I need to move to NJ -- commute to New Brunswick is killing me! (Newark: house)

[frankles]

I'm a city-person, but I think I have to move (from philly) to the New Brunswick-ish area. I'm thinking of Jersey city, but it's still a long commute. Can anyone recommend some charming towns that are closer to New Brunswick? They don't have to feel urban -- just have some of their own character. Strip malls and planned neighborhoods are major negatives. Diversity is a plus.

Thanks!

[PLNJUS]

Hoboken-next to jersey city, has the train terminal that would transfer you to New Brunswick
Somerville-Beautiful town and main street about fifteen min, drive.
Metuchen is a nice town on the Northeast Corridor
Highland Park is like the northern extension of new brunswick.
Plainfield is a bit rundown in some areas, but is growing into a nice town.
Perth Amboy was the capital of new jersey at one point

[jstar41]

look into Elizabeth.. it's very diverse and city like.. not a suburb..

[dullnboring]

Highland Park is a charming safe community with it's own quaint but busy walkable downtown located right across the river from New Brunswick. You have plenty of basic amenities in town, and even more within walking distance to New Brunswick from which the train can take you to any other place you desire. It has it's own character. No subdivisions and strip malls (well, maybe a strip mall or two). It's a very diverse community, home to many Rutgers professors, and grad and PhD students which brings an added level of diversity. While very diverse, the Jewish community's presence is the most obvious.

[dolce37]

Originally Posted by dullnboring

Highland Park is a charming safe community with it's own quaint but busy walkable downtown located right across the river from New Brunswick. You have plenty of basic amenities in town, and even more within walking distance to New Brunswick from which the train can take you to any other place you desire. It has it's own character. No subdivisions and strip malls (well, maybe a strip mall or two). It's a very diverse community, home to many Rutgers professors, and grad and PhD students which brings an added level of diversity. While very diverse, the Jewish community's presence is the most obvious.

HP would be a good choice, as would Piscataway. I would discourage the option of JC based on the commute alone. It is reverse commute, but in best conditions is 45min. I would definitely recommend a town/city/village that has access to NJ rail into NB. At least a 45 min train ride you can sleep or read or whatever. You may want to look into towns as far up as Ridgewood if its an option. Lots of shops, restaurants etc. Check out the NJ transit website to find viable options. The train commute may be cheaper than car with the way gas prices are now anyway. I turned down a job in NB b/c I live in Hackensack and the commute would cost me a minimum of $6K per year, and it didn't make sense to do that financially.

Good luck to you and us know how it turns out for you.

[downtownjc]

Originally Posted by PLNJUS

Hoboken-next to jersey city, has the train terminal that would transfer you to New Brunswick
Somerville-Beautiful town and main street about fifteen min, drive.
Metuchen is a nice town on the Northeast Corridor
Highland Park is like the northern extension of new brunswick.
Plainfield is a bit rundown in some areas, but is growing into a nice town.
Perth Amboy was the capital of new jersey at one point

From a commute perspective Jersey City would be better than Hoboken--you can take public transit all the way to New Brunswick (PATH to Newark and then NE Corridor line to New Brunswick). I would guess that would be about 45 min-1 hr, which is a big improvement over driving since you can at least do something while you're on the train.

Somerville has a nice main street area and the drive won't generally be too bad (it's against traffic).

And there's always Princeton, which probably has the nicest "downtown" area in Central NJ. As long as you avoid Route 1 at all costs, the commute might be manageable (30-45 min with traffic).

[anatk1]

I agree! My mom still lives in Lawrenceville, right outside of town on the outskirts of Pricenton Township. It takes me about 30-30 mins to get there from Somerset which is near New Brunswick. There are a few really nice hi-rises in NB, in the downtown area as well as on the fringes of NB and Somerset. The ones close to Somerset have really great views...check Colony House which has beautiful views of Bucceluch (sp) Park and Harrison Towers and others in NB....Princeton is a great town also!!

[lammius]

I say go with Highland Park. I lived there when I was a grad student at Rutgers. It's a great town, has almost everything you need within a few blocks, and you can walk right across the river to New Brunswick. The other towns mentioned are nice, but why commute long distances when a nice town like HP is right across the river?

And New Brunswick itself has some great places to live. Go exploring before you decide to look elsewhere.

Whoever suggested Ridgewood should be shot in the knee! The transfer in Secaucus is murder! If you want to commute by train, stick to towns that are on the same rail line as New Brunswick (the Northeast Corridor) to avoid transfer problems (which is probably a big part of the reason you want to leave Philly in the first place, the x-fer at Trenton isn't always easy, but at least it's timed better than Secaucus!).