Might be moving from JC Advice please!

[Tallday 10]

Hi all,

My wife and I have been thinking of moving out of Jersey City to the burbs. We have an  8 year old girl and have her education on the top of the list and the commute into lower Manhattan for work second. We have had her in private school and would like to keep her in one. Nothing wrong with public schools but we just want private.  Any help or experience would be great.. 

[magnawing 5]

PA has private schools and it's not that much more of a commute...you can catch a Trans-Bridge bus in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and a number of other locations that will drop you off at Port Authority in NYC.

[Tallday 10]

PA has private schools and it's not that much more of a commute...you can catch a Trans-Bridge bus in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and a number of other locations that will drop you off at Port Authority in NYC.

thanks but she will not move out of state.. I would love PA but she wants a 40 to 60min ride into lower Manhattan.

[Melgamatic 66]

PA has private schools and it's not that much more of a commute.

 

Ha, that's pretty good.  

 

You can live pretty far out into the suburbs of NJ and get into lower NYC in less than 45 minutes.  It's more than an hour more if you want to live in the very closest parts of PA.  Commuting from PA into NYC is absolute hell, and you will hate your life.

 

I drive to Liberty State Park every morning.  Takes 25 minutes from Rt 78 around exit 40.  Parking is $7.  Take the $5 ferry to World Financial Center / WTC in around 12 minutes.  On a good morning I leave the house at 6:30am and I'm at my desk by 7:20am.  Going home about the same.

 

Move to PA for many reasons, but commuting into NYC from there is nuts.

[magnawing 5]

I used to take the bus from Clinton...50 minutes door to door...Lower taxes, cleaner air, better gun laws, better living conditions if you get in the right area....it may be a hard sell but you can do it if you beg enough...

[boo 6]

Whatever you do, be careful of places that require taking a bus to Port Authority. That commute has been a nightmare for the past couple years with stupid long lines and waits during the evening rush hour. Of course the problem with trains are that they put you in Penn Station, and you'll still have to take the trip downtown. You could also target train commutes that take you to Hoboken, and from there transfer to Path or ferry.

[Duppie 73]

East Brunswick,Monroe is where I moved to after JC.Commuting by bus is approximately 40 minutes to an hour under the best of circumstances and I regularly make it into Chinatown in less if I'm driving in.

School system are good with lots of accredited Montessori  and faith based schools to choose from.... taxes however are high.

[diamondd817 827]

Hanover Township (Whippany/cedar knolls). Right in the crossroads of 287/80/46/280/10/24-78(combo). Approx 30mls to all Hudson river crossings. Park and ride right on 46@ Beverwick rd. Low taxes, great properties, quite town. Schools are top notch. Any and all shopping right on rt 10. Top of the line hospitals and doctors right next door in Morristown.

[Iggyort 44]

PM sent

[cigarsnscotch 0]

Low taxes in NJ = oxymoron. Relative I guess.

[Tallday 10]

Hanover Township (Whippany/cedar knolls). Right in the crossroads of 287/80/46/280/10/24-78(combo). Approx 30mls to all Hudson river crossings. Park and ride right on 46@ Beverwick rd. Low taxes, great properties, quite town. Schools are top notch. Any and all shopping right on rt 10. Top of the line hospitals and doctors right next door in Morristown.

nice will look into schools in the area 

[NJdiverTony 27]

Hunterdon County, specifically the Clinton area is excellent.  I know I'm biased, since I live in this area, but I truy feel it is the THE best part of NJ.  Easy bus commuting to Manhattan, beautiful area, clean, good people, plenty of options for gun clubs/ranges around and most importantly the public school system is one of the best in the state.  When I drive around the area sometimes, I almost forget that I'm in NJ.

 

You also get a lot more for your money in this area, property wise... more house, more land, etc.

[Old Dog 19]

Before I fled NJ, I used to live in Old Bridge and commuted to NYC daily. There are express buses and trains close by. It is a nice town to live in and is home to a good gun club.

[gleninjersey 2,141]

Your asking the wrong question or at least getting the wrong answers. If your main concern is a good, quality private school for your daughter then you should look for a such a school first. Then you can locate a home in a nearby town that is close to the school and is within a reasonable commute into NYC.

 

Find the school first, then the town. Years ago my sister inlaw went to Saint James in Basking Ridge. It is a Catholic school (pre-K to 8th grade). Small classes. Her parents looked at a lot of schools before choosing Saint James.

 

It is located in a very nice town. If those towns are out of your reach there are several other towns nearby that are less expensive. Many have train stations in town or close by or are along bus routes or are near I-78 is you want to drive and park and then commute.

 

Good luck.

[Tallday 10]

anyone ever live in or near Montclair the wife seems to keep bringing that place up? and can anyone explain the drastic gap in housing prices within a block or two? 

 

 

I like the idea of Old bridge but need to look into the schools.

[diamondd817 827]

and can anyone explain the drastic gap in housing prices within a block or two?

There is a good reason for that.

 

Let's just say you wouldn't want to send your kids to public school there.

 

If your not looking in the 800K+ range, you won't be in the "good" part of Montclair.

 

Montclair is a haven for NYC transplants. For most of them it's a step up. I am from that area and know it well. There are some nice sections of Montclair for sure, the biggest problem is what it borders.

 

Go a little further. Don't start looking until you hit Caldwell.

 

Caldwell, West Caldwell, Essex Fells, Roseland, Fairfield, East Hanover, Hanover, Florham Park, Mountain Lakes, Montville, Pine Brook.

 

Well off? Summit (Jim Cramer lives here), Madison, Chatham, Mendham (Gov Christie lives in Mendham).

 

 

Use http://www.gsmls.com to look at some houses.

 

http://WWW.epodunk.com for demographic research.

[HBecwithFn7 296]

Whatever you do, be careful of places that require taking a bus to Port Authority. That commute has been a nightmare for the past couple years with stupid long lines and waits during the evening rush hour. Of course the problem with trains are that they put you in Penn Station, and you'll still have to take the trip downtown. You could also target train commutes that take you to Hoboken, and from there transfer to Path or ferry.

 

Boo is correct. I did that commute by train for 8 years, either to Hoboken or NY Penn. If you work hard, you can figure out ways to ease it. It really doesn't matter how far out you go (except for time), since the huge rush is in the stations themselves. Hoboken isn't really all that bad, but you either have to take PATH or NY Waterway Ferry (which isn't bad, especially in the spring/summer). But you have to be able to walk to the ferry terminal near the World Financial Center (if downtown).

 

NY Penn is a zoo, any time of the year, but especially during evening rush hour, which starts progressively earlier in the summer months on Fridays. It's OK after 7-8p, but that would get you home very late.   It's all up to you.

 

I did *not* do Port Authority Bus Terminal for commuting, but I have done it for other things. I'd definitely avoid that if at all possible. One never knows what kind of traffic jams there will be at each tunnel entrance. The few times I had to go through the Holland Tunnel, it was pretty bad.  The Lincoln is much worse, I think.

[diamondd817 827]

What is your price range?

[W2MC 1,699]

I think the question is more what you want to put up with and what your position in NYC will allow.

 

My father commuted to mid-town Manhaten for many many years from South Jersey. There is a steady stream of non-stop busses leaving from various locations all around South Jersey, for the hour and a half run to the Port Authority.

[Tallday 10]

What is your price range?

300,000-550,000 with the additional cost of school in mind. its a tuff nut to crack we are looking for it all under a budget.  we should be able to pull some money out of our Condo in JC if it sells. 

[diamondd817 827]

If you want to be closer to the city then Montclair and in a better neighborhood then Montclair, look in Rutherford, East Rutherford, Nutley, Wood-Ridge, and Hasbrouck Heights. But you will most likely be limited to 40x100 and 50x100 lots.

 

If you want a bigger lot look to Caldwell and further.

[302w 83]

Am I the only one who has the opinion that private schools are worse than public schools? 

 

I grew up in the hood, and it always seemed like the rich kids were into a lot more bad stuff than we were. Catholic high schools were the worst.

[Tallday 10]

If you want to be closer to the city then Montclair and in a better neighborhood then Montclair, look in Rutherford, East Rutherford, Nutley, Wood-Ridge, and Hasbrouck Heights. But you will most likely be limited to 40x100 and 50x100 lots.

 

If you want a bigger lot look to Caldwell and further.

thanks

[Taipan 0]

I'm a real estate attorney in Westfield.   I often have clients moving from the Hoboken/Jersey City area to the Westfield/Cranford/Scotch Plains vicinity.  Mostly young married couples when their first child becomes school age.    The public schools in the area are very good and there are many private schools to choose from in all price ranges, from parochial schools to the more elite (expensive) schools.   These towns are along the Raritan Valley train line.     Feel free to send a message if you'd like more info or if you need a referral to a good real estate agent.

[HBecwithFn7 296]

Am I the only one who has the opinion that private schools are worse than public schools? 

 

I grew up in the hood, and it always seemed like the rich kids were into a lot more bad stuff than we were. Catholic high schools were the worst.

 

Because they had the money!!!  I did both (mostly public, except for the last two years). Private School kids had a lot more disposable $$$ for drugs, etc. But the education was definitely better.

[carl_g 568]

Come to short hills. Great school system.

[mustang69 505]

I haven't seen Somerset County mentioned.  In your price range look at Bridgewater/Somerville/Branchburg area.  Some nice private schools, though the public ones are ok.  Not a solicitation - I have my Real Estate license because I own a bunch of rentals - just about anywhere in Jersey along a train line is commutable into the city.  Grab an NJTransit map, look at the Raritan Valley and Peapack/Gladstone lines and you'll find some towns along the way. Or you can drive to Liberty State Park and take the light rail to the PATH, or drive to the Newport Mall, park in  the garage and walk to the PATH.  I did it for two years and it wasn't horrible.  Also, besides looking at purchase prices you really need to factor in the real estate taxes.  There is a wide swing in tax rates based on town/county.

[HBecwithFn7 296]

I haven't seen Somerset County mentioned.  In your price range look at Bridgewater/Somerville/Branchburg area.  Some nice private schools, though the public ones are ok.  Not a solicitation - I have my Real Estate license because I own a bunch of rentals - just about anywhere in Jersey along a train line is commutable into the city.  Grab an NJTransit map, look at the Raritan Valley and Peapack/Gladstone lines and you'll find some towns along the way. Or you can drive to Liberty State Park and take the light rail to the PATH, or drive to the Newport Mall, park in  the garage and walk to the PATH.  I did it for two years and it wasn't horrible.  Also, besides looking at purchase prices you really need to factor in the real estate taxes.  There is a wide swing in tax rates based on town/county.

 

Them, or Hunterdon.

[pbkid6974 1]

Hunterdon is where I grew up. Nice place for being in jersey. You could look in the hopewell/pennington area as well the pennington school is a nice private school from what I understand. I know a few people that went there.

[tommy3rd 132]

Clifton...the valley section bordering little falls/montclair. 20 mins to manhattan (depending on the traffic) and has a private (blue ribbon) prep school. Taxes around 8k, Pistol permits around 30-40 days, 5 mins from gun for hire range...what more do you want? lol