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I want to move out of Queens after living here for 10 years. I am very used to walking to stores, restaurants, trains, etc. so I am looking for a town that has a real downtown area with a train station to midtown (where I work) that I can walk to -- but wouldn't mind raising my daughter near. I used to go through Metuchen years ago (like 15 years ago) and thought it looked nice. Can anyone give me some feedback?
I also need good schools and not too expensive housing (tops 450K). I also want a place that is friendly (maybe a parent's group or mom's group?) as I am used to seeing friends as I go around my neighborhood. And I do like diversity (I'm living in Queens, afterall!).
It sounds like there are a lot of nice places in NJ -- I'm just trying to narrow my search. I cannot afford the inflated prices of any place nice in Queens, although I do like city living overall.
Metuchen will suit your needs, though $450k isn't going to buy you much there (condos mostly). If you do a search on realtor.com on zip code 08840, you'll also get listings from the Menlo Park Terrace area of Woodbridge Township, which has their mail routed through the Metuchen post office. Those will likely be all of the low-priced listings, and are definitely not what you're looking for.
Well, Essex Ave is Route 27, so if it's on Essex, you're on a fairly busy highway. Rose Street runs for several blocks toward 287, and is in what I'd consider the "OK" area of town- not the side that most people associate with the "really nice area of Metuchen". It's not a ghetto or anything, but compared to the areas closer to the train station (behind Main Street toward Amboy Ave), it's not all that great.
Your walk to the train station would be right around 1/2 a mile, which may or may not be that appealing to you, and the ride to NY Penn Station is roughly 45-55 minutes, depending on whether you get the express trains or not (many of the expresses don't stop in Metuchen).
What areas would people recommend? All I have to go by is a map -- above the railroad tracks? I really want to be able to walk to the train. I see some things for sale above the tracks that are $800,000 -- way too much for me! -- and another for $465,000 -- more realistic.
I don't want anything big or with a lot of land. Any advice? Maybe I should look at another town? Thanks!
The best area of Metuchen, IMO, is from 27 to the train station, and on the same side of Main Street as the train station (north of Main, I guess). And yes, you're probably going to find homes in the $800k range there- for $465 in that area you'll likely find junk.
You could look at Westfield, but you'll find similar price issues. On a less costly scale is Woodbridge, but the shopping/dining within walking distance of the train station is much more limited. Other than those towns, there are places like Rahway and Elizabeth that some people are touting as "up and coming", but I wouldn't recommend either for people with kids. Some areas of Rahway are very nice, but the train station area still has a ways to go IMO.
Beyond those towns, you've got to head pretty far south on the train route to places like Red Bank to get anywhere with a decent walkable downtown area.
The area around the Rahway train station is a work in progress
most of the construction is being done in that area
When all the construction is done is will change that area dramatically
Some of the nicer sections are
The Inman Hgts,Milton Lake And Hospital sections
And most homes are still affordable but taxes will vary depending on what section you are in
Good luck on your search from a fellow New yorker (Brooklyn)
And welcome to Jersey
You may consider Victoria Park area which is near Edison Train Station I know many people used to live at Queens move over to the area ... It is very diversitified and neighbors meet at community playground often ...
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