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Personally I find that very rich towns, such as mentioned above, are also very snotty.
I am not looking for that, and I am afraid of moving to such area. Should I perhaps condisder Califon? Look at the school ratings, 9's and 10's!!! I would hope people that far west, away from all the congestion, dense population, are really nice and laid back? What does score of 10 mean in Ridgewood/Chatham vs. Califon? Does that mean the schools provide pretty much the same education?
Is there really a need to drive into JC? It has excellent Public Transit that connects with the Regional Rail , from Ridgewood to Hoboken takes 45 mins then to Exchange Place or Newport is another 10 mins by PATH or Light Rail.
Just so you know Millburn and Chatham schools are better than ridgewood.
Also, don't focus too much on the schools. Look for a nice town with good commute with very good schools (like the towns mentioned). A 9 vs 8 rating is not a lot of difference, after all parents make the most difference in students performance. Also, depending on the source, the ratings vary wildly.
But yeah, all these 3 towns are affluent and come with some snotty people.
personally, i wanted to have a more upper middle class like feel, so we looked at Cranford, Clark, Hasbrouck Heights, Rutherford, Nutley, Montclair, Verona, Oradell, River Edge. All of these have very good schools, not the best schools, but very good schools.
Some towns like Nutley, Verona HH, Montclair have nice after school activities and summer camps that keep children involved and is a huge help for working parents. A lot of super rich towns like Short Hills, don't believe in these things, because every child has a nanny and they spend time in Carribean rather than going to a summer camp....
OKay okay, last part was exaggeration, but you get the idea.
We are not afraid of the commute! Coming from Chester/Mendham it takes one hour straight (knowing exactly when to leave is they key, as well as taking certain shortcuts). Wouldn't that translate into the same amount of time via I-78, (taking exits 20 or 24) then straight up north through Tewksbury? Then it would be about 6-7 miles on a single lane semi-rural road, can't imagine it gets that congested?
Part of me wants to move to Ridgewood (I'll take any house mentality), part of me wants to live on 2 acres anywhere near Long Valley. Hard to know what's better for kids nowadays...
We are not afraid of the commute! Coming from Chester/Mendham it takes one hour straight (knowing exactly when to leave is they key, as well as taking certain shortcuts). Wouldn't that translate into the same amount of time via I-78, (taking exits 20 or 24) then straight up north through Tewksbury? Then it would be about 6-7 miles on a single lane semi-rural road, can't imagine it gets that congested?
Part of me wants to move to Ridgewood (I'll take any house mentality), part of me wants to live on 2 acres anywhere near Long Valley. Hard to know what's better for kids nowadays...
That's 517 and it's not congested and a lovely ride....BUT.... you still need to head west around Old Tkpe Rd for another 10 or so minutes to get to Califon (depending on where in Califon). For LV, it really depends on where you live. For instance, I'm still about 20 minutes from the edge of LV on Rt 517 (LV is huge). I don't know where in JC you are so I can't say for certainty if Chester is the same. I do know that the Turnpike extension or Pulaski Skyway can suck (if you don't use them today)!
Try Scotch Plains. Stay away from Westfield because the kids are very rude and snotty
Somehow, since the OP posted about her plight (including an expired lease + stringent time constraints for relocating), I really doubt that she is still awaiting further advice 7 months later.
might be a bit of a hike on commute, but west windsor/princeton has AMAZING schools..
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