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I'd like to reccomend Berkeley Heights. It's a very close-knit, family oriented town. I grew up in Chatham Township, right next to Berkeley Heights and if given the choice, I rather would have lived in Berkeley Heights. It's safe, quiet, and an overall nice town. Very close to 78, allowing for easy access to Jersey City, Newark, and other areas in general as this is a main artery of NJ roadways. It also has a train station.
I am actually originally from Northern Va, born in dc, raised in Va., before the big development and traffic. I have lived in NJ for 6 years now, and am very happy to move out. The taxes here are horrible! Very high. Politically, it seems pretty corrupt here, and anyone will tell you that, but the schools are pretty good, and the old quaint town in the northeast are pretty nice. Sorry to sound so negative.
Well, I suggest Northwest New Jersey. Anywhere east of 287 will be horribly expensive. Be careful, there are rough areas in alot of towns up here, but there are also some really nice towns, say...in Warren county and western Morris County.
It depends on how far you are willing to commute.
Just wanted to give you some fair warnings about nj from one *southerner* to another. Learn how to use your car horn! hahaha
Hope this helps!
If you are looking for a house in Bergen County, my parents are retiring and putting their house for sale to move to another country. It is a nice home. Three bedrooms, with an extra room downstairs as an office or guestroom. That would make it four. I grew up there all my life and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. There is a park two blocks down and neighbors that are as nice as your own very family. The town I live in is Westwood, New Jersey.
If you have any interest, let me know. I was going to try seeing if there were any interested buyers without a real estate agent. We are going to be going through a real estate agent soon if I find no one. I even developed a website with pictures of the property. It's about a 35-40 minute drive into NYC. My parents both worked in New York City for over 20 years and made the commute. Jersey City would be about 30 minutes south while the George Washington Bridge is like 30 minutes east.
Westwood is a nice town with a nice community feel. Even has a downtown area that many people from outside Westwood enjoy. Nice restaurants alongside many young couples.
I'd really like both Essex and Bergen County. All of these towns have easy access via train to Hoboken, where you can easily get to Jersey City from, and are in the price ranges you're looking for (You can spend $450,000 and get a nice home in any of these towns. $650,000 is about the average). I've grouped neighboring towns together, because the general idea behind them is the same.
In Bergen County:
1. Ridgewood/Glen Rock - Cute downtown, considered one of the best school systems in the state, and almost no crime (literally, it's almost non existent). Town is very, how do you say, er WASPy, though. And you can get alot of the snobbery and spoiled, sheltered kids driving Lexuses that come along with it. (This can be a pro or con for you). Neighboring Glen Rock is basically the same as Ridgewood, but a smaller downtown. Short distance to Ridgewood's downtown though.
In Essex County:
1. Montclair/Glen Ridge: Montclair is one of my favorite towns in New Jersey. Ethnically diverse, and the town runs the gambit from ultra rich to poor, and has two awesome downtowns, with New Jersey's best restaurant and culture scene (everything from an Independent Film theater to Art Museum to minor league baseball team) . Tight knit community, with a school system is considered fantastic (Keep in mind the richer the town, more kids can afford to go to college.) I also love the old homes here. Neighboring Glen Ridge (which is like, 5 streets wide) has one of the top 5 high schools in the state, charming gas lamps, and amazing old homes. It doesn't have it's own downtown but you're 5 minutes from Montclair's. And because the town is so small, you and your kids can walk to everything within it (schools, post office, etc). These towns have a younger, hipper vibe to them then Glen Rock or Ridgewood, but crime is slightly higher in both due to the proximity to Newark and East Orange. Both are still largely safe towns. (I live in Glen Ridge, and I don't think there's one family in this town that doesn't have children. No exaggeration.)
2. Maplewood/South Orange: Maplewood may compete with Montclair to be the coolest town in New Jersey. Cute little downtown (no Starbucks, they keep their own independent coffee shop) and great old homes. Also ultra diverse, it's also filled with young, hip families, and beautiful old homes. Your money goes a little farther in Maplewood than Montclair. Neighboring South Orange is filled with expensive, beautiful old homes, and like Glen Ridge, is lined with gas lamps. You're a short drive to Maplewood's downtown. Both towns share Columbia High School, which is a highly regarded school. Crime is higher in both of these towns than any above, because they share borders with Orange, Newark, and Irvington. In all of these towns, crime is still low - below the national average (especially violent crime) but it is, overall, higher here than the other towns listed.
All of these towns have high taxes, but you get your money's worth with great school systems, well maintained homes, and easy access to New York City.
I'd add Oradell and Westwood to the Bergen County list. From there check what you can afford towns north.
Afer having lived in Greenwich, CT and Darien, CT for a spell, Ridgewood, IMO is far from waspy. It has more diversity than a typical waspy CT town. But yes it can be snobby.
I'm envious.. I'd like to move back to Bergen County.
Westwood is perfect for everything you mentioned. Families here are really close to each other. A lot of young families with many activities for children. There is a swim club about three blocks away from where I live. There is a park two blocks away from where I live. Even in the winter, you can hear children going down the hill at the park with their snowsleds. During the summer, everyone is always out and about.
I really couldn't imagine having a luckier childhood than I already did because of this area. It is a lot of fun. I will miss this area very much. More than the area, I will miss the people aka my neighbors.
Westwood is perfect for everything you mentioned. Families here are really close to each other. A lot of young families with many activities for children. There is a swim club about three blocks away from where I live. There is a park two blocks away from where I live. Even in the winter, you can hear children going down the hill at the park with their snowsleds. During the summer, everyone is always out and about.
I really couldn't imagine having a luckier childhood than I already did because of this area. It is a lot of fun. I will miss this area very much. More than the area, I will miss the people aka my neighbors.
Haha, I just saw that I didn't answer all the questions he/she had in her first post. Sorry!
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