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.
Hi everyone, I have read citydata for a while now and finally decided to post. My husband and I currently rent in Westfield, NJ, though we are both from Bergen County. We are looking to buy a home, and are planning to start looking in a few weeks. I work in Plainfield, NJ, and my husband works in Brooklyn (but only 2-3 days a week, otherwise he works from home). I have been scouring the internet looking for homes between 350-400k in commuter towns with good school systems. Here are the questions from the sticky:
Where are you coming from? Westfield, NJ
Why are you moving? to buy a home
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Plainfield, NJ/Brooklyn, NY
Will you buy or rent? buy
What is your budget ? max 350-400k
What kind of place are you looking for ? 3 bed 2 bath with a yard
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? husband, dog, cat, and soon we would like to start a family.
Do you need/want good public schools? yes - but they don't have to be Westfield level.
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) families with young children, preferably somewhat artsy, diverse, and definitely safe.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc) safety, commute to NYC, downtown area
Here are the towns I have been looking at: Bridgewater, Somerville, Maplewood. What are people's thoughts on these areas? I have read all the forums about Maplewood being unsavory in some parts. I have not read much about Somerville - I have heard it is an up and coming town. I love its downtown area, and I have seen some decent homes there in our price range. I am somewhat concerned about the schools - is there anyone on the forum who has either gone to Somerville or has children in Somerville? Which of these towns would be good for young professionals starting a family?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Somerville is a long ways from NYC from a commuting perspective. Even moreso, Brooklyn. I'd recommend you look into Metuchen, Highland Park, and North Brunswick.
Hi everyone, I have read citydata for a while now and finally decided to post. My husband and I currently rent in Westfield, NJ, though we are both from Bergen County. We are looking to buy a home, and are planning to start looking in a few weeks. I work in Plainfield, NJ, and my husband works in Brooklyn (but only 2-3 days a week, otherwise he works from home). I have been scouring the internet looking for homes between 350-400k in commuter towns with good school systems. Here are the questions from the sticky:
Where are you coming from? Westfield, NJ
Why are you moving? to buy a home
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Plainfield, NJ/Brooklyn, NY
Will you buy or rent? buy
What is your budget ? max 350-400k
What kind of place are you looking for ? 3 bed 2 bath with a yard
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? husband, dog, cat, and soon we would like to start a family.
Do you need/want good public schools? yes - but they don't have to be Westfield level.
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) families with young children, preferably somewhat artsy, diverse, and definitely safe.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc) safety, commute to NYC, downtown area
Here are the towns I have been looking at: Bridgewater, Somerville, Maplewood. What are people's thoughts on these areas? I have read all the forums about Maplewood being unsavory in some parts. I have not read much about Somerville - I have heard it is an up and coming town. I love its downtown area, and I have seen some decent homes there in our price range. I am somewhat concerned about the schools - is there anyone on the forum who has either gone to Somerville or has children in Somerville? Which of these towns would be good for young professionals starting a family?
Thanks in advance for your input.
I went to high school in Somerville (I grew up in nearby Branchburg which shares the high school with Somerville). I thought it was fine education wise. They offer a lot of AP classes and honors classes. High graduation rate and the majority of people who graduate go to college (including some Ivy League schools).
The commute is not very fun. I commute from the Somerville station to lower Manhattan and it's about two hours door to door for me. Of course, that all depends where in the city you work. If you work closer to Penn Station or WTC Path, it will obviously be shorter. Obviously, the commute is doable, but you'll probably want to live closer.
If you're really keen on living in Somerset County, I'd rather live in Bridgewater over Somerville. While Somerville isn't dangerous or anything, it's more gritty whereas Bridgewater has much nicer neighborhoods. Also, Somerville's "downtown" is overrated. They have some pretty good restaurants, but that's about it. Most of the other businesses on Main Street are weird specialty stores that aren't even that nice looking to be honest. There really aren't any bars, lounges, clubs, museums, etc. type of places in Somerville. Like I mentioned, they have some good restaurants, but that's not really a reason to live there when you could live in Bridgewater and just drive 5-10 minutes to Somerville if you really want to enjoy its downtown.
I can't comment on Maplewood too much since I'm pretty sure I've never been there. However, I can tell you that your commute will be much better/quicker if you lived in Maplewood over Bridgewater or Somerville.
EDIT:
I just read the part where you mentioned your husband works in Brooklyn. That's really far to commute to from Somerville/Bridgewater.
I was definitely going to say Maplewood. Places near the train station are safer than other parts, but finding a 3 bedroom home in your price range is not so easy (though there are a couple of homes). Livingston is another very nice area and there are homes in your price range, but there is no train there, so commuting into NYC will be a little tougher. Springfield is another nice town with the same issue as Livingston, but the town is generally closer to other train stations. There are buses that go from each of those towns into NYC (WTC), however. I know that some areas of South Orange and West Orange are very nice, as well, and there are homes there in your price range, but I can't comment on areas that are better than others and what the homes are there (I didn't really have a good look). Long Hill Twp is another cute town with a couple of options, and there is a train there, though it's a little farther out.
Bridgewater is a nice town, but it's very far from the city (over an hour into Penn Station, plus the transfer into Brooklyn). I recommend staying as far east as you can (within reason) so that the commute is shorter. We live in Millburn, and my brother commutes to Brooklyn -- takes him about 60-75 minutes to get there. So it would be about the same amount of time from Maplewood.
Maplewood is fabulous. However I don't know if you can find what you are looking for in your price range. The taxes are very high which you have to consider.
That said, we loved living there. Great community, neighborhoods, small downtown area. If you decide, try South Orange as well.
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.
