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We are moving to NJ from Seattle, where the commutes are long but we didn't have to slug it out on the highway because we bought near our jobs.
Now, my husband's new job will be in Cranbury NJ, and that's our only definite point on the map in NJ; I will be looking for a job and we'll be renting, then buying once we know the area. I'd like to avoid a big commute when we choose the location of a daycare and eventually our home. There's some daycares in Princeton; is that a reasonable drive from Cranbury in rush hour? If not, we can look at other daycares, but these sound good. What nearby communities would be good to target for home buying down the road, given my husband's job in Cranbury and my job search of high-tech employers? We are moving from an expensive market, so we hope to avoid sticker shock, and our ideal house would be a 4BR within walking distance to shops/library with great local schools.
kathleen, it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to drive from cranbury to princeton. it could take longer in rush hour. the interesting thing is cranbury sends their high school kids to princeton each day since cranbury is a small town without high school. if you are planning to rent first, you may consider nearby towns such as princeton, plainsboro, or west windsor since cranbury does not have much rent property.
after you settle down here in east coast, i guess cranbury township itself fits your bill: walking to library, main street shops and schools. by the way, all the public schools in the area are excellent.
Lin is right re: the commute. I'd also like to suggest South Brunswick township (includes Dayton, Monmouth Junction, Deans, Kendall Park and part of Kingston) which is also a decent commute. Take a look on craigslist.org and put in those areas in Central New Jersey. Hope this helps.
Also, you should have no trouble finding a high tech job in the Princeton Route 1 corridor. Best to you.
Kathleen,
Nobody else is responding, so I'll take a shot!
Cranbury is a lovely town, great little downtown, very walkable but limited to a few small businesses (mostly realtors, small hardware store and speciality stores), a couple of restaurants (Teddy's-a main street diner-good diner food and wildly popular by the locals, Hannah's-jury still out, Cranbury Inn-not bad).
Kids go to Cranbury schools for elementary (excellent rating) and are bused into Princeton for HS (again excellent).
Not too many rentals in Cranbury.
Princeton is also a great town-much more to offer as a walkable downtown, shops, restaurants, theatres, library etc. School district is top rated. Down side for you is that the commute to Cranbury requires a trek across Rte 1. Depending on the time of day, and where you are going, it can take 30-45 minutes. There are also few rentals in Princeton (mostly slated for the students).
East Windsor is a short (10 minute) commute to Cranbury and has quite a few rental opportunities. No real downtown and the school district (although good) does not compare to the surrounding districts.
You might also look at Monroe, South Brunswick, West Windsor, Plainsboro, all good schools and within striking distance of Cranbury.
Lots of rentals in Plainboro the whole "Princeton Meadows" complex is full of apartments, townhouses, would be an easy commute to Princeton and Cranbury and a great location for the high tech. industry. Plainsboro has done a great job in controlling growth with open spaces, park/nature/recreation land ratio to housing. A 4 BR/2.5BA townhouse with LR, DR, KIT, Den will be around 400K. plus monthly fees. Plainsboro sends it's students to West Windsor/Plainsboro schools, one of the top 10 in the state.
Cranbury is adorable. Plainsboro and East Windsor/Hightstown tend to have plenty of rental options and are nearby; Plainsboro has a super school district (East Windsor is average).
Everyone has been on target. Plus Princeton is ridiculously expensive and the taxes are through the roof there. All of the towns have lots of families with small kids and plenty of good daycare options exist in the area.
West Windsor is in the middle between Cranbury and Princeton and you may not have to drive for day care to Princeton. There are many options for daycare in West Windsor. It also has rentals and could be a good point from which to start you search. It also has the Princeton Junction train station, which is always a good option to have for commute in the future. There are a lot of IT jobs in New York and towns with proximity to trains will always hold the value of real estate. Let me know if you need more info.
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kathleen
