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Can anyone recommend a NJ town that is really walkable and people actually walk and use the downtown. We are looking to relocate, my husband works in biotech and is currently job hunting. I'm looking to live in a town where I don't need to drive to the grocery store, and it has to be a good grocery store (like whole foods/wild oats), and good restaurants.
I don't mind a small older home, around 600K-700K.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We currently live in Carmel Indiana, suburban HELL! I can't take it any more!
Thanks, Michelle
Michelle,
If you folks can afford a 600k home.........you can take your pick of the areas in Jersey.
We live in South Jersey right across the bridge from Philly.
There are a number of communities around here that meet your requirements. Some a little rural and some with a city feel.
The life style compared to North Jersey is really different.
Way crowded up North and way expensive.
South gives you anything you want. Suburban Hell or city life style.
Restaurants? You can't get them any better than Philly. And Jersey has some great ones.
Us? We are moving to NC in a couple months.
Can't afford the 600k home and can't afford the NJ taxes and corruption.
i have to agree--montclair is great!!! its the only town i know where people are walking around in the evenings and the town is alive even on weeknights--i love to visit!
Parts of Montclair is very nice, but keep in mind that not all areas of Montclair are that nice. Overall, the township has a much, much higher crime rate than some of the other towns listed in this thread (like Westfield, Chatham and Madison, for example which are literally among the safest towns in all of NJ).
Also, be wary of people who say Maplewood is nice. Like Montclair, it also has a much higher crime rate than other "top tier" towns in Northern NJ.
More crime data here: Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
Westfield is a great "walkable" place - in central jersey, 135 off the Garden State Parkway. You can walk to town and it has the hottest shopping area around. It is known for being a traditional, safe "bedroom community" 35min (on a good day) to NYC. Beautiful tree-lined streets, lots of cultural events in/around town, A+ school system, great food stores in town (even a Trader Joe's). Activities galore for the cherubs. Taxes are high, but well worth the $ to provide such an environment for your children to grow up in. Good luck.
Parts of Montclair is very nice, but keep in mind that not all areas of Montclair are that nice. Overall, the township has a much, much higher crime rate than some of the other towns listed in this thread (like Westfield, Chatham and Madison, for example which are literally among the safest towns in all of NJ).
Also, be wary of people who say Maplewood is nice. Like Montclair, it also has a much higher crime rate than other "top tier" towns in Northern NJ.
More crime data here: Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
I've lived in Morristown, Jersey City, Madison, and now Montclair (having been born and raised in brooklyn) and I can tell you Montclair is really really nice. Cool shops, a night life that doesn't consist of 20 somethings drinking themselves stupid every friday and Saturday (morristown) or a whole town closing at 8pm (Chatham, madison, etc).
Montclair=a 20 minute drive to NYC, chatham= an hour.
Also- to really be fair, you have to really consider Chatham-madison an offshoot of Morristown. Most likely if you move to that area, on weekend nights you will be in Morristown. And morristown's crime is a lot worse than Montclair (Jockey Hollow is a scary place).
If you are going to stay in NNJ, Montclair is really your best choice.
I would also like to add that if you move to montclair, you really have it all...nightclubs, cool cafes, restaurants, small bookshops, bars, an independent movie theater, an art museum, supermarkets, starbucks, whole foods, ..all within walking distance. If you move to chatham, you have one supermarket a handful of restaurants and a ton of over priced boutique stores that close at 6pm. For everything else...you gotta drive.
Montclair not only has more crime but a higher crime rate. I'm not saying Montclair is "dangerous", but it does have a higher crime rate than most places where people would be looking for $600,000 houses (like the original poster is). Unless you're looking for a more urban environments like Jersey City and Hoboken, in which case most people would have to expect more crime than in a suburban location like Montclair.
Quote:
I would also like to add that if you move to montclair, you really have it all...nightclubs, cool cafes, restaurants, small bookshops, bars, an independent movie theater, an art museum, supermarkets, starbucks, whole foods, ..all within walking distance.
Yes, if you live 3 blocks from Bloomfield Avenue. Which the majority of Montclair township does not. I guess unless you consider a 30-minute walk to downtown as "walkable".
Montclair . Montclair has a lot of shops, at least 4 supermarkets (Whole Foods, Pathmark, Kings & A&P). Lots of bars and resturants that are all within walking distanc eof each other.
Montclair not only has more crime but a higher crime rate. I'm not saying Montclair is "dangerous", but it does have a higher crime rate than most places where people would be looking for $600,000 houses (like the original poster is). Unless you're looking for a more urban environments like Jersey City and Hoboken, in which case most people would have to expect more crime than in a suburban location like Montclair.
Yes, if you live 3 blocks from Bloomfield Avenue. Which the majority of Montclair township does not. I guess unless you consider a 30-minute walk to downtown as "walkable".
More people=More crime. Montclair gives you urban nighlife experience while maintaining it's suburban roots. There simply aren't many diverse towns in NJ as Montclair. Period.
Yes, if you live 3 blocks from Bloomfield Avenue. Which the majority of Montclair township does not. I guess unless you consider a 30-minute walk to downtown as "walkable".[/quote]
I've walked 30 minutes in NYC, so what's the difference between that and walking in town? If you bouight a house in Upper Montclair, your walk may be that long, but it's a 10 minute car ridge or taxi ride to all the shops and bars located on or near Bloomfield Avenue. Plus there are additional shops and stores in Upper Montclair.
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