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You don't say what your rental budget is but here are options that fit at least two of your requests:
--Millburn/SH--some of the best schools in the area but crazy competitive and expensive. The train ride into Penn Station is short. However, unless your HS is an academic dynamo, it would feel cruel to drop in a kid into such a high stress environment just after moving. The kids are friendly and welcoming; the academic stress horrific though but if your child is Harvard bound, this is the place.
--Maplewood--great commute, definitely affordable, charming etc, the schools are very good but the demographic is more mixed and the scores reflect that. Still--I know people who have graduated from those schools and have done well and you can't beat the value proposition.
- West Orange is very similar to Maplewood and the commute are awesome.
Towns I know less well but have good reputations and am not sure about the train/bus commute options....and these are pricey as well:
- Montclair
-Westfield--sort of expensive, excellent schools, bus access into NYC only
- Chatham-- Very expensive, very good schools, train access
- Summit-- same as chatham
- Tenafly--very close to the city, very expensive, very good schools
Okay in all areas, but not great in any one:
- West Essex--great town, good schools, close in
- East Hanover- farther out, decent schools, affordable
- Cedar Grove- closer in, no train, decent schools, affordable
- Lincoln Park- farther out, train, decent schools, affordable and charming
Further out:
Boonton (Mountain Lake school system is fantastic but I think commute is by bus/which takes you to 42nd/8th)
Denville (bus or train, affordable in parts, decent schools, good amenities)
Randolph (bus only, decent schools, somewhat affordable, farther out)
Warren (bus or drive a bit to train. very good schools, pricey)
Basking Ridge (train, bus, excellent schools pricey)
There are many options! Many more than I listed here--but I don't think West Windsor would be one i would look at--the train is the only way into NYC and it's over an hour.
I love West Orange and like that you suggested it (bus commute would be very easy to times square), but for renting for 4ish years and wanting a good school, I don't think it is a good fit. If i was temporarily in NJ and renting, i'd spring for one of the top school districts. West Orange is good though, so I'm not pooping on it. I just think renting changes the equation big time.
You don't say what your rental budget is but here are options that fit at least two of your requests:
--Millburn/SH--some of the best schools in the area but crazy competitive and expensive. The train ride into Penn Station is short. However, unless your HS is an academic dynamo, it would feel cruel to drop in a kid into such a high stress environment just after moving. The kids are friendly and welcoming; the academic stress horrific though but if your child is Harvard bound, this is the place.
--Maplewood--great commute, definitely affordable, charming etc, the schools are very good but the demographic is more mixed and the scores reflect that. Still--I know people who have graduated from those schools and have done well
- West Orange is very similar to Maplewood and the commute are awesome.
Towns I know less well but have good reputations and am not sure about the train/bus commute options....and these are pricey as well:
- Montclair
-Westfield--sort of expensive, excellent schools, bus access into NYC only
- Chatham-- Very expensive, very good schools, train access
- Summit-- same as chatham
- Tenafly--very close to the city, very expensive, very good schools
Okay in all areas, but not great in any one:
- West Essex--great town, good schools, close in
- East Hanover- farther out, decent schools, affordable
- Cedar Grove- closer in, no train, decent schools, affordable
- Lincoln Park- farther out, train, decent schools, affordable and charming
Further out:
Boonton (Mountain Lake school system is fantastic but I think commute is by bus/which takes you to 42nd/8th)
Denville (bus or train, affordable in parts, decent schools, good amenities)
Randolph (bus only, decent schools, somewhat affordable, farther out)
Warren (bus or drive a bit to train. very good schools, pricey)
Basking Ridge (train, bus, excellent schools pricey)
There are many options! Many more than I listed here--but I don't think West Windsor would be one i would look at--the train is the only way into NYC and it's over an hour.
There are several inaccuracies and missing info in the above quoted post.
Firstly, Westfield has train access into NYC and has a very busy train station. Many who live in Randolph commute via train by driving to nearby stations, (Morris Plains, Morristown, Dover, etc.) Randolph's schools are quite good. Warren does not have a train station, however there are several stations in nearby towns. As far as Boonton is concerned, while yes those living in Boonton Township go to Mt Lakes HS, those living in the Town of Boonton do not. If you live in Boonton Twp you can easily take the train into NYC as there is a station in the town of Boonton, or if closer, you could board at the Mt Lakes station. Basking Ridge and Chatham rentals are not outrageously priced. (no more so than other area towns, at least. A nice two bedroom apt is about 2k a month)
Other thoughts:
If you are considering a place in Denville, make sure it is not in a flood zone. Flooding is a bad problem in the area. Same hold for Lincoln Park. Commute to NYC from Lincoln Park would be difficult as no train station, and busses are geared for the traditional commuter hours. I'd add Madison to the short list, great midtown direct train line, wonderful walkable community, and great schools.
I'd also add that if you are not working normal business hours, sticking to those communities with train access would be best. The trains tend to run until after midnight, and start up extremely early, (4:30am ish) so you'd be have access into the city for your crazy hours. Almost all of the commuter busses are only geared to the "normal work hours" commuter. You don't want to be left in the lurch... so forget towns that only have commuter busses. There are a few towns, very close in to NYC that do have mass transit busses nearly 24/7, but they are also pretty much towns with less than good schools. (there may be an exception, but I am not aware of it.)
Aside from Chatham, are there any other school districts in NJ that teach German in middle school and high school? Somewhere reasonably commutable to NYC (Voorhees is out).
Aside from Chatham, are there any other school districts in NJ that teach German in middle school and high school? Somewhere reasonably commutable to NYC (Voorhees is out).
the town next to chatham, madison, has world language including german.
I have absolutely zero clue why everyone is suggesting train towns to someone working in Times Square with unpredictable hours. Most bus routes into the city go to Port Authority, which is a very short walk to Times Square, and because of both the shorter physical distance and better location getting off transit in the city the total door-to-door time would be much reduced (and that's not even considering the time to get to the station from where you live). Going halfway across the state for an (relatively) affordable train station town where you will take much longer to get to work makes no sense.
Without more detail on what you want however (type of community, type of housing, budget, etc.) it's hard to give specific suggestions because there is a tremendous amount of choice for towns on lines into the Port Authority.
I have absolutely zero clue why everyone is suggesting train towns to someone working in Times Square with unpredictable hours. Most bus routes into the city go to Port Authority, which is a very short walk to Times Square, and because of both the shorter physical distance and better location getting off transit in the city the total door-to-door time would be much reduced (and that's not even considering the time to get to the station from where you live). Going halfway across the state for an (relatively) affordable train station town where you will take much longer to get to work makes no sense.
Without more detail on what you want however (type of community, type of housing, budget, etc.) it's hard to give specific suggestions because there is a tremendous amount of choice for towns on lines into the Port Authority.
I suggested he concentrate on train commuting because the commuter busses are targeted and timed for those who work "normal business hours." If, lets say as an example, the OP's work hours are noon to 9pm, or 3pm to 11pm, he would not be able to take one of the commuter busses, as they do not run on a schedule that would accommodate those hours. (while the train would)
yeah, Bus is nice for Times Square, but it's not like the walk from Penn Station to Times Square is all that bad. It really depends on where the office is though. I worked near Grand Central, and the walk from Penn to Grand Central was same time as the walk from PABT to Grand Central. and no, i hated taking the subway so i didn't do that.
my buddy works in times square and trains it in from morristown. he loves the commute, but it's a little longer than he'd prefer.
I suggested he concentrate on train commuting because the commuter busses are targeted and timed for those who work "normal business hours." If, lets say as an example, the OP's work hours are noon to 9pm, or 3pm to 11pm, he would not be able to take one of the commuter busses, as they do not run on a schedule that would accommodate those hours. (while the train would)
KoalaNJ
Some of the bus lines do only run normal commuting hours, but a lot of them run substantially outside those; I used to regularly take a bus out of the city at 1-1:30 a.m. Granted, none are as good as the path, but there aren't any towns with good schools on the path so that's not really relevant
There are several inaccuracies and missing info in the above quoted post.
If you are considering a place in Denville, make sure it is not in a flood zone. Flooding is a bad problem in the area. Same hold for Lincoln Park. Commute to NYC from Lincoln Park would be difficult as no train station, and busses are geared for the traditional commuter hours. I'd add Madison to the short list, great midtown direct train line, wonderful walkable community, and great schools.
KoalaNJ
- There is at least one inaccuracy and missing info in the above quoted post.
as well as one in Mountain View and the station on 23 just before the spaghetti bowl
While it may not be advantageous for the OP's schedule - it DOES exist, nonetheless
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There are several inaccuracies and missing info in the above quoted post.
