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I would rent in Brooklyn for a year while figuring things out. Park Slope comes to mind. Driving from NJ to Brooklyn every day would be hell. Long Island makes more sense.
Be careful! We relocated to another city once and made a terrible mistake in our choice of town, because we wanted to buy a house right away. It took a long time to admit our mistake and fix it and it was a lot of upheaval.
Good luck--I hope you do a better job than we did! (This is why I suggest the rental. Life experience.)
I agree - definitely check out the homes in Brooklyn. I'm born & raised in NYC and while I'm not exactly a fan of NYC (simply because I've been dying to move for years to a slower paced city), if I could afford a home here, I just might stay...Yes it does tend to be overpriced (in comparison to other cities nationwide) but there are still some affordable areas. I wouldn't say that Bay Ridge or Dyker is exactly affordable but it is very nice and the school system is good.
You should also consider Marine Park. It's an area that tends to be overlooked because it's not walking distance to a subway system (you have to take the bus to the train); HOWEVER, they do have a great school system with very affordable homes (again, in comparison to other popular areas of Brooklyn like Park Slope & Carrol Gardens!)
And yes, the pizza CANNOT be beat in Brooklyn! And the bagels! YUM!
Think about Clifton. We lived there for almost 60 years. Schools are good, and from the Alwood section its about a 35 minute bus to downtown NYC. Don't know anytrhing about connections to Brooklyn, but subway travel is pretty extensive. We left in 91, so don't know what housing prices have gone to. My brother recently sold a house there. 3 BR, 1Bath, mfull basement. 1 Block from bus and school. $202,000. Taxes were 6000. Luck.
My god those taxes are crazy!!! I thought Maplewood was out of control.... But the price of the house is mighty appealing.... I know Clifton. It's quite a nice town.
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
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Hi there! Welcome to New Jersey!
Perhaps it would be best for your to check out realtor.com and see what the prices are in both Brooklyn and New Jersey for homes and what you get for the money. This might help you to get a better sense for what would really work with your budget. The trade off is going to be between the added price of the home vis a vis the commuting expenses from NJ to Brooklyn.
In terms of towns to look at in NJ, for commuting purposes, you will probably want to stay up around northern New Jersey, although that is going kick the cost of living up quite a bit. Some towns to consider would include: Wood-Ridge, Westfield, Montclair, North Arlington, and Roselle.
If your husband is willing to commute into the City via NJ Transit, which is not a bad ride at all, then you could greatly expand your search to some of the areas into Central New Jersey. As another poster mentioned, the trains into NYC are generally good with connections right in Penn Station for the subway out to Brooklyn and the other five boroughs. Central NJ is going to afford you a more country setting than North Jersey. hrjersey mentioned Middlesex County which is where I live currently. Indeed, many of the school districts are blue ribbon, but you do pay for them in the form of higher taxes. If this is something you want to pursue, I think it would be best to start by looking at some of the towns with close access to stops along the NE Corridor. I've listed them below from farthest away to closest to NYC with some surrounding towns:
Princeton Junction
Princeton, West Windsor, Hightstown, Lawrenceville, South Brunswick (including town districts: Monmouth Junction, Dayton, Deans, Kendall Park), Spotswood, Monroe
New Brunswick
Piscataway (GO RU!!!!), South Plainfield, Highland Park, East Brunswick (kick-butt PSs), Old Bridge, Helmetta,
Edison
North Edison
Metuchen
Woodbridge
Islien, Avenel, Sayreville
A third option might be to look at the areas served through another train line called the North Jersey Coast Line. This line also goes into the City, but runs down the coastline of NJ through towns like South Amboy, Aberdeen, Matawan, Hazlet, Middletown, Red Bank, and Long Branch.
I hope this helps. Best wishes for you and your family!
How about Somerset County? You'll find single family homes and townhome options in many communities that offer fine schools. Somerset County gained popularity because of its access to highways - in particular 78, 287, 22, 202/206. There is also good access to public transportation.
The sticker shock is probably going to be intense. Moderator cut: read TOS, no advertising
check out Staten Island. taxes are cheaper then NJ, Good schools, and NY has better water than NJ. your kids can take a bus all over the island . close to brooklyn (and you get a discount on the ezpass for the bridge)
Monmouth and Middlesex Counties should be at the top of your list!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bas71873
Hi. Newbie here. We will be relocating from South Louisiana within the next year. My husband is already working in the Staten Island/Long Islang/Bayonne area, so we will be joining him hopefully this summer when the school year ends and my house here sells.
While I realize I am in for major sticker shock, right now I just want to narrow down some options.
Seeking recommendations on 'burbs of NYC (in NJ) that are safe and have good public schools. Housing budget wise, I just don't know because I'm clueless about cost of living, taxes, etc. up there.
So, can I get some recommendations of safe/educated suburbs please to at least get me started.
Thanks so much.
Congrats on your forthcoming move! I know that moving to a new place may seem a bit scary or overwhelming, but with change comes growth & new opportunities.
New Jersey offers plenting of housing opportunity, top-ranked schools, favorable commuting and in many cases decent taxes.
Considering your husband is working in the Staten Island/Long Islang/Bayonne area, you might want to consider Middlesex County and Monmouth County. You can get to Staten Island and Bayonne from these locations in 15 - 30 minutes.
Towns that may be of interest (depending upon how much you can afford) include Sayreville, Parlin, East Brunswick, Old Bridge, Manalapan, Marlboro, Freehold Township, Holmdel and Colts Neck.
Prices in these towns for a decent 3 -4 bedroom home range from $250,000 to $5,000,000; it really all depends on what you can afford.
Other great things about Middlesex and Monmouth Counties include their close proximity to beaches (less than 40 mins away), NYC (less than 50 mins away), as well as historic parks, restaurants, shopping and major highways (NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway).
I hope this helps as a start.
Best of luck,
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Last edited by Marka; 01-05-2009 at 04:30 AM..
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Monmouth and Middlesex Counties should be at the top of your list!
