moving from chicago (Rutherford: apartment, to rent, safe neighborhood)

[bombayboy]

hello,
we've been living in chicago suburbs for over 10 years now. recently we have started thinking about moving to new jersey.

has anybody moved from chicago suburbs to new jersey area? can you please share your experience?

which would be a good area to move to? we're a family of 5 (husband/wife and 3 kids who will start school soon) so our preferences will be:
good school district
easy commute to NYC (considering i'll get a job there) or a location with good access to highways if i get a job in NJ
safe neighborhood with good malls, entertainment, parks

thanks in advance for your help.

[wileynj]

humm...too many choices. Morris County is a good start but not if you have to drive into NYC everyday. Bergen County maybe? Really depends on budget. Closer to NYC..very expensive..further west..doable.

[bombayboy]

thank you.

what do you think of places like metuchen, north brunswick, sayreville, parlin?
are these good places for families?

from the maps i saw these are more central than bergen or morris.

has anybody moved from chicago to nj? can you please share your experience, do you like it?

thanks.

[davenj08]

WHY do you want to move from Chicago suburbs to NJ? I have lived both places and would never move from Chicago to NJ

[Alex07860]

Originally Posted by davenj08

WHY do you want to move from Chicago suburbs to NJ? I have lived both places and would never move from Chicago to NJ

Ummmm...if you're living in NJ, didn't you already make that move?

[FromDaSack]

Depends on your budget... what it is!?
and are u owning or renting? be more descriptive.
sayerville and all that isnt that good of a commute to nyc.. did you look in Rutherford? south bergen county.

[davenj08]

Originally Posted by Alex07860

Ummmm...if you're living in NJ, didn't you already make that move?

yeah, i did but its a long story. i was in chicago temporarily so had to come back. can not compare the quality of life in chicago v/s life here in NJ. no long commutes, laid back work culture, time for family & friends...just so much better overall.

[johnfrisco]

Originally Posted by davenj08

yeah, i did but its a long story. i was in chicago temporarily so had to come back. can not compare the quality of life in chicago v/s life here in NJ. no long commutes, laid back work culture, time for family & friends...just so much better overall.

Which is better NJ or Chicago?

[bombayboy]

the place i used to rent in chicago was a 1400sq ft apartment in an awesome neighborhood for 1150.

am planning to rent for a year, then buy. budget around 1500/month. would that be good?

[davenj08]

Originally Posted by johnfrisco

Which is better NJ or Chicago?

Oh Chicago, anyday! Can't even begin to compare..