Moving to Central NJ in the Fall (New Brunswick, Westfield: apartment, rentals)
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I'm moving from France to Central NJ for work in Oct. I'm originally from Boston, so the US is quite comfortable to me.
I'll be working near Princeton, my wife is most likely to find work in NYC.
We will rent for the first year or two trying to keep it under $2500 per month. We'd prefer a small house, but a large apartment would be fine if the neighbors are quiet and laundry is in the unit itself. We have no kids so don't care about public schools.
We like to live in an area where you can walk to the standard conveniences (Grocery, Coffee, pubs, maybe even art galleries or rock shows), we both lived in urban settings most of our lives. And based on my wife, I'd say living near the NYC train is important, we'll probably use it a lot on weekends also as we have friends there. A place where I can get a drink and sit outside is a pretty nice perk.
We like to go hiking, but are used to driving out 2 hours+ to do so.
We've been thinking about New Brunswick as an option, but we are worried that it'll just be a bunch of drunk college bros hanging about the place. Where else could we be looking?
I'm moving from France to Central NJ for work in Oct. I'm originally from Boston, so the US is quite comfortable to me.
I'll be working near Princeton, my wife is most likely to find work in NYC.
We will rent for the first year or two trying to keep it under $2500 per month. We'd prefer a small house, but a large apartment would be fine if the neighbors are quiet and laundry is in the unit itself. We have no kids so don't care about public schools.
We like to live in an area where you can walk to the standard conveniences (Grocery, Coffee, pubs, maybe even art galleries or rock shows), we both lived in urban settings most of our lives. And based on my wife, I'd say living near the NYC train is important, we'll probably use it a lot on weekends also as we have friends there. A place where I can get a drink and sit outside is a pretty nice perk.
We like to go hiking, but are used to driving out 2 hours+ to do so.
We've been thinking about New Brunswick as an option, but we are worried that it'll just be a bunch of drunk college bros hanging about the place. Where else could we be looking?
L+M
What's your thought on Metuchen ? There are interesting things for you there.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
Anyways, driving in traffic daily is the way of life in CNJ, so you better get used to it. Make sure you buy a good snow shovel as well for winter.
Try Princeton, West Windsor, Plainsboro, Lawrence. Easy access to NJ Transit's NorthEast Corridor Line's Princeton Junction Station to Manhattan. www.njtransit for schedules.
Take a look on CraigsList housing for Central Jersey & see what rentals are available in Canal Pointe or Colonnade Pointe. It's a condo development, but a large percentage are rented by the owners. It's a beautfully landscaped area with pool in summer & tennis courts.
If you like to walk, besides being able to walk the lovely grounds, there's a walking / biking / jogging path that follows the canal all the way to PA. It's used by Princeton U. runners.
There's great theater in Princeon (McCarter Theater) & the Princeton Art Museum on the campus which is free. In summer there's Princeton Summer Theater on the campus.
Besides Princeton Junction train station, the area is serviced well by NJ Transit buses & Princeton University's Tiger Transit buses which are free to use.
New Brunswick is a quick train ride from Princeton Junction & it has a few theaters & the Zimmerli Museum.
New Brunswick has a good mix of college kids & professionals with new hi-rise towers, nice restaurants and it's in between NYC & Princeton. Maybe a bit over an hour to NY State on 287 for mountains and Pennsylvania via 78. Not even 45 minutes to the NJ shore.
I work in Lawrenceville and have found some "decent" property for $2500/month rent. Not sure your expectations coming from France or even in Boston but you may do OK.
There are a few apps on an ipad or iphone that are great for this.
zillow.com
trulia.com
Based on your post you seem to be interested in an in-town setting where you can walk to shops, restaurants, etc. This is probably the key part of your criteria since price and transportation is available in many different towns in the area. All of your options will have pros and cons.
Some ideas to consider:
Westfield - great trendy downtown. NJ Transit rail access to NYC but far from Princeton
Somerville - smaller downtown area but recently redeveloped and up and coming - a good midpoint for the two work locations
Princeton itself - wonderful intown living, but you may find it a bit pricey for your stated range
Good luck!
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