OT: Thoughts on a Few NJ Towns

[jmc11201]

So it looks like my wife, daughter (2 and a half) and I are moving back to NJ.

We are eyeballing a few towns and would love to get some thoughts. I'll have a commute a few days a week to mid-town.

My initial search shows Ridgewood, Madison/Chatham/Summit area, and Montclair as possibilities.

Any thoughts on the above? Looking at nice downtown where my wife feels comfortable and has stuff to do, decent schools, and some rental options (ideally). I don't think we are in a big rush to buy at this point.

I know Ridgewood and Madison both have seemingly attractive downtowns and apartment options near the train.

Thoughts/alternatives?

 

[T2Kplus20]

So it looks like my wife, daughter (2 and a half) and I are moving back to NJ.

We are eyeballing a few towns and would love to get some thoughts. I'll have a commute a few days a week to mid-town.

My initial search shows Ridgewood, Madison/Chatham/Summit area, and Montclair as possibilities.

Any thoughts on the above? Looking at nice downtown where my wife feels comfortable and has stuff to do, decent schools, and some rental options (ideally). I don't think we are in a big rush to buy at this point.

I know Ridgewood and Madison both have seemingly attractive downtowns and apartment options near the train.

Thoughts/alternatives?

Montclair blows, so avoid unless you like over-the-top political group think, especially in their schools.

Madison/Chatham/Summit area is solid. Do you have a commuting preference? If you are okay with a bus, this opens up central NJ for some options.

 

[jtung230]

So it looks like my wife, daughter (2 and a half) and I are moving back to NJ.

We are eyeballing a few towns and would love to get some thoughts. I'll have a commute a few days a week to mid-town.

My initial search shows Ridgewood, Madison/Chatham/Summit area, and Montclair as possibilities.

Any thoughts on the above? Looking at nice downtown where my wife feels comfortable and has stuff to do, decent schools, and some rental options (ideally). I don't think we are in a big rush to buy at this point.

I know Ridgewood and Madison both have seemingly attractive downtowns and apartment options near the train.

Thoughts/alternatives?

If you are just renting, checkout Hoboken or Jersey City. It’ll be fun and convenient until you have to worry about schools.

 

[mdk01]

So it looks like my wife, daughter (2 and a half) and I are moving back to NJ.

We are eyeballing a few towns and would love to get some thoughts. I'll have a commute a few days a week to mid-town.

My initial search shows Ridgewood, Madison/Chatham/Summit area, and Montclair as possibilities.

Any thoughts on the above? Looking at nice downtown where my wife feels comfortable and has stuff to do, decent schools, and some rental options (ideally). I don't think we are in a big rush to buy at this point.

I know Ridgewood and Madison both have seemingly attractive downtowns and apartment options near the train.

Thoughts/alternatives?

Montclair has an attractive downtown area as well.

I think all of them have rail to the city or Hoboken.

Ridgewood has had a boom in new rental apartments in the downtown, with about 150 units opened in 2 projects in the last 2 years and anther 40 in a development under construction and nearly completed. All walking distance to the train station and 2 actually adjacent to the tracks. EXPENSIVE. Schools are excellent. In fact, I don't see a bad school system on your list.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

AVOID Montclair like the plague.

Madison is prob the best option when you factor everything

 

[BigLou]

I always put in a good word for my town, New Providence. Not as pricey as neighboring Summit & Chatham and schools are excellent. Train to Hoboken or NY Penn and bus to Port Authority. Nice center of town but not on quite the same scale as Summit, Madison or Westfield all of which are 15 minutes or less away.

 

[Phi_1055]

In Summit there are plenty of apartments and rental condos within a short walking distance to the train station. Train service to NY is convenient. The tracks fork going west of Summit so you’ll get less frequent service out there. The downtown has changed a lot over the last 15 years - less shopping, more restaurants.

 

[tom1944]

So it looks like my wife, daughter (2 and a half) and I are moving back to NJ.

We are eyeballing a few towns and would love to get some thoughts. I'll have a commute a few days a week to mid-town.

My initial search shows Ridgewood, Madison/Chatham/Summit area, and Montclair as possibilities.

Any thoughts on the above? Looking at nice downtown where my wife feels comfortable and has stuff to do, decent schools, and some rental options (ideally). I don't think we are in a big rush to buy at this point.

I know Ridgewood and Madison both have seemingly attractive downtowns and apartment options near the train.

Thoughts/alternatives?

My niece owns in Madison. The taxes are surprisingly good for New Jersey

 

[RU848789]

So it looks like my wife, daughter (2 and a half) and I are moving back to NJ.

We are eyeballing a few towns and would love to get some thoughts. I'll have a commute a few days a week to mid-town.

My initial search shows Ridgewood, Madison/Chatham/Summit area, and Montclair as possibilities.

Any thoughts on the above? Looking at nice downtown where my wife feels comfortable and has stuff to do, decent schools, and some rental options (ideally). I don't think we are in a big rush to buy at this point.

I know Ridgewood and Madison both have seemingly attractive downtowns and apartment options near the train.

Thoughts/alternatives?

Ignore the idiots denigrating Montclair. It's a great town with great restaurants, a vibrant arts scene, interesting shopping, and more. The rest of your choices also look good, so hard to go wrong. Also, if you want a location that is still pretty nice with a downtown and good schools (but not quite as nice as the towns you've listed), consider Metuchen, as it's also a lot cheaper and it's only 10-15 minutes from NB/RU if that matters to you (it did to me) and about the same train commuting time to Penn Station.

 

[Howie!975]

Madison and Chatham are beautiful towns. I would also suggest Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn area. They all have good schools, interesting downtowns and are on the train line.

 

[T2Kplus20]

FYI - definitely avoid Metuchen. It's a donut town in the middle of Edison, which is a dump, and for some reason gets WAY MORE snow than any other place in NJ. Or at least the local "trained spotter" claims so.

 

[ouchmyknee]

Don’t sleep on Atlantic Highlands/Middletown. Easy commute into the city via ferry. And you get everything you mentioned plus the beach in the summer.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Rahway up and coming and much less expensive than the People’s Republic of Montclair.

 

[tom1944]

Rahway up and coming and much less expensive

You believe someone should consider Rahway over Montclair?

 

[tom1944]

Ignore the idiots denigrating Montclair. It's a great town with great restaurants, a vibrant arts scene, interesting shopping, and more. The rest of your choices also look good, so hard to go wrong. Also, if you want a location that is still pretty nice with a downtown and good schools (but not quite as nice as the towns you've listed), consider Metuchen, as it's also a lot cheaper and it's only 10-15 minutes from NB/RU if that matters to you (it did to me) and about the same train commuting time to Penn Station.

Do you know what the rental cost is for the apartment building in downtown?

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

FYI - definitely avoid Metuchen. It's a donut town in the middle of Edison, which is a dump, and for some reason gets WAY MORE snow than any other place in NJ. Or at least the local "trained spotter" claims so.

Def a snoozefest

 

[CranfordKnight]

Lots of new apartments here in Cranford, which has very good schools and a lively downtown, in addition to close proximity to Westfield. It's right on the Raritan Valley Line, although you do have to transfer trains in Newark.

 

[RU848789]

FYI - definitely avoid Metuchen. It's a donut town in the middle of Edison, which is a dump, and for some reason gets WAY MORE snow than any other place in NJ. Or at least the local "trained spotter" claims so.

Hey, at least we have a NEC train station, quick access to the TPK, 287, and Parkway, and a nice downtown, while Montgomery has...no trains, no highways (except the 206 parking lot), larger tracts of land and strip malls - nice.

 

[RU848789]

Do you know what the rental cost is for the apartment building in downtown?

Guessing you're asking about Woodmont, which is quite nice with a great downtown location, but not cheap at all, with rates from $2500/mo to $5000/mo.

https://www.apartments.com/woodmont-metro-at-metuchen-station-metuchen-nj/wpwxx1l/

 

[RU848789]

Lots of new apartments here in Cranford, which has very good schools and a lively downtown, in addition to close proximity to Westfield. It's right on the Raritan Valley Line, although you do have to transfer trains in Newark.

We enjoy both Cranford and Westfield too - so many great small towns in NJ...

 

[T2Kplus20]

Hey, at least we have a NEC train station, quick access to the TPK, 287, and Parkway, and a nice downtown, while Montgomery has...no trains, no highways (except the 206 parking lot), larger tracts of land and strip malls - nice.

Thank God we don't have any of that crap! And we have 30+ years of leaders that worked hard to keep it so. The heart of our community is our school district - 5 schools surrounded by 1,000 acres of preserved open space.

A true balance between suburban and rural, especially for central NJ. :)

Monty #1
Metuchen #132

NJ's Best Towns for Families 2019 - The List - NJ Family

New Jersey's Best Towns for Families 2015 - the complete ranked list.

www.njfamily.com

 

[mdk01]

Thank God we don't have any of that crap! And we have 30+ years of leaders that worked hard to keep it so. The heart of our community is our school district - 5 schools surrounded by 1,000 acres of preserved open space.

A true balance between suburban and rural, especially for central NJ. :)

Monty #1
Metuchen #132

NJ's Best Towns for Families 2019 - The List - NJ Family

New Jersey's Best Towns for Families 2015 - the complete ranked list.

www.njfamily.com

Forgot about Glen Rock, #2 on that list. Excellent schools, 1 stop closer to Hob, NYC via train, a little less expensive and a 2 minute drive to Ridgewood restaurants.

 

[rufeelinit]

We enjoy both Cranford and Westfield too - so many great small towns in NJ...

I will put in a plug for Cranford as well. Although they are overdoing with the number of apartments downtown and elsewhere which leads to more congestion on north and south avenues. Having to connect in Newark is not great but overall a solid town. Madison, summit and Westfield also nice.

 

[RU848789]

Thank God we don't have any of that crap! And we have 30+ years of leaders that worked hard to keep it so. The heart of our community is our school district - 5 schools surrounded by 1,000 acres of preserved open space.

A true balance between suburban and rural, especially for central NJ. :)

Monty #1
Metuchen #132

NJ's Best Towns for Families 2019 - The List - NJ Family

New Jersey's Best Towns for Families 2015 - the complete ranked list.

www.njfamily.com

NJ Family, lol - the ratings are fine if you're a mom. Been to Monty many times and it's a nice enough place (FIL lived at Stonebridge), but I'll take Metuchen every time.

 

[T2Kplus20]

NJ Family, lol - the ratings are fine if you're a mom. Been to Monty many times and it's a nice enough place (FIL lived at Stonebridge), but I'll take Metuchen every time.

Metuchen is the definition of meh. Just the "nice" section of Edison. I grew up in EB, so I know the entire area well. Monty is most beautiful in the spring. Wait a month and it will be in full green. The parks, the open space, the farms, the streams, the new retail, and the soon to be open new municipal complex and flagship library for the Somerset County Library system. That last project took 6 years of planning and 2 years of doing! Throw in the remarkable amount of history here and it's as perfect as NJ can be.

You get that off the beaten road feel without being off the beaten road! :)

 

[goru1869]

Ignore the idiots denigrating Montclair. It's a great town with great restaurants, a vibrant arts scene, interesting shopping, and more. The rest of your choices also look good, so hard to go wrong. Also, if you want a location that is still pretty nice with a downtown and good schools (but not quite as nice as the towns you've listed), consider Metuchen, as it's also a lot cheaper and it's only 10-15 minutes from NB/RU if that matters to you (it did to me) and about the same train commuting time to Penn Station.

I challenge you to post something without name calling like a 5 year old.

 

[T2Kplus20]

I challenge you to post something without name calling like a 5 year old.

As he approaches Medicare age, he is getting more and more cranky. :)

 

[RutgersDom]

AVOID Montclair like the plague.

Madison is prob the best option when you factor everything

I live in Chatham and would recommend highly but if I were to move now I would pick Madison. Much better downtown.

 

[anvilofstars]

Not what you asked but I would also consider some towns in Monmouth county. Nicer towns in general with more space and if you are closer to Red Bank you have a really decent downtown close by. What you get in addition is proximity to beaches and parks during the summer and probably much lower rent or more space.

would likely mean you have to take the bus, but you could also get to metro park in under 25 mins if you felt trains are that much better (bus would be 1 hour to Port Authority) and then you would have to consider additional commute time from there to your office.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

I live in Chatham and would recommend highly but if I were to move now I would pick Madison. Much better downtown.

How’s that new bar on the side street in Madison?

I drive by it a few weeks ago

 

[jmc11201]

Montclair blows, so avoid unless you like over-the-top political group think, especially in their schools.

Madison/Chatham/Summit area is solid. Do you have a commuting preference? If you are okay with a bus, this opens up central NJ for some options.

Is the bus a reasonable alternative? I know the train isn't the most reliable, but I have nightmares thinking about sitting in traffic while on the bus. We have 8 am meetings, so I need to be at Penn Station or Port Authority by 7:30 at the latest. Office is 50th and Broadway.

 

[T2Kplus20]

Is the bus a reasonable alternative? I know the train isn't the most reliable, but I have nightmares thinking about sitting in traffic while on the bus. We have 8 am meetings, so I need to be at Penn Station or Port Authority by 7:30 at the latest. Office is 50th and Broadway.

One of my good friends takes the bus from the Cranbury/South Brunswick park and ride on 130, near NJT exit 8a. There is a 6:30am bus that get to the PA at 7:30am. He has taken this bus for years, but I'm not sure how COVID has altered the schedule:

http://web.coachusa.com/CoachUsaAssets/files/99/route300.pdf

There is also a big park and ride in East Brunswick, near NJT exit 9.

 

[Knight Shift]

Ignore the idiots denigrating Montclair. It's a great town with great restaurants, a vibrant arts scene, interesting shopping, and more. The rest of your choices also look good, so hard to go wrong. Also, if you want a location that is still pretty nice with a downtown and good schools (but not quite as nice as the towns you've listed), consider Metuchen, as it's also a lot cheaper and it's only 10-15 minutes from NB/RU if that matters to you (it did to me) and about the same train commuting time to Penn Station.

You forgot to mention that Metuchen has an average snowfall double that the rest of the Garden State, or at least a small segment of Metuchen. We have posts by you to back this up.

 

[jmc11201]

Don’t sleep on Atlantic Highlands/Middletown. Easy commute into the city via ferry. And you get everything you mentioned plus the beach in the summer.

Grew up in Middletown and would be open to the Monmouth County area if not for my job being in midtown. Feels like that would be a pretty tough grind from Middletown, but I do love the area.

 

[jmc11201]

Rahway up and coming and much less expensive than the People’s Republic of Montclair.

My first thought seeing Rahway was 'C'mon...you can't be serious'. Did a Google streetview and it looks surprisingly nice. I just associate the town with the prison, which is a tough thing for me to overcome.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

My first thought seeing Rahway was 'C'mon...you can't be serious'. Did a Google streetview and it looks surprisingly nice. I just associate the town with the prison, which is a tough thing for me to overcome.

Then don’t move to Avenel. 😉

 

[jmc11201]

Lots of new apartments here in Cranford, which has very good schools and a lively downtown, in addition to close proximity to Westfield. It's right on the Raritan Valley Line, although you do have to transfer trains in Newark.

I've literally never been to Cranford. Also looks nice on Google. Is it walkable and low-key or pretty vibrant? I think we are looking for something in-between, that is comfortable, has stuff goin on, but is not too busy, particularly if we can live downtown. We are in our early 40s...so no longer looking to stay out all night.

 

[Knight Shift]

Grew up in Middletown and would be open to the Monmouth County area if not for my job being in midtown. Feels like that would be a pretty tough grind from Middletown, but I do love the area.

Downtown is doable from that area. Lived in Rumson for 12 years, and lots of Wall Street people lived in town. Getting to midtown is difficult. Did several years of taking the ferry and schlepping up to Memorial Sloan Kettering--for once in a while appointments, it was not that bad. For regular commuting--forget it.

My first thought seeing Rahway was 'C'mon...you can't be serious'. Did a Google streetview and it looks surprisingly nice. I just associate the town with the prison, which is a tough thing for me to overcome.

@RU848789 is on point with Metuchen. The train line that runs from Trenton to Penn Station NY (North East Corridor) is the best train line into NYC. The train ride from Metuchen to Penn Station NYC is 41 minutes. I think for Montclair, it's close to an hour and a change of trains (I think).
Personally, would avoid Rahway.

 

[imoapie]

Is the bus a reasonable alternative? I know the train isn't the most reliable, but I have nightmares thinking about sitting in traffic while on the bus. We have 8 am meetings, so I need to be at Penn Station or Port Authority by 7:30 at the latest. Office is 50th and Broadway.

Actually yes, the bus works well, ESPECIALLY if you are going in early. I have been taking the bus for a better part of 12 years minus COVID. See the bus has its own lane in the morning so you breeze right in. Afternoon can be a bit of hit or miss but its been decent as everyone gets back. For reference I commute from Glen Rock to 50th a Bway (you in the paramount plaza?) and it takes 40 min on the bus + 10min on each side leaving at 7:30am and 5:50pm.

 

[fsg2]

"Best town" threads are second only to snow forecasts on the list of entertaining TKR shtshows.