Seeking advice on where to move to in Jersey...

StayHydrated

Swedish Chef
As a side note, if anyone has a friends/family that are postal workers in northern nj, any feedback from them on their office would help me out. Each office is its own animal, and some are worse than others (has nothing to do with how nice or not nice an area is). It's hard for me to get input on areas I rarely visit.
Move to Morris Plains and replace my mailman. Dude is ornery as hell and destroys my mail when he puts it in the box. Cards, sentimental family documents, medical records - you name it, he's jammed it into the box and shut the door on it, ripping it.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
Even with the Watchung disaster I'd recommend some Union County towns south of Rt.22, @fidodie already mentioned those north of it.

Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Westfield, Cranford, Garwood

They all have a nice downtown feel and Westfield even has a Trader Joe's
All have train service into the city and two bus lines as well.
I grew up in Fanwood and my mom worked in the city, door to door to lower Manhattan on the 113 bus was about 80mins.

Taxes are a bit higher in Union County but so will most towns close to NYC.
Rental inventory is very high at the moment. My realtor tells me it's because of the millennials. Check larger towns like Summit, Cranford and Westfield if you what to first rent and see if NJ works for the two of you.
 

ReverendNewman

Active Member
My wife and I are beginning to tire of our increasingly bleak future regarding NYC real estate, and thinking of making the migration to the garden state. Although I'm in jersey often, mostly it's just the ride to the ride. Whether it's driving to Ringwood or Allaire or a cross race, I don't have a lot of time actually spent in the many towns I've driven through. So I'm interested in any suggestions of towns that might appeal to a cyclist who wants a yard for his dog. My wife will have to commute to union square so unfortunately we can't go too far into the sticks, and I'll have to drive to work in Brooklyn for the time being. We don't have kids so schools don't matter. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm asking here because I respect the viewpoints of other grownups who choose to hurt themselves on bikes in the woods.

My advice is don't. Why would u? LOL
 

ReverendNewman

Active Member
Dover is great for commuting options and is close to many northern parks.

Plus, you will never run out of Spanish restaurant options.

If you don't want a McMansion and 5 plus acres of grass to cut, there are many nice homes in Dover near the Randolph border.
Ugh, Dover? Going east on Rt. 80 in the AM. Again, ugh. Northern Monmouth County. U can take the train right at the Aberdeen/Matawan station. And u r still close to some good riding. Allaire, Six Mile Run, Hartshorne, etc.
 

ReverendNewman

Active Member
Move to Morris Plains and replace my mailman. Dude is ornery as hell and destroys my mail when he puts it in the box. Cards, sentimental family documents, medical records - you name it, he's jammed it into the box and shut the door on it, ripping it.

That's a federal offense. Report him.
 

MissJR

not in the mood for your shenanigans
Team MTBNJ Halter's
i think you need to be honest with how long of a commute you're willing to do... and then draw a circle to figure out what towns are within your commuting threshold. i love morristown: midtown and hoboken direct trains, right near major highways, lots of road rides out of the area, minutes from Lew Mo and within a reasonable drive to many other trails, and Macho Nacho of course... but it is at my max travel time on NJ Transit and it does start to grind me down... especially since NJT doesn't have the best track record.
 

Jmann

Never gonna let you down.
Move to Morris Plains and replace my mailman. Dude is ornery as hell and destroys my mail when he puts it in the box. Cards, sentimental family documents, medical records - you name it, he's jammed it into the box and shut the door on it, ripping it.
Sounds like he's following protocol correctly....
 

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thegock

Well-Known Member
Even with the Watchung disaster I'd recommend some Union County towns south of Rt.22, @fidodie already mentioned those north of it.

Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Westfield, Cranford, Garwood

They all have a nice downtown feel and Westfield even has a Trader Joe's
All have train service into the city and two bus lines as well.
I grew up in Fanwood and my mom worked in the city, door to door to lower Manhattan on the 113 bus was about 80mins.


The 113 runs to the PABT in about 40 minutes from Westfield, best case at 6:45am based on 888 iterations over the years and pretty consistent. Most of midtown, at my desk in under an hour.

Downtown via NJT to EWR and PATH to WTC is usually 58 minutes leaving the same time.

The only catch is it takes years to get access to the commuter parking lot at the train station. There are magyver workarounds, doe.

Robust MTB community in the area. Good trails a couple miles north.
 
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qclabrat

Well-Known Member
The problem with all those towns listed is that there is no midtown direct service. Add a NJT Transfer Factor into any commute time. It's like playing chutes and ladders, but with no ladders.
I think midtown direct is overrated unless you worked up that ways, I worked over by UN for a few years and walking there from either Penn or the PABT and I was often a sweaty mess in a suit. Also commuted to NYU when I went there for graduate school and liked the convenience of the transfer to the PATH from Newark, which pretty much put at the front door. His wife works in Union Square, and there's a PATH station nearby. I'd rather take the PATH than go downtown on the yellow line.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
The 113 runs to the PABT in about 40 minutes from Westfield, best case at 6:45am based on 888 iterations over the years and pretty consistent. Most of midtown, at my desk in under an hour.

Downtown via NJT to EWR and PATH to WTC is usually 58 minutes leaving the same time.

The only catch is it takes years to get access to the commuter parking lot at the train station. There are magyver workarounds, doe.

Robust MTB community in the area. Good trails a couple miles north.

The 113 went right past our house on Midway so parking was never an issue
Fanwood is becoming a town for new families who can't afford Westfield, the prices of the homes just south of the station are getting hot, as they are close to the station and the revitalized downtown
 

Jmann

Never gonna let you down.
Just to update, we are in contract on a home in orange on the south orange line. Not exactly ride out of the house to singletrack, but seems pretty central, a lot of options 30-45 minutes away. And the road riding seems decent. Close to south mountain.
Soon I will have a garage bigger than my current apartment.
 

Jmann

Never gonna let you down.
Resurrecting this thread, after three years we are in contract on our house (after only three days on the market, crazy). We made a good decision as we loved our house, but life has changed and we are looking to downsize. Also a red hot real estate market doesn’t hurt. Likely moving further up the Hudson.
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
Resurrecting this thread, after three years we are in contract on our house (after only three days on the market, crazy). We made a good decision as we loved our house, but life has changed and we are looking to downsize. Also a red hot real estate market doesn’t hurt. Likely moving further up the Hudson.

maybe more towards the Delaware?

sticking with house or is a condo a possibility?
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Easton PA area is right on I-78 (direct route to NYC commuting options, the taxes are a fraction of NYC and NJ and you have access to all sorts of riding options, both road and mtb.
 

Jmann

Never gonna let you down.
Get an old house in Sloatsburg. Harriman is your backyard. Just don't speed.
We looked at a house a few years ago that bordered Harriman. That would have been neat. We aren’t looking to buy anytime soon though.
 
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