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The husband and I are looking to relocate from Los Angeles back east. We will both have jobs in NYC, but definitely can't afford to rent in Manhattan. I'm originally from NJ (Essex county - moved to CA when I was 15, though) so I'm familiar with the area, however I've obviously never had to live on my own as an adult out there - so I'm wondering what your opinions are as far as renting is concerned: should we go for Brooklyn or Queens, or look in NJ? We're in our mid-late twenties, no kids and no plans to have kids for at least another 5 or so years, so school systems and all that aren't an issue at this juncture. With the exception of my parents, who are still in CA, my entire family still lives in the NJ/NY metro area, so they all have their opinions as well but wanted to get some non-family input from some locals as well. Our rent cap would ideally be at around $1700-$1800/month.
With kids, NJ is probably a little bit better than Brooklyn/Queens, because of the public school systems, but without kids I'd say Brooklyn and Queens are worth a shot. There is definitely more stuff to do and it is generally more interesting than living in the 'burbs of NJ.
That rent of $1,700-$1,800 isn't even an issue in most places in Brooklyn & Queens. The only place where you will see rents this high are in areas close to lower Manhattan in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, and Williamsburg.
You can find a nice 1br in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for about $1,2500, and for even cheaper in other parts of Southern Brooklyn.
I would def say Brooklyn or Queens(close in to Manhattan) in second place. If you are car free it makes sense. Jersey City might be ok again if you are w/o car. I think Brooklyn has the best options for someone young. Def most things to do and the best transit. It does tend to be more expensive than Queens these days but your budget looks good. Good nabes are Carroll Gardens, parts of Ft Greene, Boerum Hill, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope. I have lived in 4 out of 5 of these neighborhoods and they are super convenient. You can actually walk to the Brooklyn Bridge from some of these places pretty easily and they have tons of things to do and interesting things to see. Carroll Gardens and most of Park Slope would be slightly more expensive than the other areas I mentioned but all within your range. Queens has many convenient hoods that would not be too expensive. I don't have a particular rec but you would have many options. I think Brooklyn just has more to do but Queens has great places to eat and lots of living options. I always liked Astoria. Close to transit-it would be a good choice.
Brooklyn and Queens are probably more cosmopolitan than anywhere in jersey, but hoboken and JC are pretty close. Consider this, though - when you live in NYC - especially the outer boroughs, it's a big effort to get in & out. If you still have family in jersey, or upstate NY, it's going to be quite a production to visit them. You say you are coming from california, so i guess you are used to traffic, though
Thanks guys - yeah, I've endured 7 years of traffic in LA so I'm used to insaaaaaaaane volume on the roads. Good point, however, about it being a potential pain to get in and out of the city and outer boroughs and over to NJ to see family. We both have cars right now out here, so I'd just assume if we lived in Brooklyn or Queens that we'd have to sell one, if not both of them, correct?
If you have even one car I would say forget about most parts of Brooklyn. In Outer Queens many people have cars but it is more suburban and not too convenient. You may want to keep one car and live in a close in suburb. Some of the newer high rise apartment buildings along the Hudson in NJ have parking included. These places tend to be expensive but they are convenient.
Lots of places in Southern Brooklyn, and eastern Queens have parking included in the rent (or they will charge you an extra $100 for a reserved spot).
Personally I would try to keep one car for seeing relatives if I were you. Keeping a car usually isn't too much of a problem unless you are in Manhattan or in an area of Brooklyn directly across the water from Manhattan.
Is your family still in South Orange? The Commute is like 29 minutes and South Orange is BOOMING now. Tons of restaurants, Eden Gourmet, SOPAC. Much more fun and bustling than it was 10 years ago. I grew up in Maplewood, left LA when I was 7 mos pregnant with 1st baby and moved back to Maplewood. It is tough to be in the city when you don't have tons of money. EVERYthing is soooo expensive. Jersey City is cool too especially the Paulus Hooke area. Clearly more urban than South Orange if that is what you like and if you are working downtown the trip across the river is not bad at all.
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NJ or NY?
