Where can one LIVE (NJT-NYP commuting options)

Coming from a smaller city and reading the train schedules and hearing about the NJT station parking situation, I'm discouraged about possibly working in Midtown NYC

Suppose I want to live w/i 45 - 60 min of Penn Station via NJT and don't want to spend more than 600 K for a 4 bdrm/2 bath house -- safe neighborhood, good schools. Suppose also that I want to be able to park at the train station?

Am I dreaming or does such an arrangement actually exist?

(I'm starting to fear that for all practical purposes, so far as a family man thinking of working in Midtown, who is of modest means and has kids and actually wants to see them is concerned, metro NY is essentially sold out -- yep, out of business, out of the question. Please tell me I'm wrong because I like the prospective company.)

I grew up in Hazlet, and I can tell you that there are plenty of nice neighborhoods within easy walking distance to the train station there, and in Middletown as well. Middletown is expensive, though...that's where the rich people live!

Ted_Marx wrote:Coming from a smaller city and reading the train schedules and hearing about the NJT station parking situation, I'm discouraged about possibly working in Midtown NYC

Suppose I want to live w/i 45 - 60 min of Penn Station via NJT and don't want to spend more than 600 K for a 4 bdrm/2 bath house -- safe neighborhood, good schools. Suppose also that I want to be able to park at the train station?

Am I dreaming or does such an arrangement actually exist?

(I'm starting to fear that for all practical purposes, so far as a family man thinking of working in Midtown, who is of modest means and has kids and actually wants to see them is concerned, metro NY is essentially sold out -- yep, out of business, out of the question. Please tell me I'm wrong because I like the prospective company.)

Let's see. Off the Main/Bergen/PV lines:

You can try Rutherford, Fair Lawn, New Milford and River Edge. River Edge kids go to school w/Oradell kids, schools are good there.

Elsewhere

Maybe try Cedar Grove and park at the new MSU park & ride which is going up. CG schools should be better than Passaic Valley (i.e. Little Falls).

Good luck.

Middletown is expensive, though...that's where the rich people live!

TRUST me, not all of Middletown is rich!!! hahhaha

Parts of Middletown is getting relatively expensive, as is all of the Monmouth/Ocean county area - but other parts of Middletown aren't too bad....Belford, Port Monmouth, Leonardo, Hillside, New Monmouth, etc

But there is still Marlboro, Tinton Falls, Howell, Freehold Twsp, Red Bank, Atlantic Highlands.

Don't forget out towards Princeton Jct area - W. Windsor, Hightstown, etc - all popular places, but PJ does have a parking problem

I don't know anything about the permits or waiting lists of stations on the Coast Line, but Middletown is 5 dollars a day (ouch) but Red Bank is only 2 dollars a day, and free after 11am. Ive never had a problem finding a parking spot in either Red Bank or Middletown's daily lots

Suffern's about the limit of your distance from Penn Station on the Main/Bergen lines. It's certainly possible to get a house as you described in the Suffern area. If you get a house in the Village of Suffern, you will be guaranteed of a parking space for about $20-$25 per month. Even nonresidents can still park at Suffern's lots. The new Ramsey park-ride will provide lots of parking.

ALL, many thanks, off to realtor.com to check house prices in the towns you've noted . .

30 year fixed rates shot up 0.25% today and 0.50% since 2 weeks ago. Can get ugly if they rise more. Today's jump really altered the scope of my buying plans.

Well, growing up in Berkeley Heights, I can say it is a great town with great schools. It is a very safe town. It takes about 50-60 minutes to get into NY from there. Some of the houses are quite expensive in BH but you probably would find what you are looking for there.

The Gladstone Branch has two MidTown Direct trains out in the morning and two in in the evening. Of course, you can always just take a Hoboken train to Summit and switch there for service to NY via MidTown Direct Service to/from Dover at other times during the day. Switching at Summit is usually a very quick and easy thing. The fastest way though would be the Gladstone MidTown.

And weekend service is quite good too. You have trains every hour to and from Hoboken (direct service) and NYP (by switching at Summit.)

I guess I'm partial to Denville... I know there are many limitations, but I know of a house ON THE TRACKS!!! and walking distance to the Mt. Tabor Station (actually the train stops in front of the house)!
I have never looked into the house myself, but I live about a 1/4 mi. away...
http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeLis ... ksrc=00002
I've been told the lot is narrow, follows down the tracks.

I'd never tell you to buy this one, but I thought I'd put it out there... only 3 Bedroom. Schools are good.

I suggest Highland Park, in Middlesex county. It is located next to New Brunswick, and is in between Edison and New Brunswick Stations on the NEC. The commute by NJT to NYC is about 45 minutes to an hour. NB station is well withen walking distance. Due to the proximity to NB,and Rutgers, there is a very diverse population in the area. Even though HP is literally across the Raritan River from NB, there is low crime, and good schools (But hey, I guess I'm partial, HPHS class of '07 here). Average price of a house in HP is about 300-400k matching your criteria. Plus, there is a true downtown, with family owned shops, and not like a town where the center of commerce is a mall. Only problem, is the taxes (the schools receive 80% of funding through property tax. Taxes rise because there is little unused land in Highland Park that isn't eaither a house, a park, or is just unusable because of the terrain). So overall, I would say HP is a pretty good town to live in, matching your criteria, and is really simple to commute to NYC from.

Heres the link to realtor.com of some houses you might be interested in: http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeLis ... s&zp=08904

West Windsor near Princeton.

Glen Ridge is no slum either.

If I were you, I'd try to find a town that has bus service to the train station. Many have NJT buses to the stations, some of them have private jitney service. Also, I'm going against my railfan code of conduct here, but there are also towns with bus service to Manhattan. Shortline, Martz, DeCamp, Lakeland, Greyhound, NJT, and so many more offer bus service to multiple Manhattan locations(I know Shortline runs down the east side, with a stop at GCT)

Springfield, where I grew up, is a good choice. It doesn't have it's own NJT station (its served by NJT bus), but several surrounding towns do: Summit, Short Hills, & Millburn on the Morris & Essex lines, and Westfield, Cranford, or Union on the Raritan Valley line. The town is middle class/upper middle class, and a 4BR 2BA house goes for between 400K and 600K. If you want a slightly more upscale town, nearby Mountainside leans toward the upper end of that price range.

Come to Nanuet, NY my friend!

A nice 4 BR/2B home will cost you around $450-500K. The ride on the Pascack Valley Line from Nanuet to PS, via Secaucus, is roughly an hour to an 1:15. Here's a big plus...Nanuet right now has about 1,000 parking spots (with more currently under construction), and parking is FREE!

There are a number of very nice towns within 15 minutes of Nanuet as well (Pearl River, which also is on the PVL), New City, West Nyack, etc.).