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I am looking to move to NJ and find this forum very informative. I thank all for your comments/suggestions in advance.
Myself and my wife work in the NYC and we have a kid who goes to an elementary school. We are planning to buy a house in NJ. We are looking in the range 450 - 500K.
So we need suggestion for places which are: 1. Within 1 hr commute to NYC
2. Have good schools
3. Crime rate is low.
Looking forward to your suggestions.
One of the best schools in NJ (usually in the top 5) is West Windsor Plainsboro. It's a district that serves the towns of West Windsor and Plainsboro. The commute is one hour to NYC (I do it everyday) on NJ Transit's NorthEast corridor line. It's the most heavily traveled line in NJ I believe. Good and bad - frequent express trains to Princeton Junction station (which is in West Windsor) but crowded trains. Sometimes I stand, but most days I get a seat. The monthly ticket cost is $330.
Princeton also has good schools and it's a neighbor to West Windsor and Plainsboro.
You can find a home in the range of 450 - 500K in any of these towns although. The crime rate in these towns is low although there are pockets of each town that have a slightly higher crime rate. Let me konw if you have any other questions. I've lived here for 17 years and do the commute daily.
East Brunswick hands down! It fits all of your criteria. The commute is 45 minutes without traffic into NYC. With traffic it can be an hour or a little more due to the tunnel. You could also take the bus or a nearby train in either Edison or Metuchen.
Also East Brunswick has one of the best school systems in the state. I personally graduated the school system a little while back and the system is great. It is just like getting a private school education.
Lastly, in your price range you can get into a nice home. In that price range you can pretty much get just about anything but new construction.
Thanks for your replies, any suggestion of cities with less commute.
I would thank you for your suggestions.
Princeton area loks good, but the commute appears to be more than one and half hours. SInce I have a young kid, whom I have to pick up from after school by the end of the day, I would not be able to risk a commutre more than a hour.
Please can anyone suggest some places which would be an hours commute from NYC.
Well, part of the difficulty of a "one hour commute to NYC" is that you can spend 1/2 of that just getting out of NYC. Where in NYC are you working? If you're in Penn Plaza and can be on a train in Penn Station in 5 minutes, that's much different than working at 57th and 8th and being 20+ minutes to Penn Station. You've also got to factor in the time to get to the school from the train station, which can be considerable.
IMO, it's extremely difficult to truly be "less than one hour commute to NYC" unless you live withing walking distance of a PATH station or Ferry stop in Hudson County, and most of that area isn't ideal for raising a kid.
The other problem with the commute from Princeton/Princeton Junction is the complete lack of parking at the train station, with an average three year wait for a parking permit.
Well, part of the difficulty of a "one hour commute to NYC" is that you can spend 1/2 of that just getting out of NYC. Where in NYC are you working? If you're in Penn Plaza and can be on a train in Penn Station in 5 minutes, that's much different than working at 57th and 8th and being 20+ minutes to Penn Station. You've also got to factor in the time to get to the school from the train station, which can be considerable.
IMO, it's extremely difficult to truly be "less than one hour commute to NYC" unless you live withing walking distance of a PATH station or Ferry stop in Hudson County, and most of that area isn't ideal for raising a kid.
As a NYC commuter to and from multiple locations in the city and NJ, I have to agree. The train ride from the moment the train leaves the princeton junction station to the moment it pulls into penn is about an hour. That does not mean your commute will be one hour.
but again, only actual transit times. You have to add in driving to the station, parking, transferring (if you don't live on a direct line), and most significantly, getting to your job from NYP. It could add another 1/2 hour if you work on the east side.
I agree with the previous poster. Be careful, many NJ commuters will severely downplay the length of their commute. The Princeton area, IMHO, is just way to far to commute every day.
I recently moved from Westfield, NJ- which would fit all of your requirements. The school system is great! The commute is pretty good- and the crime is extremely low. It also has a great downtown, and a lot of community spirit. The only downside is that it is very expensive. That being said, with the market slow- I am pretty sure you could get a cute cape cod in a nice location. Cranford, right next door is similar, and less expensive (the schools and downtown are not quite as great, but it is also very nice. Just beware in Cranford of the flood zones- they do flood).
Other options could be: Mountainside, Berkeley Heights, Stirling, and Scotch Plains....
I am looking to move to NJ and find this forum very informative. I thank all for your comments/suggestions in advance.
Myself and my wife work in the NYC and we have a kid who goes to an elementary school. We are planning to buy a house in NJ. We are looking in the range 450 - 500K.
So we need suggestion for places which are: 1. Within 1 hr commute to NYC
2. Have good schools
3. Crime rate is low.
Looking forward to your suggestions.
I would suggest looking at Fairlawn in Bergen County. Commute to the city is pretty good. Fairlawn has 2 train stations (Broadway and Radburn). There are no direct trains, you have to transfer in Secaucus but there are express trains that can bring you to the city within 35 min, even with the transfer. The schools are very good. Low crime. Generally very nice area, except for Paterson. Radburn is a nicer, more affluent part of town (it borders Glen ROck) so if you can find a house there, that's a great area.
I agree with NJ MOM 8. I live in Fanwood, which is near Scotch Plains and Westfield. I would recommend Cranford above all of them. You have the Raritan Valley train going into NYC and there are also buses. I'd choose Berkeley Heights second, but I don't know if the commute is good enough. If you move to Fanwood, be aware that they are famous for their excessive traffic tickets. The Fanwood cops are extremely aggressive on tickets. If I had it to do all over again, I'd move to Cranford. Find something close to the train station to minimize your commute. The problem with Westfield is its traffic congestion.
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I can only speak for Central NJ....
