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Old 10-23-2011, 08:56 PM
 
27 posts, read 38,062 times
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Hi everyone! Lifelong Marylander here possibly moving to NJ in 2012 for husband's job. Really don't know anything about the state and wanting to get educated.

His job would be in the Princeton area. After dealing with DC metro traffic for 25+ years, would PREFER to commute more than 15-20 miles one way. We are used to long commutes because the cost of living is so expense down here - need to get farther out to get affordability. . .is the Princeton area like that?

What are the major suburbs of Princeton. Is Trenton the closest major city to Princeton?

Basically what I'm getting at is I want a solid middle to upper middle class area for living and schools. We would rent housing initially. Budget for rent/mortgage is up to $3K a month. I am a teacher and would probably substitute teach initially to get a feel for the school systems (districts? - everything down here is done by county, not district - the entire county is one school system).

On that note - any schools/systems NOT to even bother trying to sub in for safety reasons??!?!?

Top 3 priorities are - nice neigbhorhood/public school system, access to a decent size suburban area (250,000 people plus) so I don't have to drive an hour for shopping, restaurants, medical, etc; outdoor activities - mountains/Poconos, beach, etc.

We don't have to be close to NYC since job is not located there.

I know this is a very broad question - I appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks!
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Old 10-23-2011, 09:32 PM
 
Location: Midwest transplant
2,050 posts, read 5,914,897 times
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West Windsor, Plainsboro, Cranbury, Robbinsville, Lawrenceville, Pennington, South Brunswick might all be the type of community you are looking to settle into. You don't want to live in Trenton. Subbing in any of the others, including Princeton itself would be fine for your safety. All have decent schools (some higher ranked than others~check GreatSchools website). School districts in NJ are all individual. You would have to apply to each one separately for substituting. Many of them do use a web based posting system, so you could proabably pick and choose your school/assignment in one sitting.

Houses and taxes in that area are going to be high~you could probably rent a nice sized town house for under $3K month in Plainsboro. There are many back roads to Princeton, and Routes 1 and 27 are the major routes north and south into the downtown area. Depending on exactly where your husband's job will be, it could be on the outskirts of downtown and still be a Princeton address.

Great activities in the area, lots of bike trails, a nature preserve center, parks, shopping, Princeton University has a theatre and sports teams, brand new hospital. Wonderful restaurants, and still an easy day trip into NYC or Philadelphia from any of the train stations in the area.
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Old 10-24-2011, 11:13 AM
 
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Default West Windsor

Glad to see another fellow Marylander.

Agree with everything noted above. We live in West Windsor and have been here just over a year. I really think it was the right choice for my family. My kids are too young to attend school right now, but the West Windsor-Plainsboro schools are supposed to be respectable which is one of the major reasons we chose this town. Safe town with lots of open space for the kids to stretch their legs.

We can get to Princeton University in about 10 minutes without traffic. Rush hour can get pretty heavy on all the roads.

I can't say West Windsor itself has a lot of nightlight to offer, but plenty of restaurants and shops in Princeton and Hamilton which are close by.
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Old 10-28-2011, 01:31 AM
 
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West Windsor is a great place to live, and so very close to Princeton. A large section of WW has a Princeton mailing address.

Take a look at Canal Pointe. It's a condo development, but if you look on CraigsList (Central NJ) you'll find lots of apartments for rent. It's quiet & lovely. There are pools for community use during the summer.

Where in Princeton is he working? Many places around here have "Princeton" mailing addresses, but are not actually in Princeton.
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Old 10-28-2011, 11:48 AM
 
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
1,184 posts, read 4,030,089 times
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Before I get to your questions, daliowa brings up a good point. "Princeton" is quite a large area. Just for a brief overview:

Princeton Borough is the area along Nassau Street that encompasses Princeton University and about one to two blocks west of Nassau Street.

Princeton Township is a much broader area that stretches from the boundary with Trenton north to South Brunswick, west to Hopewell and east to Plainsboro.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OldLineStateGirl View Post
His job would be in the Princeton area. After dealing with DC metro traffic for 25+ years, would PREFER to commute more than 15-20 miles one way. We are used to long commutes because the cost of living is so expense down here - need to get farther out to get affordability. . .is the Princeton area like that?
Actually no. Princeton, Hopewell, West Windsor and South Brunswick are all "bedroom" communities for people working in Philadelphia and NYC. As someone else mentioned, you could look at one of the condo communities just off Route 1 and literally be between 5-25 minutes from a work location in the Township.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OldLineStateGirl View Post
What are the major suburbs of Princeton? Is Trenton the closest major city to Princeton?
The ones I noted above are the big "suburbs" of Princeton. However, more people, especially lifers like me, do not consider Princeton to have suburbs per se. Rather, all of the towns and communities in the northern Mercer County and southern Middlesex County area are suburbs, including Princeton.

As for the closest major city, yes, Trenton is the largest one. It is also the State Capital. That said, if you are equating Trenton as a place similar to Alexandria, VA, or Frederick, MD, or Hagerstown, MD, for shopping or cultural events, do not do that. I'll explain below.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OldLineStateGirl View Post
Basically what I'm getting at is I want a solid middle to upper middle class area for living and schools. We would rent housing initially. Budget for rent/mortgage is up to $3K a month. I am a teacher and would probably substitute teach initially to get a feel for the school systems (districts? - everything down here is done by county, not district - the entire county is one school system).

On that note - any schools/systems NOT to even bother trying to sub in for safety reasons??!?!?
As others have noted, the school districts in the area are well above standard in terms of students, curriculum, fellow teachers, and services. The only district I would not recommend to sub in is Trenton. Things can get rough in there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OldLineStateGirl View Post
Top 3 priorities are - nice neighborhood/public school system, access to a decent size suburban area (250,000 people plus) so I don't have to drive an hour for shopping, restaurants, medical, etc; outdoor activities - mountains/Poconos, beach, etc.
Shopping malls abound along Route 1. Here are some options to orient yourself to what is available.

Mercer Mall Located on the southern edge of Princeton Township on Route 1 South, stores include ShopRite (think of what Giant used to be like in the mid-1980's), Massage Envy, Starbucks, Verizon Wireless, Ross, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Men's Wearhouse, and Joe Canal's Discount Liquors (great prices on craft beers and an extensive selection of wines and hard liquors).

Nassau Park Located on Route 1 South, just above Mercer Mall. Stores include Sam's Club, Home Depot, Kids R Us, Yankee Candle, Target, Michael's Arts and Crafts, Wegman's (if you are not familiar with the one in Westminster, MD, this is an upscale food emporium that is pricey, but not as expensive as Whole Paycheck), Kohl's, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy.

Windsor Green Shopping Center Again, located on Route 1 South, just above Nassau Park. Three stores of note here: Whole Foods (what I call Whole Paycheck), Staples, and Marshall's.

And these are on the southbound side. There is Quakerbridge and two other malls on the northbound side. Additionally, you have Nassau Street in Princeton Borough with a number of boutique stores like Talbot's and Landau's. Here's a link to a Google search on shopping in Princeton.

All of these shopping malls are about three to five miles from the center of Princeton Borough.

As for restaurants, some that come to mind in Princeton are Triumph Brewing Company, Mediterra, Calico Grill, and Thomas Sweet Ice Cream.
Along Route 1, you have Ruth's Chris (though I'm no longer a fan of theirs and not just at this location), Salt Creek Grill, PF Chang's, Macaroni's Grill, South of the Border, TGI Friday's Houllihan's, and New York Deli. There are plenty of others, I just can't recall of them right now.

Feel free to ask more questions as they come to you.
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Old 10-28-2011, 03:34 PM
 
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In regards to things to do in Princeton, don't forget McCarter Theater (for many of their productions you can get $20. seats.)

Also, Princeton Summer Theater which is right on the campus.

The Princeton Art Museum, which is free & right on the campus.

Princeton U. runs a bus service around the community that is free to use.

The only complaint I have is that NJ Transit now runs many less express trains that they did when we first moved down here.

I recommend the area as a great place to live.
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Old 11-01-2011, 08:26 AM
 
27 posts, read 38,062 times
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08540 zip code is where the job would be. Thanks for all the great advice above. I will keep reviewing this forum in the coming months - as the job would be happening in the beginning of next year.
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Old 11-01-2011, 09:41 AM
 
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
1,184 posts, read 4,030,089 times
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08540 is around the airport and Rte. 206. When I say "airport", I'm talking about a small little muni. for single engine Cessnas and helicopters. No Leer jets fly out of there.

Just a word of caution. Rte. 206 from Princeton to Somerville can be frustrating with long lines of stop-and-go traffic, during commuting times (6AM - 10 AM & 4 PM -7:30 PM). But it is still nowhere near what Washibgton traffic can be like.
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Old 11-01-2011, 03:16 PM
 
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08540 is a large area. 08540 encompasses a large section of West Windsor also.
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Old 01-05-2012, 06:39 PM
 
36 posts, read 52,187 times
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Hey,
Sorry if this advice is too little too late but I used to live in Baltimore and Silver Spring and live in New Jersey now. New Jersey is not like DC where the prices are more expensive the closer you get to DC and its more of a town by town basis based on school district quality. The areas close to Princeton are generally more expensive and the areas bordering/ in Trenton are cheaper. When you sub, avoid Trenton, Ewing, and Hamilton West. Otherwise you should be fine. Also avoid Route 1 at all costs. Its like the central jersey equivalent of the Beltway.
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