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Hello everyone.
This is my first time posting but I have been lurking for a few weeks now. My wife and I have been house hunting and seem like these two towns might be our best bet. We are looking for houses in the 350k range and want to stay in the vicinity of clark and linden due to family and friends.
I was hoping to get some opinions on these 2 towns. In colonia I'm looking at the clark border and country club section, and in Kenilworth I'm looking at the area close to the cranford border closer to the Parkway off of Michigan ave.
Both are decent areas, taxes might be relatively cheaper in K-town. I'd suggest checking the other factors such as commute, schools if you need them, etc.
Commuting would be better from Kenilworth, I work in Chatham and my wife in Livingston.
We have no kids yet and no immediate plans in the horizon. From what I have seen the two school systems seem to be on par. Is there one better than the other? Are there any areas in these two towns that should be avoided?
I would pick Colonia over Kenilworth but that is just my opinion. Colonia is known as the "rich" section of Woodbridge. You have a mix of 1970s colonials and split levels and that one section along New Dover Rd with huge mansions on enormous pieces of property. The school system is Woodbridge Township, which ranges from so/so to good. Woodbridge is a large town of just under 100,000 people, but really has no bad areas although I would not want to live in the areas bordering Rahway or Perth Amboy. Taxes have been going up a lot there lately, to the point where it has driven down property value. It is an old town that is definitely aging, but does not seem to be in decline.
Kenilworth I do not know much about. I know it is near Springfield and Union, which have some shady areas, but I never heard anything bad about Kenilworth itself. I think it is pretty blue collar though.
I would pick Colonia over Kenilworth but that is just my opinion. Colonia is known as the "rich" section of Woodbridge. You have a mix of 1970s colonials and split levels and that one section along New Dover Rd with huge mansions on enormous pieces of property. The school system is Woodbridge Township, which ranges from so/so to good. Woodbridge is a large town of just under 100,000 people, but really has no bad areas although I would not want to live in the areas bordering Rahway or Perth Amboy. Taxes have been going up a lot there lately, to the point where it has driven down property value. It is an old town that is definitely aging, but does not seem to be in decline.
After having worked in Woodbridge Township for 35 years, I can tell you that there has been considerable decline in most areas of the township over the past 15 years or so. Woodbridge "proper" and Avenel both have a significant gang presence at this point. Those who deny it are either not very observant or are burying their heads in the sand, IMHO.
And, the so-called "rich" section--Colonia--is decidedly lower middle to middle-class in nature. Remember that Colonia includes some of the rental units on St. George's Avenue, and some of them are a bit dodgy at this point. Most of the folks in the estates section of Colonia send their kids to private and parochial schools by the time that they reach high school age, and few professionals still send their kids to the township's high schools at this point.
All areas of the township have had an influx of residents mostly from hard-core urban areas over the past 15 years, with Elizabeth, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Paterson, Newark, and various parts of Hudson County being the common places of origin of the newcomers. The parents usually move to WT for a noble reason--to put their kids in a better environment. However, those kids bring their urban attitudes with them, thus resulting in the presence of genuine urban gang members and the "wannabes", both of whom have vastly increased the crime level in the township.
Most of the reputation of Colonia and other parts of Woodbridge Township is still coasting on its record of many years ago, when the demographic was very different. In my opinion, the reality of the situation locally is far less rosy than its reputation would lead you to believe.
Last edited by Retriever; 07-13-2011 at 01:07 PM..
There are no "shady" parts of Springfield. It is a gorgeous area with mostly very upper middle class to wealthy residents. It boarders Millburn and there are no crime areas and the schoold are fantastic.
As for Union, the only "shady" part is Vauxhall which is its own entity...the rest of Union is quite lovely with some very nice homes. The schools are not that great but definitely not shady.
Where did you ever get the idea that any part of Springfield is shady?
Quote:
Originally Posted by HubCityMadMan
I would pick Colonia over Kenilworth but that is just my opinion. Colonia is known as the "rich" section of Woodbridge. You have a mix of 1970s colonials and split levels and that one section along New Dover Rd with huge mansions on enormous pieces of property. The school system is Woodbridge Township, which ranges from so/so to good. Woodbridge is a large town of just under 100,000 people, but really has no bad areas although I would not want to live in the areas bordering Rahway or Perth Amboy. Taxes have been going up a lot there lately, to the point where it has driven down property value. It is an old town that is definitely aging, but does not seem to be in decline.
Kenilworth I do not know much about. I know it is near Springfield and Union, which have some shady areas, but I never heard anything bad about Kenilworth itself. I think it is pretty blue collar though.
There is nothing shady about the town. I have lived there and work right by there now...and yes...most of the town is higher upper middle class...with wealthier people moving in everyday, purchasing 2 lots and building mcmansions.
I am not sure when the last time you were there was, but there are bentley's, porsche's and every other $100k+ in a lot of the driveways and there are a ton of city dwellers moving. There is a reason why there is not a lot of housing inventory in the town (which is why I had to move to another town). Once people move in they rarely move out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TylerJAX
I wouldn't call Springfield "very upper middle class." It's probably the most middle class town in Union Country.
I definitely agree with you...but I also dont consider the towns you mentioned upper middle class. I would consider those wealthy towns. I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone 1 household in any of the towns you listed to be considered a middle class income home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TylerJAX
Let's not fool ourselves. For every Bentley or Porsche in Springfield, there are 20 Camrys and Accords
Springfield is a nice town; however, it's not comparable to Westfield, Chatham, Summit, or Livingston.
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