Living in New Brunswick (Livingston, Somerset: apartment complexes, to rent, lofts)

[KDub4307]

I will be moving to New Jersey and going to graduate school at Rutgers and working there. I would prefer to live within walking distance or a very short drive of campus. I've done some research and it seems that New Brunswick isn't a very safe place to live but that Downtown New Brunswick is relatively the safest. I'm a single woman in my mid twenties and would be living alone. I'd like to be somewhere that's safe but also a great place to meet other people. What are the best apartments to rent in this area? Do y'all have any suggestions or what would be a better place to live?

[Retriever]

Downtown New Brunswick is actually the closest neighborhood to Rutgers' New Brunswick campus, and is not really a dangerous area unless you choose to walk unaccompanied in the wee hours of the morning. Will you actually be attending classes and/or working in New Brunswick, or on the sprawling Rutgers campus in neighboring Piscataway?

In any event, there are some apartment complexes on or near Easton Avenue, in nearby (less than 5 miles) Somerset, where you are unlikely to feel that you are threatened by crime. Here are some of those complexes:

https://www.avaloncommunities.com/ne...valon-somerset

https://www.premierdevelopment.com/c...rfields-lofts/

https://www.premierdevelopment.com/c...s/cedar-manor/

https://www.zillow.com/b/the-harriso...set-nj-5XnzpK/

[KDub4307]

I'll be attending classes in New Brunswick. From what I read, the crimes were mostly when people walking alone late at night and/or early in the morning or break-ins. Since I'll be in grad school I don't plan on having too many late nights where I'll be walking alone extremely late/early but I can avoid break-ins by living somewhere you need a key or something to get in to the building. Those looked like great apartments, thank you! Coming from a mid-sized city in the south where everything is safe and close together I'm finding it more difficult to figure out where to live.

[lammius]

Which campus in New Brunswick? College Ave? Cook? Douglas?

Downtown NB is great if you're studying on College Ave. If you are on Cook or Douglas, downtown NB is close by, but there are some sketchy areas you'd have to pass through.

A lot of grad students also live in Highland Park, across the river. I did when I was a grad student, and I walked across the bridge most days to my classes/job in New Brunswick.

Also, the Busch and Livingston campuses are part of "Rutgers-New Brunswick" but are located in the municipality of Piscataway. If your classes are there, there are fewer off-campus options within easy walking distance, such as the apartment complexes on Cedar Lane

[KDub4307]

Not too sure which campus I'll have to double check. I'll have to look into Highland Park if that's where a lot of grad students live. I would definitely prefer that than a bunch of young undergrads.

[lammius]

Highland Park was a nice place to be. Walkable, with all the basics right there in town (grocery, pharmacy, take-out, etc.), a mix of grad students, families, some faculty, etc. It is quiet (which can be good or bad depending upon your preference). There are a few small restaurants but not much of a bar or nightlife scene. The walk across the bridge to College Ave or the train station can feel long and cold in mid-winter, but really it's not that bad. There are a few pre-war apartment buildings and a lot of apartments or rooms in old houses. Johnson Park is a great place to walk/jog.

In New Brunswick, the area of George Street between the train station and New Street (and all streets within a couple blocks of that) is the main downtown area. That area is kind of a mix of professionals, some grad students, and I know a couple of professors who live there. There's a small theater district and a few mid-to--upscale bars and restaurants. Rutgers' arts school and the urban planning school are downtown. The train station is right there. Housing stock is mostly higher-end apartment buildings, which can be tough on a grad student budget.

The area along Easton Ave and side streets around it is VERY undergraddy. Frat houses, dive bars, etc. Easy walking distance to College Ave campus and the train station.

Back on the other side of downtown, if you go down George Street a block or two past Morris Street it's pretty sketchy until you get to Douglass campus.

Going down French St or Livingston Av away from downtown, it's primarily working class families from Oaxaca region of Mexico or Central America. Good, cheap food, but not many students live there.

Over in Piscataway, there's not much of a student residential community other than a few apartment complexes along Cedar Lane close to Livingston campus. Otherwise, Busch/Livingston are surrounded by suburban neighborhoods and an industrial park. There are some grad student dorms on Livingston.

Here's a map of the Rutgers-New Brunswick campuses:
https://maps.rutgers.edu/#/?lat=40.5...r=true&zoom=13

[Mayvenne]

Definitely find out which campus- and I was going to suggest Highland Park as well.

[KDub4307]

Sounds like Highland Park will be my best option! Even if I can't walk everywhere it wasn't a make or break choosing where to live.