Hanover/Whippany (Livingston, Morristown, Morris Plains: homes, employment, buy)

[RUskoolie]

Anyone have any good details about these towns? I understand Whippany Park HS is a top 50 school and the taxes are moderately low. I am having trouble finding selling points of the towns though. I know they are located next to Morristown (which is good for entertainment purposes). There is a gymnastics center in Cedar Knolls. No main street. 24/287 run through it which is nice and it isn't far from 80/280, but what else is there? Any help and detail would be appreciated.

[andrew.mensch]

1. Good employment due to lots of corporate HQs nearby (Avis, Realogy, Novartis, AT&T, Honeywell, Colgate-Palmolive, Pfizer, ExxonMobil, Novartis, BASF, Verizon, Bayer and Wyeth).

2. Proximity to major roads, as you said.

3. Easy shopping on Route 10 - no quaint "downtown" but Morristown isn't far

4. Nice variety of homes.

5. Lots of "move up" potential. Buy small now and stay in the same community when you need a bigger home.

6. Well rated schools.

If these towns are not right for you, try Parsippany, Morris Plains, Morristown, Randolph and Denville. Depending on your needs, all are good choices.

If you stay west, and don't stray into Essex County (Livingston and beyond), taxes will generally be more reasonable.

As always, your choice is based on your budget, income (including projected income), proximity to work, schools, parks and resale value.