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Looking to move from Bergen County to be closer to family now that we have a baby. Great schools, strong community feel, relatively close to the North/New Brunswick area. East Brunswick I know, but what are others? Thanks!
You didn't supply us with your price parameters, but if your budget is big enough, you should consider South Brunswick--whose schools are very good.
And, before anyone recommends Woodbridge Township, you should be aware that their school system fails your "great schools" requirement. Yes, the schools in the Iselin section of Woodbridge Township are decent, but they are an outlier in a school district that is mediocre--at best.
As but one example of the state of Woodbridge's schools, Woodbridge HS recently earned a score of 23 on a scale of 0-100 from the NJ Department of Education. By contrast East Brunswick HS was given a score of 48, and South Brunswick HS earned a score of 67, IIRC.
Last edited by Retriever; 01-25-2018 at 09:19 AM..
I think that you can probably find an older home in South Brunswick for that price, or less.
And, giving more thought to the topic of great schools, you might want to take a look at Edison--particularly the northern part of that township--as Edison's schools are definitely good, and you can probably find a decent house in Edison w/in your price range.
The NJ Dept. of Education recently awarded Edison's J.P. Stevens HS a score of 85, which is really good.
Edison HS, which serves the southern part of the township, only earned a score of 43, but in comparison with nearby Woodbridge HS, Edison HS's rating is... decent.
To me, the best is Highland Park, because it's walkable and has New Brunswick which you can walk to (if you live close enough) but also has a suburban feel.
Metuchen would be a close second. It's easier to get on the Parkway from Metuchen.
East Brunswick, Woodbridge, Edison and North Brunswick have a lot of amenities, but you have to drive to all of them.
To me, the best is Highland Park, because it's walkable and has New Brunswick which you can walk to (if you live close enough) but also has a suburban feel.
Metuchen would be a close second. It's easier to get on the Parkway from Metuchen.
East Brunswick, Woodbridge, Edison and North Brunswick have a lot of amenities, but you have to drive to all of them.
I lived in Highland Park for many years. It's an "OK" town, but the south side is a little dumpy - tons and tons of garden apartments and multi-family homes. I'm not saying it's bad, just saying it can sometimes look a little run down in spots. Metuchen would be the better choice depending on what you're looking for.
Metuchen and Highland Park are quite expensive, older money towns. Like another person said, the latter has a lot of rentals on the south side, occupied mostly by grad students at Rutgers since it is such a huge school next door and there's a huge overflow. Once the kids get tired of the party life in New Brunswick they hop over the bridge and seek rentals there. Not a dumpy or rundown area by any stretch though.
Edison and Woodbridge are fine if not great places to live. My biggest pet peeve with these towns is the traffic congestion. It is the corporate "mecca" for Central NJ so there is loads of business in the area, not to mention a population of 200,000 between both towns. Perth Amboy has a beautiful waterfront, but you do not want to live there if you want good schools. It is an inner city.
I'd recommend North, South and East Brunswick and Monroe which are below the river. Nice towns that are a little less congested and the schools are very good. All roads will be hell during the rush hours though (1, 18, 130 etc).
Sayreville and Old Bridge are a little more mixed, and a bit under-average for the area IMO. I grew up in the former and saw it go downhill steadily for the better part of 15 years. Spent a lot of time in the latter and saw similar rif-raff in pockets and similar upper middle class "developments" in other pockets. Schools are OK, nothing special.
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