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Hi everyone. I am a single mother in my early 30s. I just accepted a position in Trenton. I am looking to relocate to a surrounding area. I have family in Bucks County so ideally I'd like to stay accessible to them. My daughter has a mild physical disabilty so I'm looking for a school district that is not only well regarded in general, but also has sufficient auxilliary services. She will be entering 1st grade. In her current school, she receives occupational therapy with some adaptive equipment but since she doesn't actually have a learning disorder per se, and is doing more than fine academically, an IEP is not applicable. I'm not sure if the system is the same in NJ or not.
We are looking for a nice, somewhat family-oriented town with fun stuff to do. However, since I am single I'd like there to be some grown-up activities around in case I ever have a babysitter and want to meet people.
Of course, Princeton is wonderful in many ways but probably too expensive. I am considering Pennington or perhaps Lambertville. How are the school districts? Is the school district too small in Lambertville? What about Allentown or Hightstown? I don't know that I would want to go much farther than that. I read on this forum that Cranbury is cute. I was there for a conference in the past and think I might have "missed the town" because where I was seemed sprawly and industrial.
I would appreciate any thoughts or advice on where I should look or avoid. You don't have to tell me to stay out of Trenton. I already know
Haha, yes obviously avoid Trenton/Newark/Elizabeth/ Camden/Asbury Park and even Neptune at all costs.
How far would you be willing to commute? How much do you want to spend on a house? Lambertsville is very small in general, Pennington isn't exactly large either, I get they are close but they are kind of a sacrifice in some ways. If you are willing to travel 25 miles or so, Manalapan, Marlboro, and East Windsor are very nice towns, half hour commute, and great schools (Manalapan has a GREAT auxillary services K-8, 9-12 not as much but 8 years from now is well, 8 years from now. I would say the same with Marlboro. I am not super farmiliar with Windsor's schools, but it is a nice area so I would assume the schools are good as well. Unfortunately everything around Trenton is pretty, well, Trentonish.
While not as pricey as Princeton, Pennington is not that far behind. My understanding is that Hightstown and East Windsor do not have very good school district (but very high taxes).
Lawrenceville may be a more affordable option. I would say Ewing is even more affordable, but again issues with the schools.
If you are willing to travel 25 miles or so, Manalapan, Marlboro, and East Windsor are very nice towns, half hour commute, and great schools.
Thank you for the suggestions. The more I think about it, I am realizing that being close to Bucks County is a high priority to me. Otherwise, I'd consider these towns.
While not as pricey as Princeton, Pennington is not that far behind. My understanding is that Hightstown and East Windsor do not have very good school district (but very high taxes).
Lawrenceville may be a more affordable option. I would say Ewing is even more affordable, but again issues with the schools.
I was casually browsing the MLS and saw several (albeit small) houses in Pennington for under $500,000. Does this seem off? I'm not looking for a huge, modern house. I certainly don't want a McMansion or anything.
I'm not sure that Lawrenceville, Ewing or Hamilton have the feel that I'd prefer. I'm not ruling it out though. I haven't read the greatest reviews of the school districts in these towns though.
Are you looking to buy or rent? Only ask as rentals in Pennington and Lambertville are limited. Pennington is a great little town, they send their kids to Hopewell for HS. Lambertville is a touristy river town that gets packed on the weekends (very congested, especially in the summer months), they send their kids to South Hunterdon.
If you have family in Bucks Co. you might look at Newtown, the Council Rock School District has a good reputation.
Cranbury is a great little town (very close to all of the Turn Pike warehouses, which is probably what you saw), they send their high school kids to Princeton. Again, few rentals and pretty pricey properties.
I was casually browsing the MLS and saw several (albeit small) houses in Pennington for under $500,000. Does this seem off? I'm not looking for a huge, modern house. I certainly don't want a McMansion or anything.
I'm not sure that Lawrenceville, Ewing or Hamilton have the feel that I'd prefer. I'm not ruling it out though. I haven't read the greatest reviews of the school districts in these towns though.
We must have posted at the same time!
Pennington is a very desirable town with good schools, so your mls search is pretty "on".
Ewing and Hamilton share a sizable border with Trenton. If you are looking in Hamilton look in the Steinert HS feeder district, it will be more expensive though.
Hamilton, Ewing and Lawrenceville all border Trenton, and the areas of these towns that border Trenton are exactly like Trenton. I'd take Hamilton over the other two, just because it is bigger and has some areas where you won't run into problems at all. Lawrenceville and Ewing have one high school each, so kids from all parts of town will mix at the high schools. Hamilton has three high schools (pop around 90K as opposed to the 30-35K of the other two), Steinert High there is supposed to be the best one. The other two from what I hear have significant spillover from Trenton.
Hamilton is actually divided into five sections: Mercerville, Hamilton Square, White Horse, Yardville and Groveville. From what I hear Hamilton Square, Yardville and Groveville are all fine. White Horse and Mercerville are OK to bad to worse as you get closer to Trenton. Not exactly sure what areas each encompasses though.
Are you looking to buy or rent? Only ask as rentals in Pennington and Lambertville are limited. Pennington is a great little town, they send their kids to Hopewell for HS. Lambertville is a touristy river town that gets packed on the weekends (very congested, especially in the summer months), they send their kids to South Hunterdon.
If you have family in Bucks Co. you might look at Newtown, the Council Rock School District has a good reputation.
Cranbury is a great little town (very close to all of the Turn Pike warehouses, which is probably what you saw), they send their high school kids to Princeton. Again, few rentals and pretty pricey properties.
Good luck!
Cranbury is the most expensive town in Middlesex County. More expensive than East Brunswick, Highland Park or even Plainsboro.
I'd say look at the other Brunswicks. Right on Rt 1 with easy access to many other major highways close by, houses are priced pretty decent with reputable schools and the taxes aren't terrible since you have lots of business here as well. May be a little far to Trenton though. I'm in North Brunswick and it's about 16 miles down Rt 1 to get from here to Quakerbridge Mall in Lawrenceville, which is just outside Trenton. About a 20 minute drive give or take.
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