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My husband has gotten several callbacks to a few companies in Manhattan, so we're looking to estimate what our rent cost will be. The problem is, we have no idea where to move to! We'll be moving from Pittsburgh and are completely unfamiliar with the area.
We're expecting, so school districts will eventually be a concern, but safety a little moreso since we may move before he's 5 anyway. We're looking to rent. We'd like a nice apartment (or better yet townhome or single family home) somewhere within a (reliably) 45 min commute somewhere in NJ.
Any recommendations for towns I should start looking in?
We worked in Princeton for a summer and loved the area, though I'm fairly sure the commute is at least an hour from what I can tell by searching.
And another question, if anyone feels like adding on, what would you say the best way to commute from your recommended location would be? And what (very roughly) would it cost? I'm guessing train in most cases.
This is kind of a huge lifestyle jump for us, so trying to get an idea of what we're getting into!
Do you have an idea of where in Manhattan your husband might be working? (Downtown/Financial District, Midtown, East Side, etc.) It makes a difference.
Just as a reference, while a 45-minute commute is possible from certain typically "nice" suburban areas, it also means you are closer in toward the city and therefore most of your choices are denser/more urban neighborhoods. Again, much will depend upon where in Manhattan the job will be. I like to tell newcomers to the area that they must absorb a couple of basic facts: One is that about a quarter of a million people in NJ are trying to cross that same huge river during the same few hours every day. This affects both time and money. With time, bear in mind that even the people living in the cities/towns BORDERING THE NJ SIDE OF THE RIVER--not even talking about further inland where the more desirable suburbs begin--may take half an hour or more to travel from their home to their jobs. 45 minutes is a relatively short commute. Most people's commutes are longer. People I work with who live in the Princeton area had door-to-door commutes of about 1 hour and 45 minutes when we were located in the Flatiron District. Again, I'm not saying 45 minutes is impossible, but it will greatly narrow your choices. You must be realistic about commuting times. It is helpful to look at a map and see the layout of the island of Manhattan in relation to North Jersey.
Also--what is your budget? That will also make a difference.
Not gonna lie, I have no idea what we're jumping into. The salary range for the position he's applying for is jr. level, and is looking around 60-65k? I have a little more coming in from my end, but we're trying to save mine for baby, so we're basing it more on that. We're hoping to find something 3 bedroom under 1800 if possible, which may even be unrealistic depending on travel costs and utilities.
Edit: as for WHERE in Manhattan, there are a couple of different jobs there, though the most promising is looking like... 28th st? Somewhere between Midtown and 'West Village'?
I'm starting to guess we're going to have to live with a longer commute. (Though how is Bayonne? I've seen some people recommend it, and everyone seems crazy for Hoboken, though I'm guessing its expensive)
Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore...
Last edited by Missmally; 05-19-2012 at 10:47 PM..
$1,800 is actually a pretty realistic budget for your needs and wants. A townhouse/single family might not fall into that but you could surely find a pretty nice 2 bedroom apartment for that price. 45 minutes is tough, but not impossible. My girlfriend makes it into the city (remember, this is stepping your foot onto Manhattan ground) in a half hour or so in the morning and then has another 15 minute walk to her office. She takes the bus, which is express on the Turnpike after going through one more town, but at around 7:30AM. If she takes a bus around 8:00AM, much different scenario. Can't comment much on the trains since I've never used em, but several friends who live in Hackensack and commute in from Anderson St Station for years want to jab their eyes out with rusty forks then set a bus full of kittens on fire on most days...
Since you're expecting (what sounds like is your first child), school districts shouldn't event factor in at this moment. You should be able to live in a place that is more convenient to your husband's work for the next few years while you figure out where a good place to buy would be with a more desirable school district.
That being said, in your price range, I would look in Weehawken, Union City, and West New York, close to Boulevard East (right across the river from the city). Depending on how far away from the Lincoln tunnel you live, his commute will not be that bad, though sometimes traffic is the problem.
I think there's a disconnect between what the OP said and what brokenaperature said: OP said 3 bedrooms for $1800. That will be tough. 2 bedrooms, yes, that's realistic.
I have been commuting to the city (and since October, Jersey City) for more than 30 years. I've driven, taken a train and taken the bus. Train wins hands down for reliability, seat availability, and comfort. Trains get through in snowstorms when the bus is sitting for hours in traffic because there's been an accident.
Trains are not perfect. There are "signal problems" if you're going through the tunnels to midtown and it happens frequently enough to make you say bad words. Trains into Hoboken have fewer issues than the ones directly into New York Penn. But overall--trains are much more reliable than the buses. However, if you end up working near the Port Authority Bus Terminal or somewhat north of it, then a bus is probably the better choice.
For 28th street, I'd say a train to Hoboken and then the PATH system on the 33rd Street line is probably going to be the best bet. OP, look at the town of Rutherford. Nice town, safe, suburban, last train stop before Hoboken Terminal on the Bergen County Line except for Secaucus Transfer (all the trains stop there) and you will be able to find something in your rent range. If it's not 45 minutes door to door, it's not much more than that.
Thank you all so much!
We have already considered just going with a two bedroom and setting up the home office somewhere else. (I work from home, so 3 would be nice, but again, this is going to be veeery different from Pittsburgh!)
I've been poking through listings for Weehawken, Union City, and Rutherford. (Rutherford looks PERFECT!) Nutley also comes up often in the search, is it a good area??
Funny enough, the hardest thing to find is somewhere that'll allow cats. I've never encountered such a limited amount of places that will allow them!
Thank you all so much!
We have already considered just going with a two bedroom and setting up the home office somewhere else. (I work from home, so 3 would be nice, but again, this is going to be veeery different from Pittsburgh!)
I've been poking through listings for Weehawken, Union City, and Rutherford. (Rutherford looks PERFECT!) Nutley also comes up often in the search, is it a good area??
Funny enough, the hardest thing to find is somewhere that'll allow cats. I've never encountered such a limited amount of places that will allow them!
I know. Apparently, NJ is weirder than other states in not allowing pets. I didn't realize that it was easier in other places until I discussed this with others on the pets>cats forum on City-Data.
Just a thought--Three years ago, I was looking for a rental a different county in NJ from where I'd previously lived while I searched for a condo. I have four cats, and I knew I was in for a lot of rejections because of them, and on top of that I needed a month-to-month rental in case I found a condo to buy. Didn't want to sign a year-long lease and then have to break it.
So, in order to cut through all the potential crap of having to hear "no, no, no" about both the cats and the month-to-month, I placed my own ad on Craigslist. Said I need a month-to-month in Monmouth County, 2 bedrooms, this is what I will pay, and by the way I have four cats. Bingo. Got three replies, and took one. The landlord had four cats of his own and a two-family house. He would rent me his apartment while he moved upstairs and renovated that one. Worked out for both of us. I lived there for nine months until I moved into my condo.
A lot of the apartment complexes have no-pets policies, and a lot of private owners fear that your cats will leave a permanent bad scent in their homes--valid concerns. Some people do not clean up properly after their pets.
The Edison and Metro Park Train Station in NJ have trains directly into Penn Station, NY, if you desire to move to Central Jersey.
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