Nutley, NJ (Newark, Jersey City, Elizabeth: best towns, real estate, apartment complex)

[Rashmi_hv]

Hello,

I am moving to New Jersey. I have few questions about Nutley NJ

0. How is this area in terms of safety. Myself and my 6 yr old daughter are going to stay most of the times. My husband will be travelling on weekdays.
1. Which are the good apartment complexes in this area. I am looking for the rental range from 950 to 1100.
2. How long does it take to commute to Port Authority from Nutley NJ by NJ Transit bus/train..
3. Howz Indian community over there.. Also would like to know what the options for grocery (any walmart, target, shoprite, Indian grocery store - and how far it is?)
4. Howz the public transport over there?
5. What are the option (other neighbouring cities) near by with good elementry school and easy commute to NYC Port authority.

Thanks, Rash..

[DowntownJerseyCity]

Originally Posted by Rashmi_hv

Hello,

I am moving to New Jersey. I have few questions about Nutley NJ

0. How is this area in terms of safety. Myself and my 6 yr old daughter are going to stay most of the times. My husband will be travelling on weekdays.
1. Which are the good apartment complexes in this area. I am looking for the rental range from 950 to 1100.
2. How long does it take to commute to Port Authority from Nutley NJ by NJ Transit bus/train..
3. Howz Indian community over there.. Also would like to know what the options for grocery (any walmart, target, shoprite, Indian grocery store - and how far it is?)
4. Howz the public transport over there?
5. What are the option (other neighbouring cities) near by with good elementry school and easy commute to NYC Port authority.

Thanks, Rash..

0. Very safe
1. You'll probably be better renting part of a house for that price
2. 30-40 mins. via NJ Transit bus from Route 3
3. Nutley is VERY Italian. Want Indian? Try Clifton. Nutley is NOT the place for you if being among those sharing the same heritage is important to you. There is a shopping center on the Nutley/Clifton border that has groceries, Barnes and Noble, and Target.
4. Buses on the usual roads. Franklin, Centre, Washington, Bloomfield
5. Belleville is getting worse by the day, ditto Bloomfield. Nutley is a very insular town, and is holding its own.

[NJ Chutzpah]

if you want indian try bergenfield, or Edison

it also really depends on "how indian you want it"

living in Nutley, you will be living close to other indians as we do have that here in NJ

You could go to Newark Ave in JC for dining, or go to Queens

I am pretty sure you will do fine in nutley even if it does not have a large indian community

[EEEPNJ]

I agree w/ NJ C. Unless you want to be in a very Indian community, I think Nutley will be fine. I lived in Nutley for about 6 years and I really liked the town. Back then we had a condo in the Gateway Complex and the complex was nice enough, nothing fancy. There are several co-ops/condos on River Road and most are rentals (direct from owner) now. There are also several garden apartments in town.

The Schools are decent and it is a safe town. Nice little main street. I really liked it.
I'm not too familiar w/ what the rents would be nowadays, but you MAY be able to do a garden apt in that range. I would recommend checking craigslist and the like.

A neighboring town across the river is Lyndhurst, not a bad town, but I think you are better in Nutley. You may want to consider Rutherford as well.

One other thing, do you drive or would you need public transportation to meet all of your needs?

Good luck!

[Rashmi_hv]

Thanks EEEPJ, I will drive so for public transport I dont have to be dependent on the public transport.

I came across one apartment complex named Hillside Garden - Anyone has any feedback on this? Or do you know any other apartment complex where I can enquire for rental in Nutley (specially in the redcliffe school zone)?

My daughter will be going to First grade.. I saw few schools over the internet.. Spring Garden, Yantacaw and Washington elementry.. which one is better? any other school in neighbourhood that I can consider?

[Nothingbutthetruth]

Originally Posted by Rashmi_hv

Hello,

I am moving to New Jersey. I have few questions about Nutley NJ

0. How is this area in terms of safety. Myself and my 6 yr old daughter are going to stay most of the times. My husband will be travelling on weekdays.
1. Which are the good apartment complexes in this area. I am looking for the rental range from 950 to 1100.
2. How long does it take to commute to Port Authority from Nutley NJ by NJ Transit bus/train..
3. Howz Indian community over there.. Also would like to know what the options for grocery (any walmart, target, shoprite, Indian grocery store - and how far it is?)
4. Howz the public transport over there?
5. What are the option (other neighbouring cities) near by with good elementry school and easy commute to NYC Port authority.

Thanks, Rash..

I lived in nutley and believe me when I say, it is one of the best towns to live in, no matter what race you are. THe schools there are execellent and blows away any of the nearby schools in Belleville, Clifton and possibly Lynnehurst (only because seeings how old & dirty some of those homes look, it doesn't surprise me if anyone cares about schooling either) Also, the Clifton Commons mall has a Stop & shop, a Target and a movie theatre. The other supermarket to go to is the Shop Rite and if your feel like driving, there's an A&P supermaket on Rte 46 West. There is a Pathmark in Belleville on Washington Ave as well. There are plenty of buses that take you into NEw York & Penn Station in NEwark, but you have to wake up early or you'll definitely be late if you work in New York. The highways, NJ Trnpke and GS parkway are also closeby. As for finding places to live, somebody mentioned the Hillside GArden Apts and I agree, these are probably the best apartments in Nutley. They're clean, (at least when I lived there they were) and there is enough washer & dryer machines to do your laundry. The super was always helpfull whenever the machines would break down and they would also keep up the building as well. REnt there is probably about $1,100 to $1,200 by now for a 1 bdrm apt, but it's still reasonable for this area as you will find out how good & safe this town can be. Unfortunately for taxes though, thanks to the lousy moronic politicians, they are EXTREMELY HIGH! What else are democrats good for? The taxes in Nutley are almost as high as Bergen County and probably higher in some cities in Bergen county. Your kids should love the school system and I would recommend the Washington School. It does have it's ups and downs sometimes, but the school is one of the most popular and well liked in the neighborhood. They teach the kids how to use computers at an early age, around 6 years old, so that should tell you something about the school. Also, in comparison to the amount of computers available for the kids, I believe the Washington school has approximately 47 computers while at nearby Belleville, a much bigger town, has only about 23 in their schools when last I checked. Nutley's graduating kids that go on to college ranks very high, like in the mid 90's, while again, in nearby Belleville, it's only about 65-70%. This is pretty much Nutley in a nutshell. Oh and by the way, if you get a chance to eat some pizza, try Ralph's pizzeria on Franklin Ave. They have truly one of the best pizza as well as their italian foods around. Good luck!

[EEEPNJ]

Rash: I'm not familiar with that development, do you have the address? I would also consider looking at real estate listings on Craigslist and NJ.com. Sometimes you can get an excellent deal in a 2 family home. Nutley does have an abundance of 2 family homes in addition to complexes and there are some traditional apartment buildings too. You may want to consider getting a real estate agent, in any case, if you are looking for a particular school MAKE SURE you contact the Board of Education before you sign a lease.

As for the schools, traditionally Radcliffe and Yantacaw were always considered the best K-6 in the district. Washington has made a lot of strides in the past 5 years or so, and their numbers have improved. For HS (I know your child has a while to go, but it gives you an idea about the school system overall) Nutley ranked 141 out of 316 schools - puts it pretty fairly in the middle.

If you want to consider other towns within the area here are there rankings:

Glen Ridge 5; Cedar Grove 50; Rutherford 72nd; Hasbrouck Heights 82; Wood-Ridge 101; Becton Regional (E. Rutherford/Carlstadt) 138; Bloomfield 181; Lyndhurst 182; Clifton 223 and Belleville 228.

I would definately rule out Clifton and Belleville - the towns are not what they used to be and the schools are ranked very poorly. Bloomfield is very "sectional." If you can get an apartment in the Brookdale or Oak View Elementary school districts, you will have a good school and a decent area...the others, not so much. But the middle and high schools in Bloomfield are NOT good, so think about how long you will be there. Glen Ridge & Cedar Grove have excellent schools, but are more expensive (as usually is the case.) Wood-Ridge, Carlstadt and East Rutherford (I'd choose the towns in that order) have some decent rents, the schools are so-so, not bad, not great. Lyndhurst is not a bad town at all. The homes are not all runned down as the previous poster states at all. Lots of rentals there too. I would say the schools are also so-so. Jefferson & Washington Schools are the best there, but the town has open enrollment, so you have no idea which school you will get into based on your address.

Taxes are very high in Nutley - typically higher than towns in Bergen. But as a renter, this will not effect you as much as it would as if you owned. Part of the problem is that Nutley sits in Essex County. While Essex has some very nice towns, they also have a lot of towns that are not as desirable and come with many problems, that has always jacked the price up in the Suburban Essex towns.

If you want any more info on any of these towns, let me know. Good luck.

[clevedark]

Martha Stewart's from Nutley!

[pixieshmoo]

Rash,

While Nutley doesn't have an extremely large Indian population, it is a fine place to live, and there's no reason for you not to move there. Much better than the surrounding towns. While there are no Walmarts or Targets in the town, Target is a stone's throw away in Clifton (which is just down the block, literally), along with many other stores, Kohl's, Famous Footwear, Barnes & Noble (look up Clifton Commons on the internet, it should give you the rundown). Nutley also has a Shoprite in the center of town and while I don't know if you would actually call it a "grocery" store, I do know that right up the street in Belleville, there is an Indian convenience store. There's a Walmart in Harrison which is close by. Believe me, there are plenty conveniences around, many within walking distance. Otherwise, there are plenty of public transportation options in and around town as well. While the high school has lost it's place in the top 75 in NJ, it's still a very good school system and the elementary schools are wonderful. It is a small town where everyone pretty much knows each other and your daughter will probably prosper well growing up there because of that. They do offer a lot of activities and events for children and families and they do a lot together as a community. As for rent, you will definitely have several options within your price range, but on the higher end. Good luck!

[EEEPNJ]

Rash - found this, don't know if it will help:

Indian Grocery Stores in New Jersey, NJ, India Store, Edison, Elizabeth, Iselin, Jersey City, Newark, Parsippany, South Plainfield, Trenton