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First off, my husband and I are in our mid 20s with young children. We are from a VERY small town here in Ohio. I have an associates degree in Medical Support and my husband has an associates degree in Networking Administration. The problem is we cannot find jobs in our small town.
We are up to moving anywhere, but I came across a couple of job interests in Wayne and this city has peaked my interest.
I looked at the crime rate and that seems low. What are the best elementary schools and are there good parks and public pools?
Are there fitness centers such as the "Y"? Since we are young we love to stay active with our family, movie nights, bars, restaurants........could we maintain that in Wayne, NJ?
One more thing, I am interested in becoming a realtor. What are the best companies in the area?
We are so eager for change. I know it's best just to take a trip out there, but right now I would just love to hear some feedback. Thanks!
First off, my husband and I are in our mid 20s with young children. We are from a VERY small town here in Ohio. I have an associates degree in Medical Support and my husband has an associates degree in Networking Administration. The problem is we cannot find jobs in our small town.
We are up to moving anywhere, but I came across a couple of job interests in Wayne and this city has peaked my interest.
I looked at the crime rate and that seems low. What are the best elementary schools and are there good parks and public pools?
Are there fitness centers such as the "Y"? Since we are young we love to stay active with our family, movie nights, bars, restaurants........could we maintain that in Wayne, NJ?
One more thing, I am interested in becoming a realtor. What are the best companies in the area?
We are so eager for change. I know it's best just to take a trip out there, but right now I would just love to hear some feedback. Thanks!
Overall Wayne is safe and nice, but very suburban. There are more "fun" and "hip" places to live in New Jersey, but that may not be a priority if you have a family. That being said, coming from small town Ohio, it may seem more like a city! Your close to shopping malls, restaurants, and are only 20 miles from Manhattan. For may people, the appeal of New Jersey is the commute into the city, and Wayne isn't ideal for that, but if you're looking to stay in Jersey, that might not be the biggest deal.
Try searching the New Jrsey forum for Wayne and see what people say about it. Parts of the town are prone to flooding, so that's one thing to be concerned about. The city of Paterson that borders Wayne is (sadly) not the safest city in New Jersey, but I'm not sure if there's a spill over of crime into Wayne. Good luck!
The city of Paterson that borders Wayne is (sadly) not the safest city in New Jersey, but I'm not sure if there's a spill over of crime into Wayne. Good luck!
This is not a problem at all. I don't even think you can get into Paterson from Wayne without passing through Haledon.
It is a nice middle suburban class town and the answer is yes to pretty much every question you asked. It is also very large geographically and in terms of population. There are no "bad areas" except because of flooding, but you gotta be the own judge of whether you are close enough to the amenities you want. Be forewarned that traffic on the main roads in Wayne is pretty bad (it frequently will take you 15 minutes to get 5 miles on a 40 MPH road).
Other then that, only advice is to do your homework on the economics. NJ has a higher unemployment rate then the national average and the competition is pretty fierce right now.
Wayne is a great town--if you can afford it. Don't be fooled there are some affordable areas but they are in flood zones and not a little puddle in the basement flooding either. Straight up eveything is ruined call FEMA and hope your house doesn't need to be condemed flooding. Homegoods flooded during Irene and this weekend I thought, surely they are open by now, nope still closed due to flooding.
Anyway if you have a decent budget you should enjoy living there, lots to do, good shopping, good schools, safe area. There's also a lot of companies with head quarters there so jobs can be found. I don't know about the whole realtor thing, as you know the real estate market is pretty slow, there may not be much money to be made. Plus you'll be competing with people who know the area (history, zoning, schools, amenities, etc) but where there's a will there's a way, if you really want it go for it.
Also, keep in mind that NJ is made of of hundreds of small towns, even if you find a job in Wayne you don't have to live there, there are a ton of family friendly towns within commuting distance to Wayne, some are more budget friendly.
Wayne is a great town--if you can afford it. Don't be fooled there are some affordable areas but they are in flood zones and not a little puddle in the basement flooding either. Straight up eveything is ruined call FEMA and hope your house doesn't need to be condemed flooding. Homegoods flooded during Irene and this weekend I thought, surely they are open by now, nope still closed due to flooding.
Anyway if you have a decent budget you should enjoy living there, lots to do, good shopping, good schools, safe area. There's also a lot of companies with head quarters there so jobs can be found. I don't know about the whole realtor thing, as you know the real estate market is pretty slow, there may not be much money to be made. Plus you'll be competing with people who know the area (history, zoning, schools, amenities, etc) but where there's a will there's a way, if you really want it go for it.
Also, keep in mind that NJ is made of of hundreds of small towns, even if you find a job in Wayne you don't have to live there, there are a ton of family friendly towns within commuting distance to Wayne, some are more budget friendly.
Wayne is very large in area, and the places that flood are usually those closest to the Ramapo River. However, here's a rule of thumb--Wayne has two high schools - Wayne Valley HS and Wayne Hills HS. Look for a place in the "Hills" district, and you'll likely have less chance of being in a flood zone!
But what icibiu said is true--There are a number of small towns near Wayne that may be more affordable. NJ is not like other places, where you leave a town, drive a little, and come to another town. The towns blend into one another and unless you see a sign saying "Welcome to TOWN" or "Leaving TOWN", you might not even know you just crossed into another municipality.
Watch out, the town floods like crazy. Wouldn't even consider it.
^^^This.
Also, if you are used to a small town, Wayne is very large in size with no real downtown. Unless you consider Willowbrook Mall the "downtown."
By the way, Willowbrook Mall was closed for a whole week due to the flooding.
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