Is there anyplace in north Jersey (the area nearest to NYC)

[NewJeffCT]

that is reasonably affordable and also has good public schools? My wife's old boss got a job down in the Secaucus area, and the closest home they could find that was affordable was like $700,000 and it was a good hour drive away, and they ended up losing out on the home - so the guy lives in an apartment that he rents during the week and drives home on the weekends to his home in western Mass.

I remember a few years back, somebody contacted me about a job in north Jersey and I looked into some towns around where this job was located, and similar homes there were a good 3 times the price of our then home in the Hartford area of Connecticut, and 2 times the price of our current home.

[Mike03]

1. Is Plainfield in North Jersey?

When I was very young (5-8) my family lived in Plainfield, and my dad commuted to NY. At that time it was a very humble neighborhood, nothing fancy, so I don't imagine it is very expensive; but I don't know if it is in the area you desire.

[NewJeffCT]

3. I'd have to check the map

but, thanks for the tip.

[LiberalEsto]

27. Central NJ, and the schools are horrible

I have friends who say the schools were great in the 1960s when they grew up, but they've gone downhill since then.

Check out South Plainfield, by the way.

[DS1]

2. Ridgewood

Don't know the house prices, but the public schools there are pretty good.

[NewJeffCT]

4. well, the house prices aren't cheap

I did check nj.com and the schools look very good there & in Tenafly for Bergen Cty.

But, I'm guessing that if we want similar to our home in CT, we'd have to pay 7 figures, or close to it.

[DS1]

10. there are less expensive areas of ridgewood

but they probably don't have the land you'd have in your current CT house

however, there's lots of commuting options to NYC

[NewJeffCT]

55. we don't have a lot of land where we are - but

I did do an online comparison & the median home price in Ridgewood is $710,000, while it is "only" $425,000 where I live.

[LibertyLover]

18. Cresskill and Tenafly have excellent school systems

(disclaimer: my mom was the middle school librarian in Tenafly for years and I went to Cresskill public schools, since we lived in Cresskill) - however both Tenafly and Cresskill are very expensive in terms of housing. Bergen County is one of the most expensive counties to live in in America and Cresskill, Alpine, Tenafly and Ridgewood are some of the most expensive towns to live in in Bergen County.

[NewJeffCT]

25. Thanks

Fairfield County in Connecticut is probably similar to Bergen in New Jersey, I'm guessing... and, both are probably somewhat like Westchester in NY as well.

I'd almost prefer to live in Bergen Cty, though, as if my parents ever wanted to come to visit, it would be easier for them to go Bergen Cty from Connecticut than Monmouth or Sussex.

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. Great schools, excellent Y, outrageous home prices.

[DS1]

9. It's where I grew up, mostly

but I haven't been back in about a decade, so house prices aren't my specialty.

[NC_Nurse]

58. I lived there in 2-5th grade.

Nice town back then (around 1970).

[NewJeffCT]

5. kick

for the evening.

[monmouth]

6. Try Monmouth County (the shore area, Spring Lake, Manasquan,

Pt. Pleasant). My son tells me the area is really in real estate depression and many houses going for a lot less. Road to Secaucus would either be Parkway or Turnpike, can't remember which but less than an hour I'm sure.

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. Good idea!

I lived in Fort Lee for a year and a half (on the company dime thank goodness!) and would definitely recommend not living north of Secaucus simply for pricing and traffic reasons.

[NewJeffCT]

11. thanks

i'll look into it

[NewJeffCT]

12. according to NJ.com

the best schools for Monmouth Cty are in Holmdel & Rumson. Holmdel is closer to Secaucus and is still 40+ miles and 50+ minutes, not including traffic.

[monmouth]

17. Yes, in fact Rumson-Fair Haven and Red Bank are wonderful

residential areas. Great schools, shopping..prices, I'm not sure. Pretty upscale...Bruce Springsteen lives in Rumson..FWIW...

[soleft]

49. Rumson is very spensive, tho, isn't it?

Like Holmdel and Middletown. Hazlet seems a little cheaper.

[StrongBad]

63. I was raised in Middletown.

Great schools and place to raise a family but I think it has gotten a bit more pricey over the years...

[NewJeffCT]

64. most of northern NJ is pretty pricey, it seems

especially if you want good schools.

maybe my wife should rent an apartment near Secaucus and drive home each weekend.

[LostinVA]

65. Secaucus isn't someplace you'd want to live

And the rents are outrageous in North Jersey. You might be able to find comparable houose prices in some parts of Morris County and the schools are good. Ringwood/West Milford, too, but I don't think the schools are as good.

[NewJeffCT]

66. well, it's not a done deal yet

that my wife has accepted the job - I think she just wants ammunition for either a sign-on bonus and/or help with relocation.

[annabanana]

13. Lived in Leonia for years...

Check small properties west of the Grand Ave and South of Ft. Lee Rd. (if they're still there)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. I Live In Denville. Awesome Town, Awesome Schools, Awesome Community, And Affordable.

Depends on what your definition of affordable is, but I think it would fit.

[NewJeffCT]

15. thanks, i'll look into it

doesn't seem too far out (31 miles, I think google said)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

16. If That. We're Also In The Middle Of All Major Highways And Mass Transit.

[LeftyMom]

19. Your town is lovely. And you have at least one very nice cop.

He helped me find my hotel when I was very lost in the middle of the night.

[siouxsiecreamcheese]

20. Maybe Montague NJ

It's right on the border of NY & PA in Sussex County, very pretty forest/farm area, reasonable prices I think. Plus you can commute by NJ transit train about 10 min away. I used to live near there.

[NewJeffCT]

21. thanks

i'll have to check it out later.

[Yavin4]

22. Any Housing Near NYC Is Going To Be Expensive

Unlike other major urban areas, there aren't any affordable suburban areas outside of the city.

[NewJeffCT]

23. Thanks - I know it's similar in Westchester, NY and Fairfield Cty, CT

and, unless I can double my salary, we're not going to afford a 7 figure house.

[rug]

24. Don't write off Newark.

[LiberalEsto]

26. Check out Lodi

My brother lived there for 37 years, I'm not sure what the schools are like, since he doesn't have kids, but it's relatively affordable.


I've also heard Bayonne is liveable.

[NewJeffCT]

28. to be honest

we'd rather go for expensive and live somewhere with very good schools rather than affordable/liveable and average schools. However, expensive in north Jersey is more expensive than expensive is in the Hartford, CT area. So, it might be that we stay in CT and my wife doesn't take the job. My wife's boss ended up finding a house they liked, but it was a good hour away from Secaucus and it was still $700K - however, somebody outbid them for the house and he's since decided to rent an apartment near his work and keep his family in Massachusetts.

[LiberalEsto]

29. In that case, check out Wayne

I grew up there. The schools were still good, last I heard. Also an easy commute to NYC.

[NewJeffCT]

32. Thanks

looks fairly promising on first look - not too small a town, pretty good schools, good location. Expensive, but not outrageous.

[LiberalEsto]

34. Check out Pines Lake

and Packanack Lake

These are developments built around lakes. A lot of my friends came from Pines Lake. I don't know if they still have sailboat races and stuff like that, but it's worth exploring. They had a very active garden club when I was a kid.

Also, there might be a real estate agent around there named Mitzi Schroeder. She's the mother of an old friend of mine from Pines Lake.

[NewJeffCT]

35. thanks

when i go online to a place like realtor.com, it doesn't really give you the option to select certains areas/subdivisions that I know of.

[LiberalEsto]

39. Try this link

http://www.google.com/base/s2?q=&hl=en&gl=us&sa=X&oi=gb_refinement&ct=title&a_n0=housing&a_y0=9&a_o0=0&a_n1=Location&a_y1=6&a_v1=wayne+nj&a_o1=0&a_n2=Property+type&a_y2=1


For example, here is a link to a home in Pines Lake:

http://www.weichert.com/search/realestate/PropertyListing.aspx?P=17616173&src=GBnj&seg=GBwayne



OMG! I just found my family's old house listed for sale!
http://homes.number1expert.com/listing.asp?HomeId=597501&P=7

My family lived there from 1968 to 1982. The original house that we lived in burned down around 1983; the new owners rebuilt it and made it much larger and nicer. I wonder if the pool is still the same. We used to look out at the George Washington Bridge from the kitchen window when we did the dishes.


Here's another Pines Lake house:

http://www.postlets.com/res/424017


Happy hunting!

[hisownpetard]

40. Don't think of Wayne unless you can swim.

[NewJeffCT]

43. why do you say that?

I know my ex-wife was from South Jersey and they'd regularly have problems with flooding down there... and, I know most homes don't have basements.

[hisownpetard]

50. Flooding galore. Big problem there.

[NewJeffCT]

52. we'll keep that in mind

thanks

[hisownpetard]

59. Ridgewood is in Bergen County (expensive) but a beautiful town with very old trees

and a great neighborhood feel to it, not far from NYC. Excellent schools. Worth a look!

I lived in Chatham (Morris County) for almost 20 years. Upscale neighborhood, looks like a movie set - all the driveways wind around into the back
of the houses, so you can live there for years and never see a neighbor. Public schools are #1 in the state (or at least they were when I lived there,
4 years ago). Not not much of a neighborhood feel to it, and a lot of Bush supporters! High taxes, too.

[NewJeffCT]

60. Thanks

yes, it is expensive. If I was able to get a similar raise to what my wife might be offered, then we might be able to swing living in Ridgewood... otherwise, no idea what we'd do.

[LiberalEsto]

44. That's just Mountain View

It certainly does get spectacular floods, but Wayne is huge, and there are plenty of areas that don't get flooding at all. And the houses in Mountain View are so small that I doubt our DU colleague would be interested.

[NewJeffCT]

45. it's still a big decision

but, thanks for all your input

[LiberalEsto]

46. Did you see the link I posted earlier?

I found a listing for my family's old address in Wayne!

[NewJeffCT]

47. that's cool

my parents have lived in the first house they ever bought since 1971 or 72. Meanwhile, my wife & I are on our 3rd house in five years and if we move to NJ, it would be four in six.

[WinkyDink]

30. Come to eastern PA. See link:

http://www.lehighvalleypa.org/

[NewJeffCT]

31. not sure how commutable that is to NYC and to Secaucus

thanks.

[LostinVA]

38. The commute sucks but a LOT of people do it

[LynneSin]

53. Does you and your wife have a timeschedule that would allow you to carpool?

I would also suggest Eastern PA and even some of Western NJ. I know the cost of gas is ridiculous but so is housing near NYC. Cost is probably even worst for the housing thing. If you two had similiar schedules your wife could drop you off a the local Metro station before she heads into your job.

[NewJeffCT]

56. as I posted below in reply to DS1

my town is considered "upscale" in the Hartford, CT area - yet, the median house price is "only" $425,000. The median home price in his old hometown of Ridgewood is $710,000, or nearly 70% higher.

[qwertyMike]

33. Nutley NJ

My late aunt lived there.
Not too far from the (?) tunnel to NY

Village atmosphere.

I loved it.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Nutley,+NJ,+United+States+of+America&sa=X&oi=map&ct=image

Mike

[soleft]

48. Yeah, Nutley is Nice. So is Maplewood but pricier

[Beetwasher]

36. I Live In Brookdale (Bloomfield) And It's Terrific!

The house right next door to me is for sale actually. Great schools, 1/2 hour from the city, lot's of conveniences nearby.

[NewJeffCT]

37. thanks

i'll have to look into it.

[Neshanic]

41. It's still a drive, but the schools are excellent, Branchburg Township, Somerset County.

There are relatively good prices in houses, 78 and 287 are nearby.

[NewJeffCT]

42. Thanks

It's nearly a 40% raise for my wife, but the cost of housing is tough to overcome without me getting a similar raise...

[Ivan Sputnik]

51. Jersey City?

You might be surprised. There are some fairly nice "undiscovered" areas. There are a few public schools and/or charter schools that are good (the minority unfortunately), including McNair Academic, said to be the best public high school in the state, but they are very competitive to get into.

[LynneSin]

54. I would look at the NJ Transit and New York Metro to find a home

If you want affordable you're gonna have to live a bit of distance from NYC. Fortunately New Jersey Transit goes right into Penn Station and the NY Metro reaches out into NJ. Commuting won't be as bad if you can take the rail into work each day. It'll save on gas, be eco-friendly and seriously cut down on travel time

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

[NewJeffCT]

57. Thanks

that was helpful!

[hisownpetard]

61. Bloomfield?

[NewJeffCT]

62. according to NJ.com

the schools there aren't very good.

[hisownpetard]

67. Oh. Well, then, I would also rule out Nutley and Belleville. They're all pretty similar

and in the same approximate area.

What about West Orange or South Orange?

[NewJeffCT]

68. final kick to see if I missed any NJ stragglers

thanks