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We are looking to move to NJ soon. Someone mentioned Bound Brook as a great place to live. Anyone know anything about it? Also, does it have an easy commute into NYC? My job will be in the city. Thanks.
Commuting to NYC is pretty easy, as a result of an NJ Transit rail station in the downtown area.
As to BB being a nice place to live, you should be aware that there are two vastly different areas of the town.
The low-lying area, near the RR tracks and the river, consists of largely run-down multi-family homes occupied mostly by recent immigrants from Central America. While this is the area that traditionally gets severe flood damage after heavy rains and tropical storms, the US Army Corps of Engineers has built levees and moveable flood barriers that will--hopefully--prevent a recurrence of the damage that has taken place countless times in Bound Brook. The older Mom & Pop businesses on the main street have essentially all departed, and have been replaced by bodegas, money transfer agencies, and other businesses that cater to the Central American trade. This area may not be appealing to you.
At the higher elevations in town, the homes are considerably nicer and better-kept, and the crime rate is far lower.
To someone not familiar with the town, it might actually appear that these two different parts of Bound Brook are separate towns, simply because they are that different, even though they are not very far removed from each other.
Last edited by Retriever; 07-15-2012 at 03:10 PM..
We are looking to move to NJ soon. Someone mentioned Bound Brook as a great place to live. Anyone know anything about it? Also, does it have an easy commute into NYC? My job will be in the city. Thanks.
Bound Brook does not have an easy commute to NYC...you are talking a train ride that is 70-80 minutes from BB to NY Penn Station - add to that getting to the train station and then travel to the office from Penn, and you are looking at one way commute time of 1.5 hours and above. Considering the commute time as well as the all too frequent flooding, it really is not a good option, IMHO.
KoalaNJ
Who is wondering if the person you were speaking to was not being sarcastic, given all the nation media attention given to the flooding.
Who is wondering if the person you were speaking to was not being sarcastic, given all the nation media attention given to the flooding.
Yes, I am also wondering about that possibility.
Bound Brook does not have an easy commute to NYC...you are talking a train ride that is 70-80 minutes from BB to NY Penn Station
Well, I did say that the commute is "pretty easy"!
One thing that always confounds me is the extremely slow speed at which the Raritan Valley Line trains seem to move. Several years ago, a friend who was visiting from overseas nicknamed that line "The Turtle Train" because she had never before ridden on such a slow train.
And, no matter how slowly it moves between stations in Somerset and Union Counties, once it enters the outskirts of the Newark rail yards, I could walk faster than that train moves. It is certainly no match for the NE Corridor Line when it comes to speed.
Thank you. I like the fact that the home prices are cheap there. Could this be due to the flooding and/or the "bad" side of town? Additionally, how do you determine via realtor which homes are on the bad side of town? Are there two different zip codes?
Thank you. I like the fact that the home prices are cheap there. Could this be due to the flooding and/or the "bad" side of town? Additionally, how do you determine via realtor which homes are on the bad side of town? Are there two different zip codes?
One of the first rules of NJ real estate is: "If a location has 'cheap housing' it is either crime and drug ridden, has bad schools, or it floods - or any combination of the three"
The easy way to tell if the home is in a less than good area is the price, plain and simple. (with the notable exception of if it is a knock down, or renovate from the studs out.)
Since cost is a big factor for you and you are working in NYC, there are many other communities you should check out. First that comes to mind for me is Maplewood...your commute will be much, much easier and your housing cost will be in the same ball park...plus Maplewood does not flood every few months. Rutherford, Nutley, West Orange are also places to look into - all are IMHO much better for your situation.
I am so surprised by all of this! My friend (who used to live in BB) talked about how nice it is, how they were ALWAYS in NYC and what an easy commute it was, etc. Granted, she didn't work in NYC, but she made it sound like it was such an ideal town with an easy commute. Maybe she just didn't know any better?
I am so surprised by all of this! My friend (who used to live in BB) talked about how nice it is, how they were ALWAYS in NYC and what an easy commute it was, etc. Granted, she didn't work in NYC, but she made it sound like it was such an ideal town with an easy commute. Maybe she just didn't know any better?
Bound Brook is not a quick commute to NYC, I'd say the 70-80min to NYP is about right, and if your commute doesn't always coincide with the rushes, it's extremely long (as you may be waiting an hour for a train or have a wait in Newark). You have to transfer at Newark Penn, it's not a one-seat ride.
I completely agree with Retriever on the town. However, SOUTH Bound Brook, is a nicer town (across the river/tracks) as well, and Middlesex is also acceptable. With ALL of these towns, you need to heavily research flood risks, and ask the neighbors, as the recent flood control projects changed what flooded significantly (not always for the better) in Irene.
None of them are going to be any easier of a commute though. For that you'd need to consider living either on the M+E lines or NE Corridor, not the RVL.
I am so surprised by all of this! My friend (who used to live in BB) talked about how nice it is, how they were ALWAYS in NYC and what an easy commute it was, etc. Granted, she didn't work in NYC, but she made it sound like it was such an ideal town with an easy commute. Maybe she just didn't know any better?
Could it be that she is recalling living in the area quite some time ago when she was a child? That would explain a lot.
In any case, it is pretty clear that you are moving to NJ to work in NYC and really have not a clue on where to look for housing (or have a very limited of out dated info). In order to better guide you and give you useful information it would be great if you could take a look at the sticky thread on this forum and provide us some further information on your situation. //www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...residents.html
KoalaNJ
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