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Hi everyone,
I have a possible job opportunity that I am exploring, near Whitehouse Station, NJ. However, we are totally an urban city lifestyle couple (if I had the chance and if it was not that far, I'd look for places to live in Manhattan)...Now, I know absolutely nothing about NJ! I definitely know I cannot find any other place as urban as living in Manhattan, but I am freaking out of suburban living. (living in Boston now) I actually like to live as close to Manhattan as possible as I know we'd definitely drive a lot to NY, and I would not mind 30-40min of drive to work, and I'd rather have max 30-40min drive to NYC if that is a possible option. (we are not much of a public transportation couple either) Under these criteria, which towns would you recommend me in between Merck Whitehouse Station and NYC? What would be the time on the road to reach to Merk and to reach to Manhattan from that city/town? I'd be awesome if there are any small towns that have the Soho ambiance of boutique shops/restaurants in downtown area and ample shopping opportunity (malls) around of such a town. Also, forgive my ignorance but I know nothing about the region: what direction is the traffic worst during the rush hours: driving towards east from Whitehouse Station area, or the opposite direction? I am curious as to whether I'd always be sitting in rush hour traffic if we choose an area, like Summit, for instance. ( I currently drive 20min to work, in a flowing traffic as I go against the rush hour crowd, so the location, the urban ambiance and drive back and forth will be the key in making up my mind. So, I really really really appreciate your inputs as that could make a HUGE difference in the turn that we'll take in our lives, so I can't wait to hear your feedback. And I do not even have the slightest idea if what I am asking it at all feasible or not! So, thanks so much in advance for enlightening me.
It's ONE LONG SCHLEP to Merck from Hoboken or anywhere in the NYC area. Unless you REALLY LIKE that amount of driving every day, you should look nearer to Whitehouse Station. Don't judge driving times until you've driven on a WEEKDAY, in the rush hour.
The closest "urban" area to Merck would be Morristown, and it's a far cry from the density of Manhattan. It offers the ability to walk to restaurants, shops, etc., but it may not be urban enough for you if Manhattan is to your liking. The trip to Whitehouse would probably be in the +/- 30-40 minute range.
Thank you very much for your quick replies...So sounds like I'd be happy with Hoboken yet it is way too long of a drive from Hoboken to Whitehouse Station huh? too bad...(By the way, I live in Boston city right now, and actually a bit less urban of Manhattan is what I'd be still super happy about...I guess I like a "walking city" where you can do a bit of shopping, dining, coffee, bookstore, walk in the park etc all without having to drive to each and every location )
Morristown actually sounds good, I'll read about it on the internet today. Couple more questions regarding Morristown then: So, driving from Morristown to Merck : is it rush hour, stop-and-go kind of traffic? And how long of a drive is it from Manhattan, say the Village?
One last inquiry if you would not mind please: When searching other forums, I came across this statement " [SIZE=2]Westfield, Summit, or Montclair....All have downtown areas reminiscent of the Village in Manhattan."....How about those?
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One last inquiry if you would not mind please: When searching other forums, I came across this statement " [SIZE=2]Westfield, Summit, or Montclair....All have downtown areas reminiscent of the Village in Manhattan."....How about those?
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Not even close, unless you consider one main commercial strip enough of a comparison. BTW they are all considered suburban towns lol.
Thank you very much for your quick replies...So sounds like I'd be happy with Hoboken yet it is way too long of a drive from Hoboken to Whitehouse Station huh? too bad...(By the way, I live in Boston city right now, and actually a bit less urban of Manhattan is what I'd be still super happy about...I guess I like a "walking city" where you can do a bit of shopping, dining, coffee, bookstore, walk in the park etc all without having to drive to each and every location )
Morristown actually sounds good, I'll read about it on the internet today. Couple more questions regarding Morristown then: So, driving from Morristown to Merck : is it rush hour, stop-and-go kind of traffic? And how long of a drive is it from Manhattan, say the Village?
One last inquiry if you would not mind please: When searching other forums, I came across this statement " [SIZE=2]Westfield, Summit, or Montclair....All have downtown areas reminiscent of the Village in Manhattan."....How about those? [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
Hi Yelayza,
You're going against the grain with the traffic, so the drive from Morristown to Whitehouse should not be too bad, maybe 40 minutes? I think you will like Morristown a lot. Make no mistake, it is not Manhattan or Hoboken, but it is trendy and cool and you can definitely walk around, shop, get great food, etc. It is especially nice in the Spring and Summer on the Square. Morristown is about an hour to the Village under normal circumstances. I mean, you can get there in 40 minutes at 3 in the morning, but you obviously will be traveling at times when you will be dealing with traffic in either the Holland or Lincoln Tunnels. So about an hour or slightly less if you get lucky. If your destination is midtown or downtown Manhattan you can do a little better because you don't have to travel too far IN Manhattan once you get TO Manhattan.
You should also strongly consider Westfield. Same idea, cool downtown and centrally located between Manhattan and Whitehouse. Westfield has a bigger downtown than Morristown, but it is higher priced than Morristown.
Montclair is another possibility, it is very cool, but the downtown area is not as cohesive as Westfield or Summit, and it is a longer drive.
Summit is like Westfield, cool downtown, but even higher priced.
Median home values for the past 6 months (my data - not copyrighted):
Also I think Montclair to Whitehouse is too far, a good deal farther than Westfield or Morristown. Westfield, Summit, and Morristown to Whitehouse are pretty much similar in terms of drive time.
You should do a day trip to all 3, do breakfast in Westfield, lunch in Morristown, and dinner in Summit, and shop in all 3.
Awesome feedback from you all, thanks a lot. You are absolutely right Marc Paolella , about the daytrip : I cannot make up my decision to "relocate for a new job or not" by trying to virtually determine if I can be happy in any of these locations...Have to come over and see it for myself...However, now thanks to you guys, I've got some targeted areas to come and see, and also experience the drive to Manhattan and drive to Whitehouse myself and see if I can live with that....Thanks a million!!!
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