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Good afternoon, we will be moving by July 1st & are driving up very soon to review places. We're considering the following areas: Woodbridge/Avenel, Edison, Scotch Plains, Berkeley Heights, South Plainfield, Elizabeth...
Where are you coming from? Hampton Roads, VA
Why are you moving? Coast Guard assignment
Where will you be working? Him -- Bayonne, NJ. Me -- Unknown right now
Will you buy or rent? Rent
What is your budget? Ideally no more than $2200
What kind of place are you looking for? 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths -- preferably townhome
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you? Boyfriend & 2 children, ages 7 & 9
Do you need/want good public schools? Yes...this is a must for us.
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): Safe, Quiet, Accessibility to stores, etc.
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): Commute time (ideally 35 minutes or less for bf), Safety, Suburban area
Safety is probably my biggest concern as my bf will be away on the boat for periods of time, so it'll be just me & the kids at home.
1) Scratch off Elizabeth
2) Schools wise - the best of the bunch are Scotch Plains and BH (and excellent). Edison is good to VG too, Woodbridge/Avenel/SP are lower.
3) All of those places (with the exception of Elizabeth) are really pushing the 35 min boundary. If your BF works off hours, it's doable. There may be construction (still) on the Turnpike Extension bridge (Exit 14 to 14A for Bayonne) so that may put a kink in things.
4) Look into SP/BH/Cranford/Madison/Chatham, but not sure what you'll get with your budget - others can chime in.
My bf will be going in around 6 a.m. & leaving work at 1:30 p.m., I believe. That may make his commute a little more livable, but we're definitely trying to look at traffic estimates for the areas. I think he said he can deal with 45 minutes. I'm used to that commute where we live now...it takes me an hour in the evenings.
We can spend up to $2500 monthly, but were looking to leave a little "wiggle room."
I grew up in Elizabeth, the Elmora Hills section. It was very nice and safe. They also had a "gifted and talented" program that you can test into. They've changed things up a bit, but they still have a school for that and it's a really good school. (They have 4 groups: acadamics, phys ed, visual arts, and performing arts, so you don't have to just be "smart" to get in).
Still though, I would suggest, from your list, Scotch Plains or Berkeley Heights. I know for sure that there are a handful of 3-BR rentals available for less than $2200 in Scotch Plains, Springfield, Westfield, and Summit (the latter three of which are great areas). I also found one in Madison, which is a really great area. You may want to consider Roselle Park, as well -- which is near Elmore Hills in Elizabeth but may be more affordable than some other areas. Honestly, if none of these are great options, I'd stick with somewhere in Morris County. More or less, generally safe areas with pretty good schools and some places are cheaper than others.
Good afternoon, we will be moving by July 1st & are driving up very soon to review places. We're considering the following areas: Woodbridge/Avenel, Edison, Scotch Plains, Berkeley Heights, South Plainfield, Elizabeth...
Where are you coming from? Hampton Roads, VA
Why are you moving? Coast Guard assignment
Where will you be working? Him -- Bayonne, NJ. Me -- Unknown right now
Will you buy or rent? Rent
What is your budget? Ideally no more than $2200
What kind of place are you looking for? 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths -- preferably townhome
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you? Boyfriend & 2 children, ages 7 & 9
Do you need/want good public schools? Yes...this is a must for us.
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): Safe, Quiet, Accessibility to stores, etc.
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): Commute time (ideally 35 minutes or less for bf), Safety, Suburban area
Safety is probably my biggest concern as my bf will be away on the boat for periods of time, so it'll be just me & the kids at home.
Thanks for your feedback!
Welcome to NJ! There are a few things you should be aware of. Firstly, I should warn you that here in NJ we are hard core commuters...first thing to do is forget about the travel times given on websites such as googlemaps, mapquest, etc. as they are extremely, um optimistic - actually down right laughable. What ever the time googlemaps gives you multiply by 2 and add 10% at a minimum. Several of the towns you are considering will have commutes outside (some FAR outside) your desired commute time. You also need to know that shortly one of the very few main arteries into the Bayone area is shutting down for much needed repairs for TWO YEARS. This means that what now is a congested one hour commute, will become significantly longer.
In general, the schools in towns nearer to NYC (and thus nearer to Bayonne) are not good schools, in fact most are pretty poor. The towns with decent commutes into NYC that have good/great schools are quite in high demand, so the housing prices are higher. You are going to have to prioritize your wants/needs/desires to one extent over the other. Your housing budget is likely going to have to stretch a bit and/or your expectations on type of housing lowered, and you are going to have to endure a longer commute. That being said, I am certain you will be able to find a safe town, with decent or better schools, with not too much longer of a commute, at or not too much above your budget.
The closest towns with good/great schools would be Westfield and Cranford. Finding a 3bd townhouse within your budget is going to be difficult. You will find 3bd rentals, for ~your budget but they will most likely be duplexes and apts. (& most likely be a 1 ba or 1.5 ba) Be extremely careful when looking in Cranford as parts of the town has bad flooding issues. The commute will most likely be slightly over your desired length, depending on when you are traveling, and when the Pulaski repairs begin will get even longer.
Berkeley Hts, Scotch Plains, and New Providence are wonderful safe quiet communities that have very good to excellent schools. You should be able to find a rental within your budget, (it maybe a duplex or apt, 3bd 2 ba townhomes are fairly rare to find, though there are a few out there) if your budget can stretch slightly, you can even find a SFH. The downside is the commute will be longer then you wished.
If possible find a place where your commute or daily travel does not include Rt 22. That road is quite overcrowded, very slow going, and frequently at a standstill due to accidents. Of course when the Pulaski shuts down, driving on 22 will be even worse.
I was born and raised in Berkeley Heights and I'd say it fits your criteria pretty well. It has great public schools and the area is extremely quiet and safe with very tight-knit neighbors. It does have a very small town feel. Everyone knows everyone. So, if that's what you're looking for, BH is an awesome place to live and raise a family in. The downside of a town like BH is that since everyone knows everyone, everyone is in everyone's business all the time. Also, on a related note, there is almost zero diversity. Like none. To the point where when I moved to Baltimore about a year ago for graduate school, it was a huge culture shock. I grew up around a bunch of spoiled rich white kids, so Baltimore was pretty...different from what I was used to.
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