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As our search continues, we are trying to get as close to NYC as possible. I see that South Orange is about 30 minutes from Penn Station. I would love to hear from people living in South Orange/Maplewood about their experiences. How are the public schools? Is safety a concern? We would be moving with our 1 year old daughter so we do need to make sure that she could attend public school. Are there synagogues in South Orange?
You might want to get in touch with you Synagogues to find out where they are located. I never lived in South Orange, but its not a pretty town and borders up to towns where the main employers are welfare checks.
I don't live in South Orange anymore but I grew up there. South Orange and Maplewood are, in my opinion, filled with beautiful tree lined streets and offer great convenience to NYC. I personally am not a fan of the schools, but I have not lived there for a long time so I wont comment further on that.
There is Temple Beth El on Irvington Avenue which is Conservative and Oheb Shalom on Scotlan Road which is also Conservative. Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel on Scotland Road is Reform. There is also an Orthodox Temple right over the border of South Orange on Prospect Street in Maplewood.
Depending on your budget, if you go one town passed Maplewood on the Mid-town Direct Line to Millburn you will find the best schools. Also there is Livingston with great schools but no train, only bus service.
You might want to get in touch with you Synagogues to find out where they are located. I never lived in South Orange, but its not a pretty town and borders up to towns where the main employers are welfare checks.
It does border on bad towns, but much of it (even much of the border with Orange) is quite pretty.
As our search continues, we are trying to get as close to NYC as possible. I see that South Orange is about 30 minutes from Penn Station. I would love to hear from people living in South Orange/Maplewood about their experiences. How are the public schools? Is safety a concern? We would be moving with our 1 year old daughter so we do need to make sure that she could attend public school. Are there synagogues in South Orange?
Thanks!
South Orange and Maplewood are beautiful, largely safe towns with excellent elementary schools and high school; the middle schools aren't quite as good. (Or so I'm told--I don't have kids.)
Both towns have good-sized Jewish populations. South Orange has 3 shuls that I know of--two conservative and one reform.
You'll hear a lot here from people who don't live in the towns* and who think the proximity to Newark and Orange, plus the diversity of the towns, makes them "urban" and dangerous. but though the crime rates may be higher than the upscale towns of Bergen County, they're far from dangerous places. They also offer a sense of community and village life that you don't get in most suburbs. The scariest thing about South Orange and Maplewood is the taxes.
You'll get better information about schools, safety, and synagogues on Maplewood Online's very active forums:
*Disclaimer: I don't live in SOMA either; I live in West Orange, and am about to move to a section of WO that's a block from South Orange. When we were house-hunting, we looked in all three towns and would have been happy to live in Maplewood or SO.
I was just at a home inspection yesterday in South Orange for my Brooklyn clients who are moving here. Everytime I drive through South Orange and Maplewood, I am impressed by its beauty. The houses are lovely and the towns are young, diverse and vibrant with lots of community activities happening. The town of Maplewood is so cute and charming; South Orange is more urban, as I'm sure you know. Lots of great music and theater in the area and there are plenty of transplants from the city to make you feel at home. Access to the train is a positive selling point. I highly endorse both towns!
South Orange and Maplewood are beautiful, largely safe towns with excellent elementary schools and high school; the middle schools aren't quite as good. (Or so I'm told--I don't have kids.)
Both towns have good-sized Jewish populations. South Orange has 3 shuls that I know of--two conservative and one reform.
You'll hear a lot here from people who don't live in the towns* and who think the proximity to Newark and Orange, plus the diversity of the towns, makes them "urban" and dangerous. but though the crime rates may be higher than the upscale towns of Bergen County, they're far from dangerous places. They also offer a sense of community and village life that you don't get in most suburbs. The scariest thing about South Orange and Maplewood is the taxes.
You'll get better information about schools, safety, and synagogues on Maplewood Online's very active forums:
*Disclaimer: I don't live in SOMA either; I live in West Orange, and am about to move to a section of WO that's a block from South Orange. When we were house-hunting, we looked in all three towns and would have been happy to live in Maplewood or SO.
I live in West Orange also not far from the South Orange border, off of Gregory Ave. I must say I love heading to South Orange near the train station, and I go to some of the small businesses in Maplewood as well. I landed in W.O. because I got more house for my sticker price, but that's largely because of higher property taxes.
All in all, I think you're fine in either South Orange or Maplewood, but you just want to pay attention if you're a block or two from the border of those towns others have referred to.
Millburn, which is highly desirable, has seen a rise in cars being broken in to. You'll often read the stories and realize people left their car unlocked. We live in a densely populated area, so there will be crime, but pay attention to the statistics that matter most - like violent crime. Most of that stays out of many of this towns.
I have lived in South Orange for a little over 3 years now. My wife and daughter (now 4 y/o) moved there from NYC and live fairly close to the town center, and love it. I walk to and from the train, and we often walk together as a family just a few blocks to enjoy the many fine restaurants and shops.
We chose South Orange because of its beautiful historic housing options. Posters like DannyHobkins who have never lived there hear the "Orange" in South Orange and think of the less desirable towns of Orange and East Orange. I can't understand why Ohnozer would say East Orange is preferable, unless they also have never been to South Orange. East Orange tends to have a low-grade housing stock and a crummy downtown area.
Urban? If "urban" population is code for "african-american" then yes, S.O. is more "urban", and this is another reason the town was/is so appealing to us -- it's racially diverse upper-middle class population. I grew up in a lily-white middle-class area of Long Island where I would be lucky if I saw one or two black persons a week and as a result I found myself amid many racists. It really pleases me to live within such a diverse community of highly-educated and cultured families, many of which (myself included) are mixed race couples. It was doubly important for me to raise my children in such an environment, which is why we avoided Long Island.
The schools are quite good, though yes, Millburn is better. But Millburn is very white, if you like that sort of thing. Maplewood is also lovely, their downtown area is really lovely - smaller and denser than South Orange.
Anybody who says South Orange is bad, has never been to South Orange. Its a VERY nice area with some good schools. The neighborhood is very affluent with a lot of very expensive properties.
Its also very green with reservations nearby and access to golf courses.
If Millburn & Short Hills are A+, then South Orange is definitely A- at the very least.
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Anyone living in South Orange/Maplewood?
