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 we are moving to NJ in the next 3 months from Luxembourg in Europe. My husband is English and I am Italian. We have 2 small kids 4 years old and 16 months old. We are a bi-racial family - husband being black. We are looking for a nice town-racially diverse with great schools a good downtown with shops and restaurants. Husband will commute to Basking Ridge and Piscataway. Need to be close to nyc within 1 hour commute. We were looking at the following towns however we have read a lot of "concerning" reviews on most of them ad it relates to racism. Any info on these towns and suggestions on other optiond would be greatly appreciated.
Montclair
Maplewood
Millburn
Westfield
Madison
Chatham
Ridgewood
I don't know enough about the dynamics of Madison, Chatham, or Ridgewood to be able to comment on them, but I really don't believe that you would encounter racism in any of the other towns.
Montclair and Maplewood are some of the most racially diverse towns around. Chatham and Millburn are not (Millburn has a substantial Asian minority but few other minorities). The others fall somewhere in between. As for actual racism... dunno, it's hard for a white person to gauge. Since you appear to be considering train towns you might consider Summit.
Montclair is going to add significantly to the commute to Piscataway and Basking Ridge compared to some of the others. I wouldn't even consider Ridgewood for that commute given your other options.
If I were you, I'd pick either Montclair or Maplewood. They're both very diverse with good schools and great downtowns (Montclair has three!). Not really sure if the commutes to Basking Ridge and Piscataway would be good or not, though. NYC commute would be easy, however. I don't really think racism would be an issue in Montclair or Maplewood due to their diversity. You could also add South Orange to your list. It's very similar to Montclair and Maplewood.
Montclair is about 40 minutes from Piscataway & Basking Ridge, & about 50 minutes from NYC. (Depends what part you'll be living in). There's a downtown area & it's a diverse town. I've read a lot of good things about it on this site. Maplewood is also diverse with a downtown area. It's about an hour from NYC, but closer to Piscataway & BR. I would definitely pick one of these towns.
Madison, Ridgewood, & Chatham are nice towns. I know they aren't diverse, though.
Westfield is nice, but farther from NYC.
whats your budget? what you describe is pretty much Montclair. Maplewood and South orange also fit the bill for diversity. Either way, i think you budget will play a major factor in your choice.
Ridgewood has among the best downtowns in New Jersey, schools are excellent and close to the malls and all the shopping places. Property taxes are high though. Although you won't encounter any racism, the town is predominately white. There is a train station going to NYC.
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.
