Anything like "southern hospitality" in Bergen County? (Paramus: for sale, low crime)

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by njkate

and WELCOME HOME

It's about time you got one back to start replenishing the thousands who left, huh Kate??

[beachrunner]

I have family in the Cresskill/Tenafly/Englewood area and it has a nice neighborhood feel. They have easy access to the city by bus and good schools. In some parts of town the lot sizes are not too big though. And shopping is not really close by. There are main streets with local shops and grocery stores, but larger stores and malls are usually 20-30 minutes drive away.

[PEBCAK]

If your Salary Range is about 200K to 400K

You would do well finding great homes in Wyckoff/Ridgewood/Midland Park/Waldwick/Allendale area. Good Schools.

G

[tahiti]

I *BEG* of you, don't feed the troll

[Lilycharm]

Thanks for all the recommendations.

Are there any other towns like Ringwood where kids can play outside and ride their bikes unsupervised (like I did when I was a kid)? Swim/Tennis would be preferred (lake or pool), with a very neighborly attitude. Does anyone have kids in school there? The elementary school ranks well, but the middle and high school don't score very well.

I like the town center of Ridgewood and hear that the schools are good, but do kids enjoy going to school there, or is it too stressful? While I want a great school, I don't want a pressure cooker where kids are drilled with test material to get good scores, as opposed to fostering a great environment for learning.

I'd say nearby shopping (especially grocery stores and big box stores like SuperTarget and Costco (or the like) would also be a strong priority, but does it exist up there? Can Mayberry and Big Box co-exist?

Commute to NYC is not a concern to us, so we don't need to focus on ease of getting to the city. Just want something not too far from the Allendale/Saddle River area.

Thank you for *almost* all the feedback... could have done without the "go back South" comment before I have even left.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by Lilycharm

Thanks for all the recommendations.

Are there any other towns like Ringwood where kids can play outside and ride their bikes unsupervised (like I did when I was a kid)? Swim/Tennis would be preferred (lake or pool), with a very neighborly attitude.

You're not likely to find "swim/tennis" communities in NJ- that's a southern thing. If you do find one, it's going to be in a high-end country club. The area you're looking in doesn't have a ton of newer development, and what is there is spot-lot (one at a time) or small infill (maybe 20-30 homes)- not the larger 200+ home developments so prevalent in GA. Most of the single-family home developments in NJ don't even have HOA's, and they usually don't have any common amenities like pools and tennis courts.

I hate to say it, but based on some of the comments you've made regarding what you're looking for in a home, I think you may be sorely disappointed in what you find in the price range you mentioned- you may have to double what you're willing to spend to find what you're looking for. $1 million doesn't go too far in northern NJ when you're trying to replicate a home/setting that you had in the Atlanta suburbs.

Originally Posted by Lilycharm

I'd say nearby shopping (especially grocery stores and big box stores like SuperTarget and Costco (or the like) would also be a strong priority, but does it exist up there? Can Mayberry and Big Box co-exist?

Until recently, WalMart and Target couldn't build "Super" stores in NJ because the union that controls the supermarket workers wouldn't allow them to. I keep hearing rumors that NJ is getting a SuperWalmart or SuperTarget, but I haven't seen one confirmed yet. Costco and BJ's are there, though.

[njkate]

Lilycharm

Bob is giving good feedback as he was rasied in Nj and now lives in Atlanta so he knows exactly what you are referring too regarding what you have in Atlanta and if you will be able to replicate that in NJ...you may have to let go of some of the things you have now but hopefully there are things NJ offers that will compensate for that Good Luck to you

[DFBonnett]

Anything like "southern hospitality" in Bergen County?

No. New Jersey as a whole, and the NY metro portion in particular, are to rudeness and discourtesy as Paris is to international fashion, the epicenter.

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Originally Posted by Lilycharm

We have lived in Georgia for the past 16 years (currently the suburbs of Atlanta), but my husband has been offered a very nice job on the border of Saddle River and Allendale.

I am nervous about moving back to NJ (I lived on Morris County for 10 years when I was a kid up through high school) because I have really enjoyed how friendly I think it is here in Atlanta.

Hopefully, after you make your move, you'll realize the myth that people are generally "friendlier" based on their geographical location. Having traveled and spent a lot of time living throughout the nation, I've come to realize that people are equally "friendly" (and there are equal amounts of jerks) everywhere in the nation. People here are just as friendly as down South (which is mostly comprised of people from here, anyway, so you will see the same amount of "friendliness" from the same people here).

Originally Posted by Lilycharm

Can you recommend a family-friendly (emphasis on friendly) area with great public schools where a non-Italian, non-Irish, non-Polish, non-Jewish family can fit in. I don't mind diversity, just don't want to feel out of place.

We do go to Catholic church, but do not plan on sending our kids to Catholic School.

Yes - any town in Northern Bergen County.

Originally Posted by Lilycharm

Also, because of the higher cost of living up there, I feel like what might be a good salary down here, may not offer a good quality of life up North. In order to live comfortably with a nice house (4-5 bedroom with a daylight basement, a yard for the kids to play, and a neighborhood where the kids and play outside with friends) what salary level would you expect someone to have?

Based on your later post saying you expect to be making over $200K, you will be comfortable anywhere, unless your standards for comfort are unusually high.

Originally Posted by Lilycharm

Currently, I have 3 SuperTargets and 3 malls within a 15 minute driving distance, yet still live in a Mayberry-like neighborhood with trees, a town 4th of July parade, and local shops. Anything like that up there? I've heard Allendale has a cool Halloween, and wonder if that neighborliness extends beyond the October holiday.

I really appreciate your feed back!

Having spent many years going to Dunwoody to work (I worked in the offices in Perimeter center area and stayed at the Embassy Suites there, usually) I have driven through and around Dunwoody many times. That's not my idea of "Mayberry", but if that's what you consider Mayberry then I can safely say that ANY northern Bergen County town will feel like Mayberry to you as well.

My town has trees, parks, a town pool, fields/track, tennis courts (public and a members-only tennis club), little league and town league sports, a nice downtown with local shops/supermarket, awesome schools, and we have parades for not just 4th of July but also Memorial Day, Labor Day, and a few others. We have fireworks for the 4th of July, and in the summer we have a huge town picnic with children's activities, bands, great food, etc. and it is subsidized by the town so everything is free or cheap (e.g. face painting for kids is free, food/drink is cheap - $1 hot dogs and burgers, $2 sausage/pepper sandwich or chicken, etc.; and no alcohol). We have our own library, our own police, and my town even has its own water and electric companies.

Oh, and kids feel safe to ride their bikes all over the place, unsupervised, like when we were kids. In fact, in my town, you will see people walking throughout town at all hours till about midnight, because it's a very safe town - we don't have a crime problem here.

For towns like this just take your pick of any in the area of your husband's job. Ringwood is very nice too, as someone else mentioned - it is farther out and a little more rural feel, if you prefer that. It won't be a savings, but it's a beautiful town and closer to "country".

BTW, forget Maywood as another poster recommended, that's about the poorest choice you could make - it's too far and cut off by traffic, and it's far from the Mayberry feel you're talking about. Any town in Bergen county is within 5-15 minutes of Paramus where you can find Targets, malls, etc. (it's the second biggest retail center in the nation after Fifth Ave. in NYC).

Towns for you to consider based on what you're looking for and your budget:
Upper Saddle River
Allendale
Montvale
Woodcliff Lake
Park Ridge
Hillsdale
Waldwick
Wyckoff
Mahwah
Ho-Ho-Kus
River Vale
Westwood/Washington Township
Old Tappan

There are more, but those would make for a reasonable commute to the USR/Allendale area. I'm guessing he's on 17 or near there - I had a client in USR on Rt 17 where I worked for several months.

Heck, even parts of Paramus might fill the bill for you, where they are far from the retail areas. Ridgewood and Saddle River are probably out of your price range and budget.

I think what it will come down to is your appreciation of the area. The suburban part will feel much like Dunwoody, not much difference; what you will love about the area, or not, is the easy access to all things nearby, like mountains, beaches, NYC, etc. all within a 1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hour for easy getaways, daytrips, etc. For your kids, you will be able to take great family vacations and day trips that are educational and fun, and varied - Boston, 4 hours; Philly, 2 hours; Baltimore and DC, 4-5 hours; Montreal, 6 hours.

Best of luck to you and congrats on the move.

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

You're not likely to find "swim/tennis" communities in NJ- that's a southern thing. If you do find one, it's going to be in a high-end country club. The area you're looking in doesn't have a ton of newer development, and what is there is spot-lot (one at a time) or small infill (maybe 20-30 homes)- not the larger 200+ home developments so prevalent in GA. Most of the single-family home developments in NJ don't even have HOA's, and they usually don't have any common amenities like pools and tennis courts.

I hate to say it, but based on some of the comments you've made regarding what you're looking for in a home, I think you may be sorely disappointed in what you find in the price range you mentioned- you may have to double what you're willing to spend to find what you're looking for. $1 million doesn't go too far in northern NJ when you're trying to replicate a home/setting that you had in the Atlanta suburbs.

I thought she was looking for a Mayberry feel, not a country club feel.

Yes, country clubs and country-club/golf-club communities are rare and expensive in Bergen County, but that's hardly "Mayberry". Mayberry-like towns are the specialty, in Northern Bergen county, however.

Having been to Dunwoody myself, I can say for sure that if she was not living in a development with an HOA and high-end country club amenities, she and her family can find what she had there.

I realize you're not familiar with Bergen County, Bob, but you did provide quite a lot of misinformation in your posts. Maywood? Why Maywood? On her budget they can afford to live in a much nicer town much closer to USR/Allendale. As for the towns here, almost all have a town pool, tennis courts, etc. and most have tennis/racquet clubs, there are many golf courses, etc. throughout the area. No HOA's because these are towns, not developments. You make it sound like they will get a home in a town that has nothing in the way of amenities and they will be spending through the nose, every cent they earn, to pay for it. That's just false.

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Until recently, WalMart and Target couldn't build "Super" stores in NJ because the union that controls the supermarket workers wouldn't allow them to. I keep hearing rumors that NJ is getting a SuperWalmart or SuperTarget, but I haven't seen one confirmed yet. Costco and BJ's are there, though.

Thank God for unions!