moving to central nj with kids (Edison, New Brunswick: rental, condo, house)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'd like to ask for help. My husband will start a new job next year in New Brunswick and we're looking to buy/rent a house in a great school district. We are considering Basking Ridge vs Princeton based on the schools. But I was wondering if we can consider other "northern towns" to be closer to our NY family. School is very important since our kids have always attended public school and it has been a wonderful experience so far. I rather save for college than pay for private schooling. Price range can be from $700K up and rent can be $2500/month. Thanks.
There is a BIG difference between the $ you can spend on a house, and rent. In other words, you are NOT going to get much house/condo in that rental price range. For the areas you are looking that $2500 will be something less desireable than what you would live in if you purchased a $700K house. (hope that came out right?)
The North Edison School district is one of the best in NJ and has a very good commute to New Brunswick and NYC. The High school is J.P. Stevens. check out it out. Also as Halffull suggested, East Brunswick is very good too.
With a 700k price range, you have lots of options. Key question is would your husband want to commute 45 minutes every day so you can be closer to NY? Or would you stay closer to New Brunswick to allow a shorter commute but have a little longer trip whenever you visit your family in NY? Basking Ridge, Princeton, East/South Brunswick, Bridgewater, Berkeley Heights - all good towns with great schools and within your price range.
How often will you need to see family or make the trip for family gatherings. What times of the day will you have to travel to get there? How often will you want to participate in your children's after school/extracurricular events? Living in East Brunswick, South Brunswick will allow you to be closer to your children~with a bit of a drive to parts of New York. Living closer to NY will mean that you will be driving to work further on a daily basis.
South Brunswick and East Brunswick are excellent communities. If you can afford to buy, you'll end up in an established neighborhood with families of similar aged children, all attending the same schools.
I'd like to ask for help. My husband will start a new job next year in New Brunswick and we're looking to buy/rent a house in a great school district. We are considering Basking Ridge vs Princeton based on the schools. But I was wondering if we can consider other "northern towns" to be closer to our NY family. School is very important since our kids have always attended public school and it has been a wonderful experience so far. I rather save for college than pay for private schooling. Price range can be from $700K up and rent can be $2500/month. Thanks.
With your budget you can afford any town you want. 700K will get you either a modest home in the most expensive town or a McMansion in an average town. I'll list some town to consider, all have very good to great school districts.
Also I'll only list towns within a 30 minute (20 miles) or less commute to New Brunswick, and that is without considering traffic. I really wouldn't advise going out any further. Long commutes severely impact quality of life. With so many great options close by why deal with the traffic and headaches. Not to mention extra cost in gas and "windshield time"
North of New Brunswick
-Warren
-Bridgewater (especially the Martinsville section)
-Bedminster
-Metuchen
-North Edison
Actually, we can pay up to 3500 for rent but would rather not and save for the purchase! Most family live in Bronx/southern Westchester area. Currently, we live in Edgemont/Scarsdale area and love to find "similar school quality" and a family friendly environment. We plan to move this summer and hopefully have a list for towns to consider.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.