Where in Tri-State area to live? Possible job in Englewood Cliffs, NJ (New York: apartment)

[Gurechan]

Significant chance that I may take a job opportunity in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and move from West Coast back East (originally from the Philadelphia), so would love your insights into where to live in the Tri-State area. Criteria:

• Would rent, at least at first, as job may move me someplace again in another year or two, and have house in LA (would rent out)
• Have two small kids (5, 1), so need 2-3 bedroom house/apt
• Would love to have lived in NYC as wife and I enjoy city life, but costs etc. seem out of balance – cosmopolitan place with good architecture, schools and places to walk, somewhat diverse, and catch train to city then ideal
• Would like to minimize commute, not know ‘flow’
• Unaware of wage, property (if do buy), etc. taxes between states.
• May need decent access to airports for domestic and European business travel

Maybe a tough balancing act, but what do you recommend? Thanks in advance!

[citylove101]

Living in the five boroughs would be a tough commute to Englewood Cliffs. The two easiest possibilites would probably be Riverdale in the Bronx, or Hudson Heights, which is just north of the George Washington Bridge in Upper Manhattan -- both of which would neccessitate having a car and probably having to pay for parking, especially in Hudson Heights (the more settled middle class part of Washington Heights).

I think its more reaistic to consider some of the Bergen County cities near Englewood Cliffs like Ft. Lee, Alpine, Tenafly, Englewood, Edgewater, and Closter. All have distinct personalities, differing school systems, and some are more expensive than others, for sure. Ft. Lee and Englewood are the ones that I know of with that aren't purely bedroom communities and have small downtowns with amenities. But check in the NJ forum for more precise info on Bergen Country living.

Its a little bit more urban further south in Hudson County inplaces like Jersey City and Hoboken, and that may suit your taste better, but again, parking can be a real hassle in these spots. But bothj of these are really small cities that have reinvented themselves in recnet years and poften cater to New York workers who cannot affford the city. They may be worth a look, though I don't get the feeling they are terribly kid friendly. But again, ask in the NJ forum for a better perspective.

[BrownstoneNY]

I agree with the above advice. I would add that commuting by public transit to Englewood Cliffs from Manhattan can be done. There are buses from the George Washington Bridge bus station that travel to Englewood Cliffs, though as you would be making a reverse commute they may be relatively infrequent. I have only rarely taken those buses, so I don't really know. The A train stops at the GWB bus station, so it's accessible from other parts of the west side of Manhattan as well. How realistic this is depends on where in Englewood Cliffs your job would be, and how close that is to the bus routes.

Airports are terrible to get to from anywhere you might want to live, not something worth worrying about TBH. If you live in NJ, you'll do most of your flying from Newark Airport, though JFK has more flights to Europe. (LaGuardia is domestic only.) Taxis, whether called or hailed on the street in Manhattan, will take you to any airport.

On taxes, differences are small. NJ tends to have higher property taxes, but that's built into rental prices if you're renting. NY State and NJ have essentially identical income tax rates, with only slight differences. However, NYC also has an income tax on top of NY State, though it is probably less than the difference in property taxes if you bought in NJ v. NYC such that you would pay less tax overall owning in NYC than owning in NJ, assuming property values are the same. (NJ, and the NYC suburbs in general, have very high property taxes, but property taxes in NYC are low.)

If you do choose to live near Englewood Cliffs in NJ, there are no trains in that part of NJ that travel to NYC, unfortunately. There are ferries from Edgewater to Midtown and buses that travel into Midtown (but mostly timed for commuters), as well as the buses over the George Washington Bridge that connect to the subway. On a weekend, driving into Manhattan for leisure, though expensive for parking, is not unreasonable, as is driving in the middle of the day or the late evening on weekdays.

Fort Lee is very different from the other towns in that part of NJ and definitely worth considering if you want a more cosmopolitan feel. It has a significant number of highrises (could rent/buy a condo there rather than a house) and a very dense downtown. Englewood also has an attractive and very walkable downtown area, the best in that part of NJ, but is otherwise of an ordinary suburban density. Edgewater also has some densely built condo projects but doesn't really have a walkable downtown--the town is strung out along a single road nestled below the cliffs next to the Hudson River. It does have great river views and good transit by ferry, though.

[usamathman]

Fort Lee, Cliffside Park are very nice areas but area also very expensive. I live in on border of both neighborhoods and absolutely love it. If you can afford it I say stick with these two towns. Plenty of NJ Transit buses that will take you to Englewood for low price.

[Gurechan]

Citylove101, BrownstoneNY, USAmathman, thank you very much for the info, much appreciated. All said then seems like no point to live in CT (cross off). Manhattan may be a possibility, particularly because of the reverse commute. Budgets then in consideration, what would be 'ave.' 2 or 3 bdrm apartment/condo in west side of manhattan (Hudson Heights) and monthly parking? Similar for say Ft. Lee?

Also will take the advice and check / post on NJ list

[bmwguydc]

Are you planning on private schools? If not, I would look more to NJ, Fort Lee trumps Washington Heights with respect to schools, and some other areas in NJ also have good to excellent schools. You will pay a premium for Manhattan, and/or have a size/amenity/quality of neighborhood compromise that I would not find it compelling in your situation with two children to live in Washington Heights when you work in Englewood Cliffs. Englewood Cliffs, itself, is a good area to consider, as well, though a bit more expensive than Fort Lee.

I would minimize the daily commute, and agree that I would not worry about the airports. You could hedge bets and live in Queens, having proximity to JFK and LGA, but then you would have an annoying (many days) drive to/from Englewood Cliffs. Don't trust the estimates of ~30 minute drives from Bayside to Englewood Cliffs as that involves bridges and the Cross Bronx Expressway, which is always congested with trucks, not to mention GWB and Throgs Neck Bridge tolls.