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.
My wife (who is expecting our first) and I are thinking of moving to Middletown. We are currently both teachers in Union County (and live there as well). Though the commute might be a bit further, we are willing to sacrifice the drive for heading over the bridge. Our maximum budget is about $440K. Can anyone recommend a fairly decent area for that price range? A few friends suggested the River Plaza area. And, other suggested New Monmouth. Are the schools that much different in the north vs the south?
New Monmouth I believe feeds into North Middletown HS while River Plaza feeds into South Middletown HS, south tends to score much higher on tests/rankings. Depending on housing needs I would also suggest Lincroft, right by parkway, very good schools and shopping nearby.
Middletown on the whole has great schools and so it's hard to go wrong there! Be sure to check out "red bank" as well because there are a few neighborhoods that are mailing address "red bank" but municipality Middletown, for example the Statesir area and Campbell Street. Those might be considered River Plaza, I don't know, but the neighborhoods are lovely.
Navesink is also lovely and family friendly; Lincroft is nice very suburban; avoid Leonardo. It's OK but Middletown is so big that you're likely to find a nicer neighborhood for the same money.
My wife (who is expecting our first) and I are thinking of moving to Middletown. We are currently both teachers in Union County (and live there as well). Though the commute might be a bit further, we are willing to sacrifice the drive for heading over the bridge. Our maximum budget is about $440K. Can anyone recommend a fairly decent area for that price range? A few friends suggested the River Plaza area. And, other suggested New Monmouth. Are the schools that much different in the north vs the south?
Thanks so much. Any input would be wonderful.
Jeremy
Middletown is a huge town with a wide range of neighborhoods and types of people. Middletown south is wealthier, north is lower middle class. Middletown north has more kids who are considered "bad" but both have similar drug issues. Like much of Monmouth county, both schools have a serious heroin problem.
River plaza is nice, near red bank, no downtown of its own. Kids go everywhere on bikes. New Monmouth is closer to the North end of town, and is "on" 36 which brings a slighly seedier aspect than 35.
While there are good small elementary schools the middle schools are much bigger and the high school even more so. There are plenty of nice smaller towns with smaller school systems you may want to consider.
I know you weren't precluding this, but to be clear, there IS a middle ground of Middletown between the wealthier sections and the area that one might consider lower middle class.
My friend lives off Tindall road, near the North HS, and it's a solid, nice middle class area. Cul-de-sacs, updated 60s bi-levels with pools, good-sized yards. You can't lump that type of area in with the rundown bungalows along 36 even though they go to the same high school.
A lot of people in that section seem to have come from SI and Brooklyn.
The area around Tindall/Harmony/Cherry Tree Farm Rds is solid middle class, but it still feeds into North which is right in that neighborhood. It's a different world from what's up on the other side of 36, but they all end up at the same high school.
I never heard of Middletown having particularly great schools. I have been to both high schools and the buildings were old and rundown and really looked as though they should be condemned. Then again this was about 15 years ago, so I don't know how they are now.
Thanks so much for all of your replies. Moving to an area you have a basic understanding of is difficult. So, I appreciate the time you've taken to supply me with this information. I'll take a look at River Plaza, Lincroft, and New Monmouth.
Thanks so much for all of your replies. Moving to an area you have a basic understanding of is difficult. So, I appreciate the time you've taken to supply me with this information. I'll take a look at River Plaza, Lincroft, and New Monmouth.
Why do you want to move to Middletown? It's a fine area but the commute to Union County would be painful. There are plenty of equally nice areas up by where you such as Scotch Plains (that are in your price range).
Now if you were looking at the Penninsula (higher budget), I get it.
Why do you want to move to Middletown? It's a fine area but the commute to Union County would be painful. There are plenty of equally nice areas up by where you such as Scotch Plains (that are in your price range).
Now if you were looking at the Penninsula (higher budget), I get it.
Hey Oyster, haven't seen you around the boards too much lately; then agian there's been a dip in Monmouth County posts lately.
Is the commute really that bad? If they stick to Lincroft or River Plaza they would be pretty close to the GSP; only traffic would most likely be on the Driscoll bridge for the NY bound traffic I think.
In the mid 4's it's tough to find too much in the nicer towns up there esp if you want any space. They would prob be limited to Berkeley Heights, Scoth Plains, Cranford, and Mountainside (all excellent towns btw) and severely limited on any type of space- prob a 40X100 lot at best. And while Middletown taxes are high I think those towns can go toe to toe.
I know when we were looking we saw Middletown as a nice bridge between the shore and the 'burbs where you get good schools and some space while not being too far from shopping.
And to the poster before saying Middletown schools weren't good- I think the South HS gets a worse rap than it deserves, but the lower schools can go stand with the best of them, check out Nut Swamp, Thompson, & Lincroft for example.
The Middletown schools are good not great but middle of the road, acceptable for sure. With regards to the commute 109 exit to approx 140 is 30 miles on the GSP add in traffic and getting to and from the parkway your looking at minimum of an hour each way. Now I get it most people that live here do that commute but that's bc they have to go to the city or NNJ for their white collar job. Everybody is free to do what they want but I don't understand being far from your job if you don't have to. Your quality of life in Middletown is greatly reduced if your spending 2 hours per day minimum in your car
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.
