Moving from FL to NJ - Florham Park good for families with young children? (Elizabeth: for sale, houses)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We will be relocating to NJ within the next couple months. My husband will be working in Florham Park. I'm finding lots of info about how great Madison is for families, but not a lot of info about Florham Park. Is Florham Park good for families? We have a 3-yr-old and one on the way. I haven't yet visited the area...they seem so close, it's hard to understand from a distance how they could be much different. It seems as though Madison might have more things to do (correct me if I'm wrong), but since they are close, does it matter which one we choose? I've read that Madison is very welcoming to new families...does moving to Florham Park mean that we would be "outsiders" or is everyone just very friendly no matter what? I'm sorta stuck on Florham Park because of the easy commute and also because we did a first browse through houses for sale and it just so happens that our favorites are in FP...but who cares about a house if it's in the wrong area.
And maybe I'll throw in a question about the differences of Chatham as well?
We will be relocating to NJ within the next couple months. My husband will be working in Florham Park. I'm finding lots of info about how great Madison is for families, but not a lot of info about Florham Park. Is Florham Park good for families? We have a 3-yr-old and one on the way. I haven't yet visited the area...they seem so close, it's hard to understand from a distance how they could be much different. It seems as though Madison might have more things to do (correct me if I'm wrong), but since they are close, does it matter which one we choose? I've read that Madison is very welcoming to new families...does moving to Florham Park mean that we would be "outsiders" or is everyone just very friendly no matter what? I'm sorta stuck on Florham Park because of the easy commute and also because we did a first browse through houses for sale and it just so happens that our favorites are in FP...but who cares about a house if it's in the wrong area.
And maybe I'll throw in a question about the differences of Chatham as well?
Any info is appreciated!!
Florham is great for families. No worries. Madison has an old authentic downtown and train station so it is a more desirable because it is easier to access the city from Madison. Chatham is nice town as well. I personally love Madison, but it is not a cheap place to buy a home. It is one of the most desirable towns in NJ. Chatham has some of the best public schools in NJ. All that being said, FP is a fine community and very family oriented. All these towns border each other so the "vibe" is pretty similar as far sense of family and community. Morris County is one the best countys in which to live in NJ. The NY Jets training facility is located in FP. It is a really nice facility and the residents of FP are really proud of their Jets. You often see the players at the local pizzeria or ice cream shop. They're easy to recognize...they're HUGE. Tony Siragusa lives in FP. Tony Siragusa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Florham is great for families. No worries. Madison has an old authentic downtown and train station so it is a more desirable because it is easier to access the city from Madison. Chatham is nice town as well. I personally love Madison, but it is not a cheap place to buy a home. It is one of the most desirable towns in NJ. Chatham has some of the best public schools in NJ. All that being said, FP is a fine community and very family oriented. All these towns border each other so the "vibe" is pretty similar as far sense of family and community. Morris County is one the best countys in which to live in NJ. The NY Jets training facility is located in FP. It is a really nice facility and the residents of FP are really proud of their Jets. You often see the players at the local pizzeria or ice cream shop. They're easy to recognize...they're HUGE. Tony Siragusa lives in FP. Tony Siragusa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Great, thank you! It sounds like we can't go wrong with any of those 3 places. I guess it'll just come down to visiting in person and getting a feel for what we're drawn to. And I didn't know about the Jets training in FP - how fun! Thanks again!
Thanks! I saw that thread but never made it to the end, so thanks for pointing it out. Makes sense about FP having bigger houses and lots...that's probably why all of our favorite houses for sale were in FP, because that's what we're used to. The initial shock of small houses with big prices was hard to get over! It's way different here in Florida, especially now after the housing crash. I can't wait to get there and look around!
All of them are nice, beautiful, affluent towns. You can't go wrong with any of the three: FP, Chatham, or Florham Park.
I'd probably pick Madison -- if you can afford it -- because it has that cute downtown and the schools are a bit better than Florham Park (I grew up in Chatham, Florham Park, and East Hanover BTW).
The Chathams (there are two) are more expensive, but they have great schools. There are rumors of a "Chattitude" however.
I don't know what your budget is, but like I said, I'd pick Madison of the three. It is adorable. To me it is the most "family friendly."
I've lived pretty much in both towns my entire life. You can't go wrong with either one. As stated, Madison has a more walkable downtown (as does Chatham), and somewhat closer single-town high school. Florham Park shares a high school with East Hanover, and the campus is there.
Pay close attention to the differences in overall tax rates and all utility costs. Florham Park is known for having fairly low tax rates. There is more diversity in Madison. Both are college towns. Fairleigh Dickinson University straddles both towns but is mostly in Florham Park; Drew is in Madison, and St. Elizabeth's is next to FDU in the Convent Station section of Morris Township.
A good way to get a sense of both areas is to check out the local papers, the Madison Eagle and Florham Park Eagle, published by the same company.
I don't think you'll encounter less-than-welcoming attitudes in any of these areas. Find a great local realtor that serves both, or send me a DM for a very strong recommendation.
I like all places but Madison IMHO bubbles to the top. I have a friend who relocated here from the midwest (don't know where you're coming from) and she lived in FP for a year while trying to find a place to live. She found it to be a bit snooty and was glad to leave (although she misses Trader Joe's being so close).
Take that for whatever it's worth, I don't have an informed opinion about it nor do I have a dog in this hunt. Just relaying what she said. Good luck!
FP is a nice/boring suburb but cheaper than Madison/Chatham because it lacks the nice downtown area and because its high school performance is fairly mediocre, and pretty bad when you compare it to other towns of similar affluence. As you mentioned, you can get to Madison downtown in just a few minutes drive from most of FP, and you can get more house for your money, so my main concern would be the high school (honestly don't know enough about what the "problem" is there but it is outperformed by just about every nice surrounding town).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Tony Siragusa lives in FP. 
