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Bottom line is that people are leaving West Orange for better areas, including Livingston, Millburn, Short Hills, etc. There really isn't anyway around it. Call a realtor. They will tell you the same thing.
"People" aren't leaving West Orange. Their census is going UP, not down. I think you mean white people are leaving West Orange. But that has been happening there since I was a child growing up in neighboring Livingston. I remember when West Orange was practically 100% white. Now it is far from it. So what? To many people, that is actually a plus. We all have this subconscious (and in some people, OVERT) notion that the "whiter" a town is, the better it is. It is really ridiculous when you think about it. As minorities continue to move up the socioeconomic ladder, people will be forced to shed this idea whether they like it or not.
What are the options available to commute to NYC?
I heard that the nearest station South Orange has no parking available and more than 5 years of waiting.
Hows the parking situation at Mountain Station, Highland Ave, Orange, Brick Church, and E.Orange?
I never said anything about race. In fact, our next door neighbors in Livingston were not white and left West Orange because it is going downhill. It is insane to spend $800,000+ in West Orange when you won't get it out of the schools, will get killed on taxes, and you have to watch yourself around town. You are better off in a different town.
I think that any of the Bel Aire developments are amazing. In 2007, we seriously considered one of the Bel Aire townhomes. We loved the unit. It was gorgeous....then we did some research and realized WO was not a place we wanted to be.
We got parking at South Orange. Took 4.5 years. Yes, it seemed like forever back then. We practically forgot about it. Then, one day, the best piece of mail ever arrived!
Bottom line is that people are leaving West Orange for better areas, including Livingston, Millburn, Short Hills, etc. There really isn't anyway around it. Call a realtor. They will tell you the same thing.
I'm pretty sure people would leave *anywhere* to move to one of those towns, considering they are among the most expensive in the state (particularly Short Hills).
You keep mentioning that WO is "going downhill". Care to elaborate? You don't even live in the town. I've lived here 3 years, love it, and never had a problem. All my neighbors would tell you the same thing.
With that said, I would never spend $800k for a townhouse at BelAir, or anywhere else. I just don't see condos or townhomes to be a good value in that price range.
What are the options available to commute to NYC?
I heard that the nearest station South Orange has no parking available and more than 5 years of waiting.
Hows the parking situation at Mountain Station, Highland Ave, Orange, Brick Church, and E.Orange?
My neighbor commutes from the Bay St. station in Montclair. They have daily parking so you don't have to worry about a waiting list. There is also daily parking at Orange if you get there early. There is also DeCamp bus service that serves various areas of the town.
Several of our neighbors in Livingston (we just moved out of Livingston this year) left West Orange because it is going downhill. Yes, there are fine parts of WO. But there are areas that are sketchy. WO is hanging on by a thread.
simply not true. I live in one of the neighborhoods often considered by folks like you on the internet to be "going downhill" and the area is improving. There really aren't any bad areas of West Orange, despite what people try to circulate on the internet. Lots of young families moving into the houses I see sold.
Taxes are very high (3.4, not 2.9). But it seems unlikely at this point that it will become like E.O. or Orange. First of all, E.O. and Orange are slowly improving, at least the areas north of the tracks and closer to W.O. The only really not-nice area in West Orange is the section near the cemetery abutting Orange, and the Reserve at Bel Air is nowhere near there.
I live in St. Cloud, not too far from Bel Air (just east on Northfield or Mt Pleasant, depending on the entrance). Family oriented -- St Cloud is, there's even a yearly block party, but Bel Air is a new development and is probably less so. I don't know about the larger Mt. Pleasant neighborhood -- West Orange is big enough that a lot of things are structured around neighborhoods, which correspond to elementary schools, rather than the town as a whole. Safe, certainly; you're nowhere near any place unsafe; Bel Air is next to Short Hills, St Cloud, and Livingston. Obviously everything in Bel Air is relatively new construction... resale value requires a crystal ball, however.
Transportation to NYC (midtown or downtown) is good provided you can get a parking permit at one of the nearby train stations; South Orange is impossible (5+ year wait) but Orange, Highland, and Mountain have more reasonable waiting periods (of those, Orange has the best service). Driving to the PATH in Harrison is also a possibility but traffic and parking have been getting worse. Of course it will be much easier if you have flexible hours. There's also a bus to Port Authority which stops on Northfield.
The high school and middle schools are consistently rated just average for NJ, but some of the elementary schools are rated better, including the Mt. Pleasant elementary school.
I agree with Bradyp and nybbler...taxes are high, but it is a nice town. My experience with the "West Orange is going to hell in a hand basket" crowd is usually from the old timers that bristle at the fact that there is more diversity in town than a decade or two ago. I have been here nearly 3 years and have never felt unsafe. The only part of the area I don't like is the K-Mart shopping center...the owners have allowed it to deteriorate and the access off 280 lends itself to crimes of opportunity the way most shopping areas right off of interstates do. Essex Green Plaza, which is a half mile down Prospect Avenue, is nicer.
The K-Mart is probably a losing proposition just because it's K-Mart, but the Whole Foods is nice.
Taxes stink - not gonna argue that. Whether the rate is 3% or 3.4%, they stink. But overall, the town is investing in itself. They've been replacing traffic lights around town, redoing intersection sidewalks, and are improving the main street area.
Lots of people are moving into West Orange, and people are leaving West Orange. The houses they leave don't sit vacant.
What are the options available to commute to NYC?
I heard that the nearest station South Orange has no parking available and more than 5 years of waiting.
Hows the parking situation at Mountain Station, Highland Ave, Orange, Brick Church, and E.Orange?
I used to take the Community Coach bus. There's also the DeCamp bus. It depends on what part of town you live in. DeCamp i think leaves from Essex Green. Community Coach starts at Turtle Back Zoo (big parking garage there).
I'm pretty sure people would leave *anywhere* to move to one of those towns, considering they are among the most expensive in the state (particularly Short Hills).
You keep mentioning that WO is "going downhill". Care to elaborate? You don't even live in the town. I've lived here 3 years, love it, and never had a problem. All my neighbors would tell you the same thing.
With that said, I would never spend $800k for a townhouse at BelAir, or anywhere else. I just don't see condos or townhomes to be a good value in that price range.
People are leaving Hoboken to move to Millburn, Short Hills, and Livington. No one is arguing Hoboken is going down hill.
West Orange is not going downhill by any means. It's got turnover, as there are a lot of older residents. It's getting younger in my neighborhood. My neighbors are all awesome. My next door neighbor is in his 80s, and he's looking to sell soon. 4 houses on the block just turned over, and all were younger families or couples in their 30s.
As was stated, the High School is "average" for NJ, but that's still pretty good compared to most places outside of NJ.
The key issue remains the local taxes. How do we prevent them from increasing, and possibly get them to decrease.
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