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Hello everyone.
Yes the time has come for my family (My wife, 3 year old daughter, 1 month old son and myself) to make the pilgrimage from our 2BR co-op Brooklyn apt. to NJ. We have decided to not take the usual passage which is Brooklyn to Staten Island then to NJ. We are skipping right over Stat Nilan as we call it here.
I've been monitoring this board for about 6 months now and have done many searches trying to find "the best town to live in with a relatively short commute to NYC". It seems everyone asks this same question again and again and I know there is never a right answer just some great opinions.
Coming from Brooklyn (3rd generation born and raised) where I hop on an F train and commute to NYC in about 30 minutes, I have gotten used to this lifestyle. I am fully aware and ready for the trade off of having the big backyard, basement, garage. 4 bedroom house but not having that quick commute to NYC as I have become accustomed to.
That being said, after many visits to your lovely state and days and days of research, my wife and I have narrowed our relocation decision to either Old Bridge or Marlboro. We have found the commute would probably take us 1 hour 15 minutes on a good day by express bus up route 9 from Old Bridge but cant narrow down exactly the best mode of transportation from Marlboro aka Morganville. Some say you can drive to the park and ride to get the bus. We have also heard you can drive to a nearby town that has train service but the waiting list for parking is years long. Perhaps pay a local resident to park in their driveway.
Yes we are also aware that not only will we be spending approx. $238.00 per month EACH for NJ Transit but we still need a monthly unlimited metrocard from NYC Transit at 76.00 each. That would bring our grand total for just transportation for my wife and I every month to $628.00. Is it really worth it? Seems like the old movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Get in my car, drive to a bus, take the bus to a train. Reverse order coming home. Will I ever get to spend quality time with my family or does it not matter anymore because I have this big ol house that I never had before. I'm living the American dream right?
I am hoping someone reading this does this commute every day and can offer any pros, cons or just some genuine opinions.
Many thanks,
Jeff
That would bring our grand total for just transportation for my wife and I every month to $628.00. Is it really worth it? Seems like the old movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Get in my car, drive to a bus, take the bus to a train. Reverse order coming home. Will I ever get to spend quality time with my family or does it not matter anymore because I have this big ol house that I never had before. I'm living the American dream right?
The only person who can answer that question is you. No one else would really know what you are giving up and what kind of home life you currently enjoy. Trade-offs are different for everyone. If you feel unsure at this point in time it is probably a sign that you need to rethink this.
Why are you moving so far out into Jersey? There are many towns closer to the city where you can find a nice 3br house in the high 300's or 400s.
My first suggestion would probably be Bayonne as you can still buy a huge house there for a reasonable ammount of money. Bayonne also has the light rail which can take you to the PATH & subsequently to the WTC in 30 minutes or Penn Station in 45 minutes.
You also should look into towns outside of Newark and Paterson such as Kearny, Belleville, North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, Nutley, Clifton, Totowa, Little Falls, and West Paterson. All of these towns are quite nice and affordable, which commuting times under an hour.. Many also have pretty respectable public schools, so you don't have to send your kids to parochial schools.
It is a personal choice. I lived in Manalapan for over 10 years. The communte is not that bad (for me) and you get used to it for the home and area trade off. I moved to Altanta for 4 years. Just returned (hated GA) and started looking in all of these towns listed. Especially Clifton. Almost bought one there but decided to take one last look back in the manalapan area. Instanly changed my mind and bought in Marlboro (in Ground Pool) 4 bedroom 3 bathrooms etc. Very worth the extra communte. With all respect to the poster the homes further out are much larger as is the property. In the end it up to you but the commute is only really bad in the summer with beach traffic on a Friday evening. Other than that well worth the trade off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mead
Why are you moving so far out into Jersey? There are many towns closer to the city where you can find a nice 3br house in the high 300's or 400s.
My first suggestion would probably be Bayonne as you can still buy a huge house there for a reasonable ammount of money. Bayonne also has the light rail which can take you to the PATH & subsequently to the WTC in 30 minutes or Penn Station in 45 minutes.
You also should look into towns outside of Newark and Paterson such as Kearny, Belleville, North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, Nutley, Clifton, Totowa, Little Falls, and West Paterson. All of these towns are quite nice and affordable, which commuting times under an hour.. Many also have pretty respectable public schools, so you don't have to send your kids to parochial schools.
Hello everyone.
Yes the time has come for my family (My wife, 3 year old daughter, 1 month old son and myself) to make the pilgrimage from our 2BR co-op Brooklyn apt. to NJ. We have decided to not take the usual passage which is Brooklyn to Staten Island then to NJ. We are skipping right over Stat Nilan as we call it here.
I've been monitoring this board for about 6 months now and have done many searches trying to find "the best town to live in with a relatively short commute to NYC". It seems everyone asks this same question again and again and I know there is never a right answer just some great opinions.
Coming from Brooklyn (3rd generation born and raised) where I hop on an F train and commute to NYC in about 30 minutes, I have gotten used to this lifestyle. I am fully aware and ready for the trade off of having the big backyard, basement, garage. 4 bedroom house but not having that quick commute to NYC as I have become accustomed to.
That being said, after many visits to your lovely state and days and days of research, my wife and I have narrowed our relocation decision to either Old Bridge or Marlboro. We have found the commute would probably take us 1 hour 15 minutes on a good day by express bus up route 9 from Old Bridge but cant narrow down exactly the best mode of transportation from Marlboro aka Morganville. Some say you can drive to the park and ride to get the bus. We have also heard you can drive to a nearby town that has train service but the waiting list for parking is years long. Perhaps pay a local resident to park in their driveway.
Yes we are also aware that not only will we be spending approx. $238.00 per month EACH for NJ Transit but we still need a monthly unlimited metrocard from NYC Transit at 76.00 each. That would bring our grand total for just transportation for my wife and I every month to $628.00. Is it really worth it? Seems like the old movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Get in my car, drive to a bus, take the bus to a train. Reverse order coming home. Will I ever get to spend quality time with my family or does it not matter anymore because I have this big ol house that I never had before. I'm living the American dream right?
I am hoping someone reading this does this commute every day and can offer any pros, cons or just some genuine opinions.
Many thanks,
Jeff
I am kind of curious why Old Bridge or Marlboro. I ask because it seems like lots of New Yorkers gravitate towards those towns. I dont' think there's lots of stucco houses in Marlboro, so what is it?
First Jersey Shore Point so close to the Jersey Shore and the beach. Not an awful commute to NYC. Nice home value for the money. Was better when I first moved in (1992) but still a good value now (2008) which is why I am buying again. Great resturants, malls and shopping.
Nice back yard (A real back yard). Good schools and fair taxes. Only thing missing is rail (train) service. They were promising in 1992 they would put it in and I am sure they are still promising but it will eventually happen I am sure. Route 9 is a bit crowded but its all a trade off - and all things considered its a great place to live.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ciao9999
I am kind of curious why Old Bridge or Marlboro. I ask because it seems like lots of New Yorkers gravitate towards those towns. I dont' think there's lots of stucco houses in Marlboro, so what is it?
It is a personal choice. I lived in Manalapan for over 10 years. The communte is not that bad (for me) and you get used to it for the home and area trade off. I moved to Altanta for 4 years. Just returned (hated GA) and started looking in all of these towns listed. Especially Clifton. Almost bought one there but decided to take one last look back in the manalapan area. Instanly changed my mind and bought in Marlboro (in Ground Pool) 4 bedroom 3 bathrooms etc. Very worth the extra communte. With all respect to the poster the homes further out are much larger as is the property. In the end it up to you but the commute is only really bad in the summer with beach traffic on a Friday evening. Other than that well worth the trade off.
In these days of high (and getting higher) gas prices, why try to live farther away from your destination? I'm not sure what your price range is, but there are probably tons of towns much closer that can give better value. And it's not like you're going to be going down the shore every day.
I commuted from Marlboro to Downtown Wall. Took Academy bus. I walked to the bus station since I lived off of route 9. No need to wait for parking space. Commute was about 1 hour in, about 1.5-2hours back. It is a long commute. Luckily It was just 1 bus. Thats it. No car, no subway, nothing. Just walked to bus station and walked to work in manhatten.
With that being said, I would not be able to handle a car+bus+train scenario. Too long.
I recommend looking closer to the city..
Brooklyn2NJ did you move? Your post is from a year ago, so I'm no sure if you're still looking for info.
I live in Old Bridge. Moved here from Brooklyn almost 2 years ago. My husband commutes to Wall Street; he's tried every option possible. The bus keeps very specific schedule, so you have to stick to it. An hour and fifteen must be on a very very best day, and you still have to drive to the stop. Train stops in Aberdeen or Woodbridge, also varied schedule, and parking is tough. He also drove to Jersey city and took a ferry from there. Any of these options took on average an hour and a half, and cost around $650/month. He now drives to Newark, and takes a path from there. It's somewhat cheaper, and gives more flexibility to his hours, though it still takes as long.
Yes, we also moved for the yard, basement, garage, schools for our boys. But it's a tough trade off. Expensive, the schedule is grueling, and owning a house is an overwhelming commitment. If the housing market wasn't in a dump, I'd be back in Brooklyn by now.
One thing to consider since your commute time will be so much longer, will you be able to find daycare that is open early enough to drop off so you can catch your train or bus and will they be open late enough after you get off the bus or train? If there is a major delay on transportation will you be able to find an emergency contact.
The area you are looking in has some beautiful homes. More power to you if you can handle that commute, as I know I couldn't.
Good luck!!
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