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After living in NYC for 8 years, my husband and I are starting a family (baby due in March!) and we are looking to move to the burbs within the next year or two. So, we are just starting our search - but we know NOTHING about the NYC suburbs. Hopefully you can help lead us in the right direction for narrowing down NJ towns. Here are some details as to what we are looking for in a town:
- #1 non-negotiable need are great public schools.
- We want to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city. No Hoboken or Jersey City for us. After living in the city (Upper East Side) for the last 8+ years, we are ready for a "town" or "village" feel. (And...I'm looking forward to the days when I can drive 20 minutes or less to a mall or a Target!)
- My husband primarily works in Manhattan or flies out to other cities, so we need a DIRECT train commute to NYC and within a 30-60 minute drive of a major airport.
- We will be selling our co-op in the city and our budget for our new house will be around $700K. We will be looking for a house that needs updating - we are not afraid to purchase a house that needs some work. (We've done home renovation in the past and it's really not as bad as some people make it out to be.) We would rather move into a nice area and put work in to the house over time, rather than buying a move-in ready house in a less desirable neighborhood.
- I would like a cute "downtown" or village center area that is a walk or short drive from our new home.
Please let me know if there is any other info I can provide. Any info is VERY VERY helpful!!
I think you should also consider towns in Central Jersey. When my wife and I moved out of Manhattan we looked at a NJ transit train map and looked at train schedules and looked at all the towns within an hour of NYC via train. Then we researched the school districts for those towns. In Central Jersey you can get a little more for your money than the towns in North Jersey. 2 great towns are Westfield and Metuchen. Both have nice downtowns and good school systems. Westfield is a little nicer but there is no direct train service into Manhattan as your husband would have to transfer at newark penn for the path. This can be convenient if your husband works downtown as he would have to transfer anyways once he reached penn station. If he works closer to midtown and does not want to have to transfer trains Metuchen is only 40 minutes via train into NYPenn and trains leave every 10 minutes during rush hour. Everyone always mentions short hills, madison, etc but i think central jersey towns can be even more convenient and a little more affordable. Also both Westfield and Metuchen are within 30 min to newark airport and the train from Metuchen actually stops at newark airport.
I think NJT/Path commute is much easier than having to transfer to a subway once reaching NY Penn. Some towns also have commuter buses into Manhattan but they buses are more susceptible to traffic/weather issues. Another thing you have to consider is the parking situation at these train stations unless someone can drop your husband off or you purchase a home within walking distance.
It would have to be the train... my husband already said "no way" to the bus. I would be able to drop off/pick up my husband at the train station if parking is not an option.
Definitely check out Ridgewood in Bergen county. Train Service is not Direct, but as artDDS stated, the Path from Hoboken to downtown beats the subway. Ridgewood has a great public school system & a great downtown. There are plenty of great neighborhoods within a short walk to the train station.
also art, i think most people consider Westfield, Metuchen etc to be North Jersey, not central jersey.
Definitely check out Ridgewood in Bergen county. Train Service is not Direct, but as artDDS stated, the Path from Hoboken to downtown beats the subway. Ridgewood has a great public school system & a great downtown. There are plenty of great neighborhoods within a short walk to the train station.
also art, i think most people consider Westfield, Metuchen etc to be North Jersey, not central jersey.
Actually, I have never heard anyone refer to Westfield, Metuchen etc as Northern Jersey. I am pretty sure that is Central Jersey. If you look at the map, it is pretty central.
Anyways here is the link of NJ Monthly's school rankings. This is subjective but at least gives you some reference:
If you have a car you can drive around the neighborhoods to get a feel of the areas.
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