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Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. Here's my situation:
I am currently in school and accepted a job in Princeton (will be starting in June), so now I am debating where to live. I'm a city kid so I love the city life in Philly (that's where I live now and go to school). If I decide to stay in the city, how long of a commute am I looking at? I'm open to both public transportation and driving (mind you, my office is in a somewhat remote location, not right in downtown Princeton). The job itself is pretty rigorous so I'll be working 60-70 hours a week. In this case, is it worth commuting from Philly or I should just get something in downtown Princeton? I strongly prefer living in the city because as a young person, I like the vibe and the things the city has to offer, meeting new people etc. but I'm afraid I won't have any free time besides the weekends. I can also stick it out for 2 years and live in Princeton and just go there on weekends. I pretty much excluded all the other option such as neighboring small towns because none of those seem to be more vibrant than Princeton (correct me if I'm wrong).
I would be happy to hear your suggestions. I know the post is all over the place, so bear with me por favor.
Also, will there be a significant difference between the tax rates in Princeton and Philly?
I'd consider Princeton if you can afford it, otherwise try Plainsboro, West Windsor, Cranbury or even Hightstown. They would be less expensive with an easy commute to your job. Lots of young professionals in the apartment and condo complexes. Easy access to a busier nightlife, gyms, stores, restaurants etc. Philly would be a nightmare to commute seeing as you're working the grueling hours mentioned.
I pretty much excluded all the other option such as neighboring small towns because none of those seem to be more vibrant than Princeton (correct me if I'm wrong).
It sounds like you will be most happiest living in "downtown" Princeton.
The other small towns are really geared more towards families.
As ieee488 mentioned, Plainsboro, West Windsor, Cranbury are mostly family oriented. Hightstown is too far, it will take 45 min to get to Princeton from Hightstown.You did not mention your budget, so it is hard to recommend something. If you are looking at a lower budget, I would also consider Lawrence, Lawrenceville and even northern part of Ewing.
Don't commute, I live in and now finally work in Princeton, I used commute back and forth to my Philadelphia gig with the Govt and it flat out sucked. Your talking about a two hour drive on a normal day, it just isn't worth it. Like one poster said, stay in downtown Princeton, you'll love it. A great town..
I was friends with a couple who lived in Princeton (one had studied there) and then moved to Philly. One of them still commuted back to Princeton for work and it was pretty awful (granted, for a time she was carless, but still...)
Although they liked Princeton well enough, they found it and the surrounding suburbs pretty insular and a bit boring. Though it seemed strange to me at the time, they both really envied the fact that I lived near New Brunswick, and always got excited at the chance to meet me there for drinks and stuff.
If you don't mind some of the negatives of New Brunswick (drunk college kids, some sketchy areas, etc.) you might consider that. It's certainly livelier than Princeton. The commute down Rt. 1 is not too bad depending on the time of day, and if you have free time, you're that much closer to NYC.
Philadephia has a wage tax. Princeton doesn't. I don't know of any city or town in NJ that does, but I could be wrong.
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