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just wanted to add my girlfriend lives in Hillsdale and loves the town! her husband worked in the city for many years but now his company transferred to jersey city. The main reason they chose hillsdale over the towns you were looking at is the walkable downtown with its direct train into the city. Plus not being far from rt 17 too!
they've been very happy with their district schooling and sports; kiddos are now 16, 14 and 12 years old so they know the town pretty well in terms of service, amenties and such.
Hi - how did you finalize a list and eventually ended up comparing Wycoff vs. Hillsdale? The two towns are almost 20 minutes apart.
Just curious if you used school rankings or otherwise...
I have some friends who live in Bergen County and I was given those two towns as possibilities. It has also been suggested now that i look at Glen Rock. Hillsdale seems to have a different vibe from both Wyckoff and GR. I did love Wyckoff when we went to go look and will also now go and see GR. I am coming from the North Shore of Long Island and for those of you familiar with it, I was trying to get away from just how competitive everything is and the keeping up with Joneses mentality. I do understand every town that has some affluence will have that, and I'm okay with that, just not where it dominates an entire town. Keep the information coming, this board has been very helpful.
I have some friends who live in Bergen County and I was given those two towns as possibilities. It has also been suggested now that i look at Glen Rock. Hillsdale seems to have a different vibe from both Wyckoff and GR. I did love Wyckoff when we went to go look and will also now go and see GR. I am coming from the North Shore of Long Island and for those of you familiar with it, I was trying to get away from just how competitive everything is and the keeping up with Joneses mentality. I do understand every town that has some affluence will have that, and I'm okay with that, just not where it dominates an entire town. Keep the information coming, this board has been very helpful.
From what I understand, the train line Glen Rock, Ridgewood and Allendale are on (Bergen/Main line) is more reliable and quicker than the Pascack Valley train line Hillsdale is on, if that makes a difference. Those aforementioned towns probably have more of a keeping up w/ the Joneses and competitive mentality though.
I also came from the North Shore (Great Neck, LI), and we chose the northwestern part of Paramus to move to as we were able to afford the type of home we really wanted there. Depending on where in Paramus, there are multiple commuting options available (for us Ridgewood train, NJT & Coach bus all ~5min drive away), and Paramus taxes are one of the lowest in the county due to all the commercial activity. Of course schools are not on par w/ Ridgewood, GR, etc., but they're good enough for us. We liked the mixed demographic of the student body and think our children will succeed there (if they don't get accepted into Bergen Academies ).
FYI it took me exactly 30min to drive to the UWS of Manhattan (W77th street) this past Monday at 4pm (GWB via Rte 17 + Rte 4), and 25min on the drive back at 6:30pm. Going to LI will be a vastly different story though I'm afraid, as you'll need to go through the Bronx and the CBE is almost always a nightmare, add in the LIE traffic and it can be very bad. You'll also be paying through the nose in tolls as GWB + Throgs/Whitestone (which charges both ways) = ~$30 per round trip...
From what I understand, the train line Glen Rock, Ridgewood and Allendale are on (Bergen/Main line) is more reliable and quicker than the Pascack Valley train line Hillsdale is on, if that makes a difference. Those aforementioned towns probably have more of a keeping up w/ the Joneses and competitive mentality though.
I also came from the North Shore (Great Neck, LI), and we chose the northwestern part of Paramus to move to as we were able to afford the type of home we really wanted there. Depending on where in Paramus, there are multiple commuting options available (for us Ridgewood train, NJT & Coach bus all ~5min drive away), and Paramus taxes are one of the lowest in the county due to all the commercial activity. Of course schools are not on par w/ Ridgewood, GR, etc., but they're good enough for us. We liked the mixed demographic of the student body and think our children will succeed there (if they don't get accepted into Bergen Academies ).
FYI it took me exactly 30min to drive to the UWS of Manhattan (W77th street) this past Monday at 4pm (GWB via Rte 17 + Rte 4), and 25min on the drive back at 6:30pm. Going to LI will be a vastly different story though I'm afraid, as you'll need to go through the Bronx and the CBE is almost always a nightmare, add in the LIE traffic and it can be very bad. You'll also be paying through the nose in tolls as GWB + Throgs/Whitestone (which charges both ways) = ~$30 per round trip...
Thanks for the reply. Would only be going to LI at most once a week and fortunately could time it when it wasn't rush hour (not that that would wipe out all traffic, but would be better). Rest of the time would be in NJ and NYC. Just wondering, what made you move from LI to Paramus?
Thanks for the reply. Would only be going to LI at most once a week and fortunately could time it when it wasn't rush hour (not that that would wipe out all traffic, but would be better). Rest of the time would be in NJ and NYC. Just wondering, what made you move from LI to Paramus?
We looked in Westchester, Queens, LI and NJ using the following criteria (in order of importance):
1) Home price and annual taxes within budget
2) < 1:15 door-to-door commute into work in Manhattan
3) Minimum 4+ BR, 2+ BA, new(ish) build (ie. < 10yrs old), 3000+ sf
4) Good to great school system
5) ~30min drive into Manhattan
6) Good lot size / backyard
7) Nice, quiet leafy neighborhood
It was the first 3 on that list that led us to Paramus. We really wanted a newer build, large home without astronomical taxes, a good commute and drive into Manhattan. Being as we don't have children yet, the quality of the schools weren't as high of a priority (but still important). We figured w/ the amount we'd save on taxes over the next 10-15 years, we could easily send our kids to private school w/ tutoring (if we so chose) for HS. And it's not like Paramus public schools are bad anyway if we ended up sending our children there. In terms of bang for the buck, there's no way we could afford the type of home we bought if it were in a town like say Ho-Ho-Kus or Allendale (or any town in Nassau County or Westchester south of Ossining or Chappaqua).
There are a ton of new builds in Paramus, and the town is not all just malls and stores. There are definitely great, quiet streets/neighborhoods away from route 17 that ppl don't always realize. We can easily drive into downtown Ridgewood in 5min to enjoy the amenities there, or be in Manhattan in 30min, even in rush hour.
I also found that the town does a really great job in terms of social services - we routinely found our streets and neighborhood snow-plowed and leaf piles in the street/gutter collected earlier, more often and done better than even streets in Ridgewood. Paramus is constantly fixing up and maintaining the streets, electrical lines and trees, etc. Seems mundane, but if you look at even the type of garbage cans the town provides, Paramus has these diesel 96 gallon cans that I don't see often in other towns. I think bc of the heavy commercial activity, they have a healthy budget towards these types of services.
Our neighbors are also absolutely fantastic, they've been in the area for a long time. They closed our garage doors when we accidentally left them open, picked up our newspapers and kept an eye on our home when we were on vacation, brought over meats when we first got our grill, let us use their snow thrower anytime, invite us over often for breakfast, coffee...
Sorry about the long-winded response haha. I love Ridgewood, and one of my best buds is moving to Glen Rock. I think those are fantastic towns and you really can't go wrong w/ any of the other towns discussed. For us personally though I think we made the perfect decision
jpf723 - There is no way it is 30 minutes into Manhattan at rush hour from Paramus. Maybe you mean 30 minutes to the line of cars waiting to pay the toll at one of the crossings?
jpf723 - There is no way it is 30 minutes into Manhattan at rush hour from Paramus. Maybe you mean 30 minutes to the line of cars waiting to pay the toll at one of the crossings?
Well, not sure if 4pm counts as rush hr if you're driving into the city bc I guess it's a reverse commute, but it took me exactly 30min to drive from Ridgewood Ave & Paramus Rd to W77th & Broadway, and less than that to drive back at 6:30pm this past Monday. This was via Paramus Rd to Rte 4 to GWB to Henry Hudson Pkwy/Westside Hwy, exit 96th Street, down Riverside Dr to W77th Street.
Tbh I only drove into the city once during morning rush hour, and it took me maybe 40min, and that was bc I was going to midtown so went down 95 to Lincoln Tunnel, left the house around 630am. Not sure how it would be to the UWS via GWB, but I can't imagine it'd be longer than that if you leave at a reasonable hr.
We looked in Westchester, Queens, LI and NJ using the following criteria (in order of importance):
1) Home price and annual taxes within budget
2) < 1:15 door-to-door commute into work in Manhattan
3) Minimum 4+ BR, 2+ BA, new(ish) build (ie. < 10yrs old), 3000+ sf
4) Good to great school system
5) ~30min drive into Manhattan
6) Good lot size / backyard
7) Nice, quiet leafy neighborhood
It was the first 3 on that list that led us to Paramus. We really wanted a newer build, large home without astronomical taxes, a good commute and drive into Manhattan. Being as we don't have children yet, the quality of the schools weren't as high of a priority (but still important). We figured w/ the amount we'd save on taxes over the next 10-15 years, we could easily send our kids to private school w/ tutoring (if we so chose) for HS. And it's not like Paramus public schools are bad anyway if we ended up sending our children there. In terms of bang for the buck, there's no way we could afford the type of home we bought if it were in a town like say Ho-Ho-Kus or Allendale (or any town in Nassau County or Westchester south of Ossining or Chappaqua).
There are a ton of new builds in Paramus, and the town is not all just malls and stores. There are definitely great, quiet streets/neighborhoods away from route 17 that ppl don't always realize. We can easily drive into downtown Ridgewood in 5min to enjoy the amenities there, or be in Manhattan in 30min, even in rush hour.
I also found that the town does a really great job in terms of social services - we routinely found our streets and neighborhood snow-plowed and leaf piles in the street/gutter collected earlier, more often and done better than even streets in Ridgewood. Paramus is constantly fixing up and maintaining the streets, electrical lines and trees, etc. Seems mundane, but if you look at even the type of garbage cans the town provides, Paramus has these diesel 96 gallon cans that I don't see often in other towns. I think bc of the heavy commercial activity, they have a healthy budget towards these types of services.
Our neighbors are also absolutely fantastic, they've been in the area for a long time. They closed our garage doors when we accidentally left them open, picked up our newspapers and kept an eye on our home when we were on vacation, brought over meats when we first got our grill, let us use their snow thrower anytime, invite us over often for breakfast, coffee...
Sorry about the long-winded response haha. I love Ridgewood, and one of my best buds is moving to Glen Rock. I think those are fantastic towns and you really can't go wrong w/ any of the other towns discussed. For us personally though I think we made the perfect decision
Not sure how long you lived in Great Neck, but have you noticed a difference b/w there and Paramus? People, Services, Restaurants, etc.? Would love to get your feedback. I know these are generalizations, but all info helps.
Not sure how long you lived in Great Neck, but have you noticed a difference b/w there and Paramus? People, Services, Restaurants, etc.? Would love to get your feedback. I know these are generalizations, but all info helps.
Lived in Great Neck about 5 yrs and for the most part liked it mainly because it's an awesome commuter town, you can be in Penn Station in < 35min on an express train.
This is a VERY big generalization (and doesn't apply to everyone of course), but from my experience I "generally" found the people in Great Neck to be very obnoxious and have a supreme sense of entitlement. One example would be when my wife (gf at the time) had her yoga mat down for a class at the local NY Sports Club. When she came back from the water fountain, she found her mat was moved, and the woman who moved it said it was because she took her "usual" spot. Wtf? I could list a dozen examples of behavior like this but won't waste my time.
Restaurants in GN are OK but overpriced for what you get. A lot of shops have closed over the years so there aren't many to choose from. I did like when they closed down some of the streets for outdoor dining on nice summer evenings, and the occasional festivals in town were nice. We loved Steppingstone Park which only allows town residents access, and funny enough, the Waldbaums there where groceries are actually decently priced.
Again, this is a very big generalization, but we find the people in NJ, specifically Northern NJ/Bergen/Paramus to be MUCH much nicer, and actually willing to go out of their way to help. I don't know if it's because the town is geared towards sales or because the attitude of the people in GN was that bad. Talking to residents here, people at the dog park, sales people behind the counter at any store or restaurant, the difference is pretty significant.
In terms of choices of restaurants and stores, it's no competition. When living in GN we'd have to go to Bell Blvd in Bayside or Flushing to eat out sometimes, GN really didn't have much. All the restaurants and delivery places close at like 10-11pm too, so forget about trying to grab a late night meal. Here in Paramus, Hackensack, Ridgewood, etc. the sheer number of stores and restaurants in the area pretty much guarantee you'll be able to find quality eats and have a favorite restaurant.
The best thing Great Neck has going for it is the commute into Manhattan. The Port Washington line for the LIRR is one of the best commuter lines in the tri-state area IMO (it's the only LIRR line that doesn't go through the big hub in Jamaica which frequently has switching problems), and Great Neck is an awesome express stop where you can easily find trains that go from GN to Penn Station (and vice versa) non-stop or with maybe 1-2 stops.
The Ridgewood train in NJ is great and very consistent from my experience, but it doesn't fly straight into Manhattan like the LIRR. I personally hate taking the bus and the stop and go traffic, and the Port Authority, while not as congested as Penn Station, is the most disgusting commuter station in Manhattan. Other than the difference in commute (which can be a big deal for many), from my limited experience, I think NNJ beats the pants of GN, no question about it. Hope this helps and I didn't offend too many people!
Just a small tidbit that relates to the general theme of LI vs Bergen County. I was walking to the train this morning and a neighbor driving to the train stopped and asked if I wanted a ride (this was at 6:45 AM). I did a similiar walk on Long Island for 12 years and was never once asked if I wanted a ride from a neighbor. I will say the people are nicer up in Bergen county than Nassau county. Agree about commute though, I took a job on Wall Street to avoid the Secaucus junction dibacle. Now I take train to Hoboken and then Path to WTC and walk, takes about 1:20 door to desk. Anyway, I think you will enjoy the move, I was apprehensive at first, but after 9 months or so Im glad I did the move.
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