you give me an average % on incomes in the US? I'll probably make 75k$.
Merci encore!
It will be hard to live in the city on 75K. Especially since you will need a car and parking, and of course, car insurance and gas too.
Honestly, with your salary and rental budget, which is low, I would live in Mahwah, and then take a lot of trips to the city on the weekends.
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