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So my wife and I decided to take things slow and rent for a year before buying a place in central NJ. I will be working in New Brunswick. We are looking at places with walkable downtowns...in a previous thread, we got excellent advice so as to narrow down our search to a few small towns (including Metuchen, Highland Park, and Somerville).
We recently visited Bordentown City, however, and were blown away by its tiny but cute/quaint/picturesque downtown. Even though it is a little far from NB, I figured it's doable, since the Hamilton train station is just 15 minutes away (so that I could be in NB in less than 40 minutes) or even take the Riverline to Trenton to avoid driving altogether.
Having said all that, I have some questions for people who know that area well:
1. Is the Riverline safe during day time? I just thought that might be an issue given the fact that it runs between Camden and Trenton.
2. Is Bordentown itself a stable community? I noticed that there aren't that many homes on sale within the city and that the houses are all well-kept. Hoping that this is a good sign. I would be curious to hear from current residents on where they think Bordentown is headed in the near future.
3. I noticed that there are some seedy establishments on the 206, is there any crime or unpleasantness downtown stemming from these?
4. This question can include not just Bordentown but places like Titusville, Ewing, Hamilton, and Lawrenceville as well: is there substantial crime bleed from Trenton into these communities?
1) You are correct in inferring the Riverline might not be safe being that it runs being Trenton and Camden. I've lived in Bordentown City for over 5 years and have commuted to Rutgers-Camden via the Riverline. The Riverline can be sketchy. It is worse at night (last train to or from Trenton). A friend of mine had a gun pulled on him and everyone else on the train, but I have never personally witnessed anything like this before. However, I'm glad I will never ride the Riverline again. The clientele is much different than NJ Transit Regional Rail to NB. Many people play music on their phones without headphones and have no regards for others.
2) Bordentown is definitely a stable community. It has a great vibe to it. As you said it has the quaint feeling to it.
3) I live right in the heart of downtown and crime is practically non-existent in this part of town. There is a police department right in the middle of the city so you'd be fine with that.
4) I cannot speak for the other cities you mentioned, but Bordentown is a very low-crime town.
4. This question can include not just Bordentown but places like Titusville, Ewing, Hamilton, and Lawrenceville as well: is there substantial crime bleed from Trenton into these communities?
Thanks in advance!
yes there definitely is a good amount of crime in the parts of hamilton, ewing, and lawrence that border trenton. the parts of those towns further away from trenton are pretty nice, not really too much walkable downtown but lots of amenities which are a short drive away. titusville is separated pretty far from trenton so not much spillover there.
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