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I totally disagree with the fact that Morris county is not good for commuting to to NYC. The Midtown Direct Train line runs right through it. Due to this train line, is one of the reasons for the pricing of homes. Makes suburban living and commuting to the city very easy.
Bergen is not the closest to NYC, it's not even the better commutes into NYC. It's property values are high because of the school system and relative distance away from trouble spots like Essex county.
My co-worker lives in Bergen and complains about commute into NYC everyday. Even traveling within NJ, Bergen roads are always congested weekdays.
I have always been baffled when people are so quick to recommend Bergen County to someone looking for a nice, safe town with good schools and a good commute into the city. I think somehow Bergen is the quintessential "NJ suburban life with access to NYC" in the minds of many, which is totally fine, but I have also always thought that it's not the best for commuting into NYC.
I think Bergen is often referred to as the best commute to the city because it's the closest while also having good train/bus access in addition to good schools etc. I don't think any other County has as good train and bus coverage town by town than Bergen.
As for Morris County, whether it's good or bad for commuting to the city is largely based on how you define good. Does it have direct midtown access? Yes. But for me personally, it's too far out west with too long of a commute. So that made it not so good. I wanted the nicest house in the nicest town I could afford with good schools and the closest proximity to the city. So for me, Rutherford in south Bergen fit the bill.
I have always been baffled when people are so quick to recommend Bergen County to someone looking for a nice, safe town with good schools and a good commute into the city. I think somehow Bergen is the quintessential "NJ suburban life with access to NYC" in the minds of many, which is totally fine, but I have also always thought that it's not the best for commuting into NYC.
It's good for commuting to DOWNTOWN. The train goes to Hoboken, and you've got a 10-minute PATH ride to the WTC. Easy.
From other lines to the WTC, you catch PATH at Newark, and that's 25-30 minutes, a pain if you are standing.
It's good for commuting to DOWNTOWN. The train goes to Hoboken, and you've got a 10-minute PATH ride to the WTC. Easy.
From other lines to the WTC, you catch PATH at Newark, and that's 25-30 minutes, a pain if you are standing.
For midtown commutes, Bergen's not the best.
I live in Cranford and did the RVL to PATH WTC commute last year. Door to door it was just over an hour, but train to door it was 50 minutes. I only live a few stops from Newark, so that was a 15 minute ride. Then the PATH would run often at rush hour times, so I would catch that in 10 minutes at the most, and that ride is only about 25-30. My walk from the train to my building would take a few more minutes. I thought that commute was pretty easy, I wold not mind doing that all the time for an extended period. I think it just depends on where you live, for the easiness factor, and Bergen is not necessarily always the best.
It's good for commuting to DOWNTOWN. The train goes to Hoboken, and you've got a 10-minute PATH ride to the WTC. Easy.
From other lines to the WTC, you catch PATH at Newark, and that's 25-30 minutes, a pain if you are standing.
For midtown commutes, Bergen's not the best.
I've been doing the Bergen county line route - Hoboken PATH - WTC commute for a few months and even though it's a little longer of a commute, it feels so much easier. No delays with trains going in and out of Hoboken (except for that brush fire), and PATH is much more on time than trains in and out of NYP with the whole Amtrak sharing.
Previous commute to NY Penn involved making the connection at Secaucus (only 1 BC train per hour) and going home from NYP was iffy at times. One 5-10 minute delay out of NYP and you're stuck in Secaucus for another hour.
Ok, I've been rather busy as of late and like to reply to a few statements.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD
What a bizarre statement!
Did you even read the OPs link, or are you just making this stuff up as you go along?
Out of 21 counties, Essex was the 4th highest.
1. Cape May
2. Bergen
3. Morris
4. Essex
So if your reasoning is correct, shouldn't Essex county be the lowest, instead of the 4th highest?
How do you account for the 17 counties that have lower prices than Essex?
Essex is up there in taxes because it's got many middle class and affluent towns offset by some bad places like Livingston, East Orange, and Newark. Millburn is pretty nice but Essex is overrated because of Montclair. Towns that have high value will have higher property taxes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nmc400
Depends where in the city, from the bridge, Bergen is absolutely the closest.
In NJ, Bergen is likely the strongest mix of decent commute and decent suburbia (eg good schools, greenery, open space, etc). Roads in Bergen are no worse than anywhere else in NJ (ever been on route 78 during rush hr?) and pretty much everyone complains about the their commute, even those who live in Manhattan.
Bergen isn't the closest nor the most convenient, it's got only access to the upper part of Manhattan. Who the hell wants to be on the GWB, that's the worst crossing to use. Lincoln Tunnel is the quickest of 3 crossing. The closest township is Hudson, Secaucus, Bayonne or Jersey City right there in front of Manhattan. Secaucus imo is the secret area that is getting the least attention, it's the quickest commute to NYC without driving and hassels if you know where to park and ride. Those who's done it know where I am talking about. Let's keep it a secret.
I have to admit I hate going thru Bergen at anytime during rush hour, Route 17, 4, 3, turnpike, garden state in Bergen is a huge mess. Once past Bergen and Hudson, the traffic dies down and opens up to much higher speeds. Route 4,17,80,3, and the 1/9 truck routes are horrendous traffic.
I have a co-worker who lives in East NY, that tiny strip below Edgewater. If he does not use the Ferry then he's screwed, he can't get out of the area with all the congestion and the Light Rail is snail speed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyGirl415
I have always been baffled when people are so quick to recommend Bergen County to someone looking for a nice, safe town with good schools and a good commute into the city. I think somehow Bergen is the quintessential "NJ suburban life with access to NYC" in the minds of many, which is totally fine, but I have also always thought that it's not the best for commuting into NYC.
Bergen has a very high concentration of well to do people in many towns and the rest are nothing to write home about. Bergen to me is like Bayside Queens. Very densely populated middle to upper middle class housing and apt complexes. It's not as disperse as Union, Morris, Mercer, and Middle Sex. I prefer Union area because the Cranford, Westfield, and Summit area is really the perfect mix imo compare to Bergen's over populated and trapped communities separated by tiny roads and congested highways. Which is why Westfield has been rate pretty high because it has multiple ways to commute and not as congested. Anyone that rides the NJTransit knows Bergen lines are crazy. People mad dash to Sec Jct and transfer for Raritan Vally Line.
I have a 1 co-worker who lives in Bergen and I beat him to NYC everyday from Union, my commute can be rough like the Secaucus fire but that affected just about anyone that takes NJT.
I live in Cranford and did the RVL to PATH WTC commute last year. Door to door it was just over an hour, but train to door it was 50 minutes. I only live a few stops from Newark, so that was a 15 minute ride. Then the PATH would run often at rush hour times, so I would catch that in 10 minutes at the most, and that ride is only about 25-30. My walk from the train to my building would take a few more minutes. I thought that commute was pretty easy, I wold not mind doing that all the time for an extended period. I think it just depends on where you live, for the easiness factor, and Bergen is not necessarily always the best.
My Ridgewood to WTC commute was an hour and 10, with another 10 to get from Midland Park to Ridgewood train station. Again, the difference is the 25 minutes of standing on the Newark PATH vs. 10 minutes from Hoboken. Maybe because I had the shorter, nicer PATH ride for the first 30 or so years I really noticed the difference. There are more delays on the Newark line, plus Hoboken Terminal has less of a sleazy feel than Newark Penn.
@vision33r, didn't want to quote your whole post but i was not familiar with Bayside so I looked it up. Interesting. Prices do seem similar to Bergen, but from the pictured in this article, the houses seem much closer to one another than you generally see in most of Bergen County, except the older, more southern towns. Bayside looks nice, but nothing like where I grew up and my mother still lives. The houses seem close to road with tiny front lawns and no trees. That's not what most of Bergen looks like. Bayside: A City Suburb With Enclaves - NYTimes.com
My Ridgewood to WTC commute was an hour and 10, with another 10 to get from Midland Park to Ridgewood train station. Again, the difference is the 25 minutes of standing on the Newark PATH vs. 10 minutes from Hoboken. Maybe because I had the shorter, nicer PATH ride for the first 30 or so years I really noticed the difference. There are more delays on the Newark line, plus Hoboken Terminal has less of a sleazy feel than Newark Penn.
The good thing is Newark is the first stop (and likewise WTC the other way) so if you could stand right by the doors before they opened, you had a good shot at getting a seat. I definitely sat more than I stood. It was like a race though to get to the seats. I always felt kind of bad for the people who were getting on at the in between stops because no seats.
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I think somehow Bergen is the quintessential "NJ suburban life with access to NYC" in the minds of many, which is totally fine, but I have also always thought that it's not the best for commuting into NYC.
