I am about 99% sure that I will be relocating to Northern NJ in a little less than 5 months. My husband and I want to live in a City....but not NYC. We loved living in Lincoln Park in Chicago....while we lived in a city it has a neighborhood feel....everything was close and in walking distance from our highrise apartment. We are looking for a Loft or another highrise apartment style of living. I will be working in Northen NJ and my husband has yet to find a position will either be working in Northern NJ or NYC.

Any thoughts? Any Ideas? I can use all the help I can get.....while I am from Philadelphia I am not that familar with Northern NJ.

Thanks in advance!!
Diane

It's like living in NYC, but not....or something. Lotsa nightlife, some affordable apartments, and so close to NYC that it's almost as good as living there. Just jump on the PATH train that takes you under the Hudson R or battle your way through the Lincoln or Holland tunnels in your Element.

I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for, but I've always enjoyed myself there and it has that neighborhood-ish thing going for it. Probably the worst thing about it is traffic/parking but you may be lucky enough to find a place with private/off-street or garage parking and, since you seem to be the type who enjoys getting around by foot, traffic is less of an issue.

All that said, I've only ever spent time there on weekends, so I can't comment on how your daily commute to from work would be. :(

I've lived in NJ all my life and can attest that Northern NJ is one of the worst areas for parking and having a car. However, if you go out a little West you can probably find a suitable compromise between having lots of road to show off your E and not worrying about traffic/congestion.

I was looking at places to live in Northern NJ recently but settled for Edison because of cost/convenience. While Northern NJ has the convenience of being very close to NYC allowing you to take several modes of public transportation to get there, you really have to invest in a garage in order for it to be worth it.

There are some quaint towns that aren't too far away from NYC like Maplewood that you may want to consider looking into. It has a nice little community/neighborhood feel with a train station in town. There are not too many Northern NJ towns that can attest to such a cool atmosphere.

Feel free to ask any questions about living in NJ. I'm a veteran of Northern and Central NJ. I think I'm going to continue to live in NJ for quite some time too. Good luck finding a suitable place.

My girlfriend lives in Edge Water, a very clean area which is right on the Hudson with a spectacular view of NYC. Also access into the city for work is very easy there by bus or ferry. Fort Lee or North Bergen are not too bad either. You should beable to get an apartment in a high rise co-op for about $100K with an association fee that is arround $600 per month. These areas can be expensive. Also Jersey City which is becomming "Wall Street West" now. The property values have climed and I assume that they will continue to rise.

I have been looking into all the wonderful suggestions....Thank You!!! I am traveling to NJ on Wednesday for my final interviews.....and from all accounts this move is going to be happening and fast!

So.....I need to ask for a little bit more help! I am really diggin' Hoboken and similar areas.....My husband's recruiter/headhunter has told us that there are a lot of Brownstones and that have been converted or are apartments....most of the online Apartment/Rental websites do not have those type of listings (mostly just large highrise apartments) so I am in need of the names of some of the local Northern NJ newspapers in which I can look up their websites to check out their classified listings for apartments.

In Chicago they had a free newspaper that was all about social/food/entertainment.....that came out once a week and was the source for apartment classified listings in Lincoln Park and similar areas....is there anything like this in the area?

Thanks for all your help!!!

Star Ledger, Bergen Record, Daily Record, Look on www.NJO.com

I forgot to mention, you can move to Caldwell next to the Soprano's


[quote:26a315d3ee=" "]I have been looking into all the wonderful suggestions....Thank You!!! I am traveling to NJ on Wednesday for my final interviews.....and from all accounts this move is going to be happening and fast!

So.....I need to ask for a little bit more help! I am really diggin' Hoboken and similar areas.....My husband's recruiter/headhunter has told us that there are a lot of Brownstones and that have been converted or are apartments....most of the online Apartment/Rental websites do not have those type of listings (mostly just large highrise apartments) so I am in need of the names of some of the local Northern NJ newspapers in which I can look up their websites to check out their classified listings for apartments.

In Chicago they had a free newspaper that was all about social/food/entertainment.....that came out once a week and was the source for apartment classified listings in Lincoln Park and similar areas....is there anything like this in the area?

Thanks for all your help!!![/quote:26a315d3ee]

Have you tried looking at the coast? Long Branch is up and coming and you can rent a buy a place right on the beach for 300k or for that matter Red Bank right on the bank of the navasink river Your in a city but the country is 15 minutes west. Just a thought. Check it out www.redbank.com or www.longbranch.org

Wow Shane that website is great......tons of places just like I have been looking for!!!! Thanks so much for your help!!

sexyuglyfan.....how close are these places on the shore to the metropolitian NYC area? I need to get a map out of my E!!! I would love to live on the shore.....but I also don't want a wicked commute! (I will be working in Clifton, NJ).....also do Red Bank or Long Branch have a local paper? I saw a couple of For Rents on the Red Bank website....but would like to see some more! Any other towns/cities in the vacinity?

Thanks again for all the suggestions and helpful links!

Red Bank is about 1 hour from Clifton(according to mapquest), Long Branch is a bit further. That may be a bit far for you. The paper around here is Atlanticville, the Hub, or the Asbury Park Press. Check it out. Monmouth County is the fastest growing county in the country for a good reason!

http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/
http://hub.gmnews.com/
http://www.app.com/

Forgot to add. 1 hour from Manhatten. There is a train that goes directly from pen station to Middletown, Red Bank, Little Silver and Long Branch.

Okay I just found out I have the job and my first day is May 3rd......so I need to find an apt ASAP!!!! ARGH!!!! I am having a really hard time.....the websites are great.....I just don't know what areas of town are good and which are bad....I think I am going to pull my hair out!!! HELP!!!

Also, I was wondering if someone would be willing to send me the Real Estate/Apt. Rentals section from The Star Ledger this coming sunday???? I will pay for the postage and the paper and your gas to get you to and from the store, etc etc....Please let me know!!!!

Thanks again!!!!

Can't help with info, but...congrats on the job, Diane!

-brendan

Thanks Brenden!


I think we found a place to live!!!! My husband and I were a little tentetive about renting from 1,000 miles away.....so Thursday we hired an Apartment Broker via Coldwell Banker.....and by that afternoon we had a list of apartments and pictures.....one that really seems perfect for us (it has everything except a fireplace from our "dream" list) It is located in Montclair, NJ.....two blocks from resturants and bars and shopping, etc....
Can anyone tell us anything about Montclair?? Our Broker thinks it will be perfect for us....she has children our age and says that they like the atmosphere of it......she is taking pictures of the inside of the apartment for us this weekend.....so barring a decorating disater we have found a place to live!!!!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!! But any feedbak on Montclair would be greatly appreciated :)

Signed our lease and faxed it in today!!! It is official.....as of April 26th I am a Jersey Girl!!!! So if you see a EBP E with Missouri plates buzzing around wave cause it is me!!!! I am so glad I have the E....Ikea will not know what hit them!!! Anyone wanna help build some furniture...LOL :wink:

Does this mean you change your name to

Montclair Momma


:D

When my husband and I moved to Jersey, I very quickly realized that the ladies here have their own style. Coming from CT, it was culture shock. In CT, most women dress preppy/conservative. Not here! The ladies here are smart, friendly, and into having fun! Here are some pointers for being a Jersey Girl:

1. Sexy weekend outfits are de rigeur
2. Carrying on conversations with complete strangers while shopping is routine, as is making friends with the people dining next to you when you are out.
3. Smiling is the norm.

All of this holds for Monmouth county, and I'm sure many other areas where there are lot of native New Jerseyens. Welcome to Jeresy!!!!

Diane,

Welcome to NJ.

Welcome...

Montclair is a fabulous place - I've worked w/one of the theatre companies there. You've got a Whole Foods, too. :) Would love to move there myself! And despite what everyone says about Northern NJ (traffic, parking, etc. etc.) it's still one of the greatest places to live - I moved back after a brief interlude in Gettysburg PA.

Cheers!
alex

"Welcome to New Jersey."



Only on an Element board would you hear that stated w/o sarcasim.....

maybe "Welcome to NJ....now get out!"is heard a little more often.

Most of the people here in Western/Central NJ seem to be headed to PA. I love it here, but won't be able to afford/handle it much longer.

Will

I second that....great place to live but hard to afford

im a little late on this thread, but welcome to NJ!

My gf lives in upper montclair so you'll see me sometimes on Watchung Ave or Upper Mountain Ave.

See ya around!