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.
If you like the area and can swing a higher budget Fort Lee is right next door and is a pretty similar town except with a lot more diversity in terms of ethnic mix within the white/Asian population and more assimilated immigrants - your kids won't stand out from the crowd in the same way. For a little extra commuting time you can go up to Tenafly/Cresskill/Closter and get both a market with larger housing stock and Ridgewood/Glen Rock quality schools. Leonia is a nice town with good schools, but yes, your family will be a minority there in a way you wouldn't be in most of eastern Bergen county.
I appreciate your suggestions. We have the budget for Ft Lee, and they seem to have nicer houses, but the parts that I've been to have felt pretty urban and a little more busy/congested than we're used to. I'll look a little more closely. Maybe the part north of 95 has a different vibe?
Tenafly/Cresskill/Closter all seem very nice. Commute to WTC seems worse than Ridgewood, though. Feels like once you get that far north, the Weehawken ferry just isn't quite as promising.
Feels like the bigger problem is just going to be finding a decent 4br house that is > 2500 square feet. Housing stock seems to be even more limited than what we have in Fair Lawn.
got to wait until spring to see better listings. not sure about your budget but in Fair Lawn a renovated, >2500 sq ft house would be 650-750k with 16-18k in taxes.
I appreciate your suggestions. We have the budget for Ft Lee, and they seem to have nicer houses, but the parts that I've been to have felt pretty urban and a little more busy/congested than we're used to. I'll look a little more closely. Maybe the part north of 95 has a different vibe?
Tenafly/Cresskill/Closter all seem very nice. Commute to WTC seems worse than Ridgewood, though. Feels like once you get that far north, the Weehawken ferry just isn't quite as promising.
North of 95 is the more urban part of Fort Lee. mid to south fort lee is more suburban.
North of 95 is the more urban part of Fort Lee. mid to south fort lee is more suburban.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TaxProf
I appreciate your suggestions. We have the budget for Ft Lee, and they seem to have nicer houses, but the parts that I've been to have felt pretty urban and a little more busy/congested than we're used to. I'll look a little more closely. Maybe the part north of 95 has a different vibe?
Tenafly/Cresskill/Closter all seem very nice. Commute to WTC seems worse than Ridgewood, though. Feels like once you get that far north, the Weehawken ferry just isn't quite as promising.
Fort Lee is at the most urban close to 95 and least urban in the south, so no, north of the bridge won't be less busy. Tenafly/Cresskill/Closter won't save you time vs Ridgewood to WTC either. I was thinking relative to Fort Lee / Leonia when I made the suggestion since the roads perpendicular to the bridge traffic don't back up that badly, but Tenafly to WTC via car + the ferry is similar time wise to Ridgewood via train, and a more expensive trip.
"working class FOBs" wouldn't be able to afford the Pal. Pk. & Leonia housing prices
The stereotypical caucasians in that area are dying off.
All that aside, you'd likely be disappointed living in Leonia.
working class FOB asians = middle class whites. They work their asses off.
And many of the Korean residents owned those townhomes in Pal Park before they rose in value only recently. Most of those 3 bedroom townhomes were selling for $300k 7 years ago.
We're thinking of selling our Leonia, NJ home (and it may fit your needs); we haven't listed it yet but feel free to send me a text and I can send you the info about the house (I'm not a realtor, just the homeowner): 201.638.8561
I wouldn't take Harry's comments seriously. I've lived in Leonia for 15 years and I'm one of those European-Americans (parents born in Europe) Harry easily mischaracterizes.
Leonia, specifically, has a highly educated demographic and is composed mostly of professionals (just look at the data). The town is very progressive and well integrated and has very active civic groups and a wonderful mayor and council. The schools are excellent (see rankings) and the Borough facilities are great (town pool, library, recreation center, playhouse, parks, etc.).
I think Leonia is a hidden gem and one of the best towns in Bergen County that sort has it all - proximity to NYC, small town feel, diverse and progressive population, great schools, wonderful housing stock, tree lined streets, safe , etc.
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.
