Summit vs Short Hills (Union, Millburn: apartments, neighborhood, school)
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I'm not sure I understand why Summit has better train service. It looks like the Millburn and Short Hills train stops both get good service and are closer than the Summit stop. Are there some trains that depart from Summit that skip the Millburn stops?
I'm not sure I understand why Summit has better train service. It looks like the Millburn and Short Hills train stops both get good service and are closer than the Summit stop. Are there some trains that depart from Summit that skip the Millburn stops?
yes. even though millburn and short hills are closer, summit has more express service. for example, there is one train from penn (i think the 605) that goes express to summit no stops.
Both towns are wonderful choices, great schools, safe, so much going for them. As others have mentioned, for me it would come down to two factors, the specifics of the house (which one I fell in love with, was on a quieter street, etc) and the second factor would be taxes. Though the taxes are pretty close between the two, it comes down to current valuations. The effective tax rate for Millburn is 1.781, Summit is 1.774 I am not certain when each town last had a re-evaluation done, and when/if a new one is scheduled. The schools in Millburn are ranked slightly higher than Summit. Millburn's HS had just under 1,500 students last yr, and Summit had just over 1,000. I believe Millburn has more course selections available, esp in AP courses, though Summit has a good amount/selection. Frankly we are talking about the difference in choosing between a Ferrari or a Lamborghini for your weekend car...
re the tax reval date- it shouldn't matter as the tax ratio equalizes that out. If the town gets revaled some taxes should go up and some should go down, some unchanged (in theory). Taxes are a good bit lower than some other Essex County towns, but the higher home prices have this built in. There's no free ride!
One thing to consider is that people move to short hills expressly because the schools are competitive. I know families that switched to private schools despite living in Millburn because they were shut out of AP classes they wanted. Otherwise people seem to love it.
My family and I are thinking of moving from NYC and have narrowed it down to Summit/Short Hills. I understand many of the surrounding towns are great but we are trying to narrow our options. Any input on either town is much appreciated - types of people, community, things to do. Considering they are so close to each other does it make a difference to live in one vs the other? I'm leaning towards Summit but we've seen some stuff close to the Short hills train station that is nice and my husband could walk to the train. Thanks!
I much prefer Summit's downtown but as it's been said, both are great options. But the better downtown is more of a deal breaker for me, personally.
Have you ruled out Glen Ridge? Beautiful town and homes. Walk or jitney to the train and excellent schools.
One problem with Glen Ridge is that there are some really bad areas in Bkoomfield in really close proximity. I was driving through there the other day and the neighborhoods changed in the blink of an eye.
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