What can you tell me about Jefferson Township? (Newark, Camden: 2013, get credit)
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Hi everyone! I hope you are having a pleasant weekend.
We are T-3 days until our house-hunting trip. We have a top 5 towns list, but the housing pickings are slim. Today, I came across some very affordable listings in a place called Jefferson Twp. in Morris Co. I'm a little wary of what those prices might mean about the area and schools. I'm not seeing anything when I do a forum search.
Can you tell me what the area is like with regard to flooding, downtown area (if any) and the high school?
Thanks in advance for taking the time to share you knowledge with me.
P.S. Below is my questionnaire so you know what sort of qualities we are looking for.
Where are you coming from? Germany--originally western PA Why are you moving? Work relocation Where will you be working? Whippany
Will you buy or rent? Buy What is your budget? Up to $350,000 - taxes < $7,000/year What kind of place are you looking for? Detached single family home with a yard
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you? Husband and wife, 13-year old child, 1 dog, 1 cat
Do you need/want good public schools? YES!
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in (examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc)
Our ideal neighborhood would be community-minded; a park and a grocery store within walking distance would be ideal.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)
- Good High School
- 30-ish minute (or less) commute to/from Whippany
- Neighborly atmosphere
Hi everyone! I hope you are having a pleasant weekend.
We are T-3 days until our house-hunting trip. We have a top 5 towns list, but the housing pickings are slim. Today, I came across some very affordable listings in a place called Jefferson Twp. in Morris Co. I'm a little wary of what those prices might mean about the area and schools. I'm not seeing anything when I do a forum search.
Can you tell me what the area is like with regard to flooding, downtown area (if any) and the high school?
Thanks in advance for taking the time to share you knowledge with me.
P.S. Below is my questionnaire so you know what sort of qualities we are looking for.
Where are you coming from? Germany--originally western PA Why are you moving? Work relocation Where will you be working? Whippany
Will you buy or rent? Buy What is your budget? Up to $350,000 - taxes < $7,000/year What kind of place are you looking for? Detached single family home with a yard
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you? Husband and wife, 13-year old child, 1 dog, 1 cat
Do you need/want good public schools? YES!
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in (examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc)
Our ideal neighborhood would be community-minded; a park and a grocery store within walking distance would be ideal.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)
- Good High School
- 30-ish minute (or less) commute to/from Whippany
- Neighborly atmosphere
Your commute from Jefferson Twp to Whippany will be significantly longer than 30 min. Jefferson Twp is a very rural area and the main road out of town is rte 15, which backs up significantly during rush hour. The interchange of rte 15 and rte 80 is a known problem spot and always has tie ups. While there is a grocery store, the community is in no way walkable. It is spread out, with no sidewalks. We are talking boondocks. On the plus side, there is a plethora of wildlife including bears you'll regularly be dealing with.
The schools are not good, they are not bad, as in Newark or Camden, but the results on the state's mandated testing, (HSPA, NJ ASK, GEPA) as well as the SAT scores indicate the schools are not doing a good job. The average SAT score for NJ is 1550, Jefferson HS's ave was 1467, nearly 100 pts below the state ave. Only 85% of the schools graduates tested as proficient in HSPA, so 15% of the schools graduates cannot perform at 12th grade levels. I also looked at how many students take and pass the test for the AP courses, (and how many courses are available), only 17% of the students take AP courses, and of those only 62% pass the test required to get credit for an AP course. I also considered their ranking in NJ monthly's annual report (Jefferson HS ranked 211 out of 338, on the list although I have discovered that due to a clerical reporting error, the ranking should be 167/168) as well as the US News and World feature on HS throughout the country.
I did see that their AP scores were pretty sad. That coupled with the commute eliminated it before it was a real possiblity. Darn.
Since I have you "on the line", how would you describe Rockaway? I see that the borough attends Morris Hills HS, which is in the town and scores well on all lists I've looked at, the commute seems to be approximately 30 minutes at 8 a.m. to Whippany. I can't really tell if there's any "downtown" area left, but I can imagine that it was once there. Do you think it would be at all comparable to Randolph?
Thanks again for being such a wonderfully generous advice-giver.
I did see that their AP scores were pretty sad. That coupled with the commute eliminated it before it was a real possiblity. Darn.
Since I have you "on the line", how would you describe Rockaway? I see that the borough attends Morris Hills HS, which is in the town and scores well on all lists I've looked at, the commute seems to be approximately 30 minutes at 8 a.m. to Whippany. I can't really tell if there's any "downtown" area left, but I can imagine that it was once there. Do you think it would be at all comparable to Randolph?
Thanks again for being such a wonderfully generous advice-giver.
For clarification there are two separate communities called Rockaway - Rockaway Twp, and Rockaway Boro. The Twp pretty much surrounds the Boro. There is a very small downtown (just a couple of blocks) area within the boro, it has a couple of small stores and restaurants, but there is no grocery store. You'd still need a car to get around. Also, Rockaway Boro does not provide transportation for school, so getting your child to and from school if you do not live near the school may be an issue. Kids living in Rockaway Twp go to either Morris Hills HS or Morris Knolls HS, depending on where within the Twp their home is located. Morris Knolls has approx twice the number of students, and there are issues of overcrowding. Morris Hills fairs much better on testing, but as the school is so small, the number of AP courses available is less than at other schools in the county. Morris Hills is considered by most to be a good school, and Morris Knolls is considered "decent" , or "ok" - certainly not bad.
Rockaway Twp is home to a very large shopping mall, which also has many smaller satellite shopping centers adjacent, so you'll have easy access for everything from Home Depot, to Macy's, Costco, Grocery stores, Walmart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, pretty much everything you'd need is a fairly short car ride away.
You should also note that the Rockaway River runs directly through Rockaway Boro, so flooding is an issue, though not nearly as bad as Denville. (Rockaway Twp also has areas that flood, FYI)
As far as the commute time, you'll be pushing your limit, if not slightly over it, if you live in the Boro, and in much of the township, esp parts more north and western, it will be over 30. Please remember a good rule of thumb is to take what ever Googlemaps or mapquest says and multiply it by two to get a more accurate estimate. Remember these are the same aps that say you can get from the UN in Manhattan to Lincoln Center, in 13 min...which if you've ever been in Manhattan you know is absolutely crazy.
As far as a comparison with Randolph, Randolph wins on schools hands down, has more recreational activities and programs, and a shorter commute to Whippany. There is also more socioeconomic diversity in Randolph, which has homes from 250k to 1Mil +, executives and white collar professionals, (Drs, Lawyers etc) to blue collar workers. Rockaway is mostly middle class to lower middle class, and a more blue collar town.
I think usually the commute from Rockaway and Rockaway Township is 30 min or less. Definitely off peak it's maybe 15 minutes. Rockaway Township has many fine smaller communities. White Meadow Lake, Hibernia, etc. Going north it stretches for many mile into a veritable rural wilderness. That's one thing about that town. You can be in a residential suburban setting yet turn the other way and it's like your in upstate NY, mountains, lakes, etc.
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I hope you are having a pleasant weekend.
