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I intend to visit, to check out apartments. I won't have very many days to search for and finalize an apartment, so I really need to narrow down on potential towns and neighborhoods .
Here's the commute information that I gathered using Google Maps and NJtransit.com:
Town, Train station/Bus stop to WTC PATH station commute time, monthly commute cost (PATH + train/bus)
I would tack on another 25-30 minutes to get the door-to-door commute time:
Rutherford/East Rutherford, 75-80 mins {77.5 mins avg}
Fair Lawn (Radburn), 75-90 mins {82.5 mins avg}
Hackensack (Essex/Anderson St.), 75-85 mins {80 mins avg}
Hackensack (New Bridge Landing), 75-85 mins {80 mins avg}
Harrison, 60-65 mins {62.5 mins avg}
Rahway, 80-100 mins {90 mins avg}
Westfield/Garwood, 75-95 mins {85 mins avg}
Cranford, 75-85 mins {80 mins avg}
So, if I were to pare my list down to three items, then I would have:
* Harrison > Rutherford/East Rutherford/Cranford > Westfield/Garwood/Rahway, in terms of commute cost
* Harrison > Rutherford/East Rutherford > Hackensack/Cranford, in terms of average door-to-door commute time
A couple of other things:
* While I realize that no place on Earth is free from crime, I would prefer neighborhoods that were not seedy and had little crime.
* I really would like my door-to-door commute to be as close to 60 mins as possible.
* Would be great if I don't end up going from town to town, searching for an apartment. So for now, would like to focus on 2 towns at the most.
Given the above, I have Harrison and Rutherford/East Rutherford. Looks like Harrison trumps Rutherford/East Rutherford in terms of commute, while it's the other way around in terms of seediness (no disrespect intended to Harrison or its residents).
And now, some questions:
[1] Please let me know if I have done something really stupid in this analysis!
If I haven't, then:
[2] How does Harrison compare with Rutherford/East Rutherford in terms of crime? Would be great if you could point out neighborhoods that are considered more safe than other neighborhoods, in both towns.
[3] How are the residential, run-down industrial, and the PATH-surrounding areas of Harrison located w.r.t each other?
[4] What type of apartments are found more than other types, in Harrison and Rutherford/East Rutherford: detached single-family vs. multi-family or multi-unit building vs. townhouse, etc.? I know there will be new high-rise construction coming up near the Harrison PATH station, but that is very very likely to be out of my rent budget ($800-$1400/month). If I had the choice, I would prefer a multi-unit/multi-family apartment building over detached single-family dwellings.
[5] If you were me, what would be more important to you: seediness or commute time? I know it's me who has to decide, but would love to hear what you guys have to say as well.
Seedy...Hackensack's bad areas or blocks are a far cry from the Inner city ghettos of NYC. Harrison isn't that bad , just the run down Industrial part which is separate from the rest of the town...
I agree--Hackensack is nothing like inner-city ghettos, and there are some very nice areas and buildings. But neither is it that nice, safe, small-town feel that the OP appears to be seeking, and some areas are seedy in the way that there are places in between inner-city ghettos and safe suburbs.
I used to regularly feed the homeless in Hackensack. While homeless doesn't automatically mean criminal, only an idiot would claim that poverty and crime don't live next door to each other. Hackensack is a county seat, which means it draws the people who need services and is also the location of the county jail. By virtue of those facts, there is going to be a higher crime rate in Hackensack than in Fair Lawn or Rutherford. Period.
you did your homework but the only thing you are wrong on is the commute
since rahway has 2 lines that come thru so there are more train times to choose from
That is why we get a lot of the commuters from those towns
westfield cranford garwood & rahway all take about 20 min to get to newark penn then you jump
on path train
best bet for a new transplant working in down town NYC would be Jersey city in the paullus hook area, close enough to everything you wont want the suburb towns until you become more familiar with NJ.
best bet for a new transplant working in down town NYC would be Jersey city in the paullus hook area, close enough to everything you wont want the suburb towns until you become more familiar with NJ.
But the OP gave a budget, and Paulus Hook is not in that budget.
Westfield and Cranford are far, far nicer than everything else on your list. Rutherford would be third, but by quite a bit ... and the commute time would be the same as from Westfield and Cranford.
Also, living in any suburban town without a car is a really bad idea. Living a car-less lifestyle is pretty much limited to Hoboken, the good parts of Jersey City, Manhattan, much of Brooklyn, and some select parts of Queens.
Westfield and Cranford are far, far nicer than everything else on your list. Rutherford would be third, but by quite a bit ... and the commute time would be the same as from Westfield and Cranford.
Also, living in any suburban town without a car is a really bad idea. Living a car-less lifestyle is pretty much limited to Hoboken, the good parts of Jersey City, Manhattan, much of Brooklyn, and some select parts of Queens.
I totally agree! I'm actually surprised no one said this until page 2. Suburban NJ is really not meant for car-free living, OP i've seen you mention "quick trip via public transport" a couple of times. In the towns you are considering, the answer is no, you cannot take a quick bus ride to the market and back. You either need to be in walking distance of the store or take a cab. Do a quick search for "walkable downtown" on this forum and you will quickly see that: 1- not a lot of towns have this 2-the towns that do are highly desirable and very expensive. Your desire to live in a suburban area is going to leave you prisoner to a very small slice of any town that you move to and a slave to a bus/train schedule that will not run anywhere close to frequently outside of rush hour especially if the destination is not NYC. I'm sorry to be a downer but better to have your bubble burst on a forum before you move out here than to move here and be miserable 3 weeks in.
Your budget is small but I think you could find something in Hoboken if you go towards the higher end of your budget and then you will have the amenities you need to go car free. Hoboken has a bit of party town reputation but it's not all bars and frat boys, you can find a nice place on a quiet side street away from washington ave.
Another town I would strongly reccomend is Weehawken, still a little more urban than what you are probably thinking about but by no means a bustling metropolis. It has great views of NYC and is very walkable. Added bonus is that you can take the gypsy vans/jitneys whatever people call them and they run much more frequently and later into the night than most NJ transit options.
Mark my words if you move out to the burbs and you intend to work late or enjoy NYC nightlife without a car at your disposal you ARE going to get stranded, especially without a network of people who can give you a ride.
I have to agree with the others about NJ suburbs. I moved from Hoboken to Rutherford 'cus I needed good schools for my son and at times I regret the decision.
If you don't have kids and want a life, find a place in Hoboken or Jersey City. Those are the best bets if you work downtown. Weehawken doesn't have a Path train stop so that's out.
Hackensack is ok but you'll need a car there as is the case for most NJ suburbs including Cranford and Westfield. I don't know if you can even find something in your budget in Cranford and Westfield since those are expensive towns.
JC and Hoboken are the first two you will want to visit. Hoboken might be out of your price range unless you're willing to share a 2BR. JC has different price points depending on where you look. With your budget, I think the Journal Square area is doable. Some people might question JSQ's safety but I have a petite female friend who has been living within blocks of Journal Square for the past 15 yrs. now and she's not moving out of there anytime soon. When I asked her if it's safe walking home late at night, she tells me that she has to do it from time to time and sees no issue with it. I think she pays $7-800 in rent for a 1 BR.
BrianG - Probably sometime around early June. I'm yet to get my starting date, so 2-3 weeks before that.
PPOOZ - Paulus Hook has way higher rents than what I can afford, unless I choose to live with room-mates.
I really would have loved to live in a suburban setting, but looks like I will have to find something in Jersey City/get a car.
BrianG - Probably sometime around early June. I'm yet to get my starting date, so 2-3 weeks before that.
PPOOZ - Paulus Hook has way higher rents than what I can afford, unless I choose to live with room-mates.
I really would have loved to live in a suburban setting, but looks like I will have to find something in Jersey City/get a car.
I'll be in Mexico for my sons destination wedding the weekend of june 5th
if you are around after that i will give you a tour of some of the towns mentioned
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