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He has recieved a job offer from Farmingdale State College as an Assistant Professor paying 68k. He is barely graduating with his PhD. We will be living off the 68k until I can find a job.
We have been entertaining the thought of living in Newark because I see some really nice condo housing for super cheap. I honestly do not like the housing options in LI for the price.
Since we will only have one income for awhile we would like to stay under $1,300 for a 1 bedroom.
We are open minded to areas. We do not have kids and I grew up in the most dangerous part of San Diego. And he grew up in St. Louis, MO. I have also lived in Mexico so nothing scares me. But I do not want to be around gunshots 24/7.
Location: Techified Blue (Collar)-Rooted Bastion-by-the-Sea
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You obviously have never been to the tri-state area. That is ridiculously unrealistic - can't even imagine such a commute and coming home to Newark? That actually might be worse than the commute itself although there are some areas like Ironbound that could be livable. Why don't you look into Queens or towns like Hempstead on LI? From the sounds of it, you should be able to hack it there and the commute is actually doable.
I moved from northern NJ to the Los Angeles area last year. I don't know where in CA you live but if you are familiar with LA at all, the commute you suggested (which would be through NYC) would be equivalent to the SFV or Burbank to Long Beach (through DTLA). But as bad as LA traffic is, I would almost rather do that one rather than what you are proposing from LI to Newark ... Just food for thought, but to each their own.
No, it is not realistic--if you want your partner to have a decent quality of life.
Under ideal circumstances, it would take a minimum of 90 minutes each way to commute from Newark to SUNY Farmingdale. On a rainy day, or in case of lane closures resulting from a MV accident, make that 2 hours. On a snowy day, more likely 3 hours--each way.
Depending on which route was used for this commute, the daily tolls would likely be somewhere in the neighborhood of $10-20, even with an E-Z pass discount. And then, of course, you have the cost of gas for that long-distance commute. A salary of $68k in the NY/NJ metro area is not in the range where these commuting costs are practical--IMHO.
Then, there is the parking factor. While you probably could find an apt in the safe Ironbound section for $1,300, street parking in that congested neighborhood is very difficult. After his grueling drive home at night, he could well wind up spending an extra 30 minutes finding a parking space, and then--perhaps--having to walk a fairly long distance from that space to your apt. Or, he might have to resort to a paid parking garage on a particularly daunting night of looking for a parking space on the street.
I think that Darkone's suggestions of living in the Borough of Queens or the town of Hempstead are good ones. The housing costs would probably be in your price range, and the commuting time would allow him to spend much less of his life in his car, thus lowering his stress level.
He has recieved a job offer from Farmingdale State College as an Assistant Professor paying 68k. He is barely graduating with his PhD. We will be living off the 68k until I can find a job.
We have been entertaining the thought of living in Newark because I see some really nice condo housing for super cheap. I honestly do not like the housing options in LI for the price.
Since we will only have one income for awhile we would like to stay under $1,300 for a 1 bedroom.
We are open minded to areas. We do not have kids and I grew up in the most dangerous part of San Diego. And he grew up in St. Louis, MO. I have also lived in Mexico so nothing scares me. But I do not want to be around gunshots 24/7.
Your thoughts?
Thanks everyone,
Everything about this post unrealistic. You need to live on the Island. Maybe if you move to a remote part of it you can find a way to make your situation work. Moving to Newark will not work. Complete debacle.
Out of curiosity I did a quick Google map directions search. It says about 85 minutes if we were to make the drive right now. Of course, that's the $14 toll over the GWB, the $8 toll over the Throg's Neck, a few more dollars on the NJ Turnpike and it's $25 in tolls to get to work. Then gas. And depreciation. Of course, what they're not saying is the GWB is never a quick trip and you should budget at least 30 minutes more. And add the same for the Bronx as well.
Another route is under the Holland Tunnel ($14) and down Canal Street. Literally add an hour in the morning.
Public transit? Two hours ten minutes. But at least the schedule runs every hour in case you just missed that train. It'll allow for a lot of free time to grade student papers though.
You shouldn't be considering NJ, you should consider the north side of Long Island. You will pay for super cheap living in Newark in both time and money every single day when you should just find cheap living on LI.
We are open minded to areas. We do not have kids and I grew up in the most dangerous part of San Diego. And he grew up in St. Louis, MO. I have also lived in Mexico so nothing scares me. But I do not want to be around gunshots 24/7.
dont worry, the gunshots in newark usually stop at daylight and are minimal during working hours. its kind of like the movie "the purge" every night though.
this post makes me happy that we have the opportunity to educate people before they make tremendous mistakes.
That commute would be at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way each day. As much as I hate being stuck on any island, I'd give it up on that one. Farmingdale is a bit out there and LI has sick traffic too.
As the others have said, you'd be paying so much in fees just to commute that you'd negate the cost of a "cheap" Newark apartment. Can the university help give you some leads on places to live? They know the area. Also check out the NY forum.
BTW, congrats to your partner for actually getting a university teaching job! They are really hard to get these days!
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Find a nice place on Long Island
