Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello to who reads this. My husband and I are planning to move to New Jersey in the near future but we have no idea WHERE to live. We currently live in a suburban city in North East Ohio. Our city population is around 50000 and we are known to have an excellent police response and school system - unlike our neighboring city, Cleveland! Although our city has MANY rental properties, most residents' do own their home with property values ranging between 30000 to 400000 in todays market. Back in 2003 however (when we bought our house) the lowest market value in this area was around 89000 although it was scarce to find anything at this price. Residents are mainly middle class and upper class, blue and white collar. The median income level in the area of the city that we live in is 50000 although we don't earn anything close to that. I would say I feel safe where I live and our city is considered to be a "great place to raise kids." We have plenty of stores and bars within walking distance from our house so it wouldn't be a complete disaster for us if our cars broke down. The residents in our city are of various ethniticity but mostly white. We have about a 15 minute drive to Cleveland - our nearest metropolitan city and my commute to work in the car is about 25 minutes although my husbands' commute is closer to 40 minutes. We understand that New Jersey will probably have a higher cost of living but having said that, there are many people here in and around Cleveland paying well over $1000 per month on rent. I would say our cost of living is about 950-1000 per month which includes our mortgage, electric, gas bill, water, car insurance for two cars, internet and water bill, although this doesn't include the cost of gas, our phone line, 2 cell phones and groceries. We are not looking to purchase a home in New Jersey but rather rent a 1 bedroom apartment with a pool and balcony. any advice would be great. We just don't want to end up in the ghetto or something. Thanks.
Well, the first question would be- are you going to be working, and if so, where? Also, most apartment complexes in NJ don't have pools, so if you find one that does, you'll be paying a premium for it.
Well, the first question would be- are you going to be working, and if so, where? Also, most apartment complexes in NJ don't have pools, so if you find one that does, you'll be paying a premium for it.
I think North Village apartments here in North Brunswick has a pool. Don't quote me on it though. I remember seeing one by it running past there, not sure if it belongs to the complex though. The apts definitely have balconies though. I don't know what the rent there would be, probably at least $1,000/mo which is avg for Middlesex County area, but they are leasing as we speak, I see signs up all over the place. Top notch location as well. I live a minute away from this place. Cranbury Cross Rd runs right through it, instant access to Rts 1, 130 & 27, with 18, 287 and the Turnpike very close by as well. Good schools as well and the taxes aren't terrible, but you won't be paying them since you are renting.
Thanks for all your replies. Funny you should mention North Brunswick, I have been looking at a few places online located in New Brunswick and East Brunswick. I seem to get the feeling that this is a pleasant area and only about a 40 minute drive to Newark airport. Having said that, with New Jersey being relatively small compared to most states, everywhere wouldn't take long to get to. It's probably about a 6-7 hour drive from the North tip to the Southern tip and no more than 3 hours going from East to West Jersey. From what I gather, a one bedroom apartment will probably cost about $1000 per month. It does sound a bit steep compared to the average rental prices over here in Ohio, although Ohio is not New Jersey. Although our current mortgage is less than $1000 per month, our utility bills soon make up for it. When we use to rent, our utility bills were nothing like what we pay in our house now. We are also planning on keeping just one car rather than two as car insurance may be higher in New Jersey and we probably would do fine with just the one or maybe not even one at all. I know public transportation is widely used far more than any other states. Thank you to whoelsebutcharles - great insight. i'll let you know if we do infact end up living in one of the Brunswicks.
Thanks for all your replies. Funny you should mention North Brunswick, I have been looking at a few places online located in New Brunswick and East Brunswick. I seem to get the feeling that this is a pleasant area and only about a 40 minute drive to Newark airport. Having said that, with New Jersey being relatively small compared to most states, everywhere wouldn't take long to get to. It's probably about a 6-7 hour drive from the North tip to the Southern tip and no more than 3 hours going from East to West Jersey. From what I gather, a one bedroom apartment will probably cost about $1000 per month. It does sound a bit steep compared to the average rental prices over here in Ohio, although Ohio is not New Jersey. Although our current mortgage is less than $1000 per month, our utility bills soon make up for it. When we use to rent, our utility bills were nothing like what we pay in our house now. We are also planning on keeping just one car rather than two as car insurance may be higher in New Jersey and we probably would do fine with just the one or maybe not even one at all. I know public transportation is widely used far more than any other states. Thank you to whoelsebutcharles - great insight. i'll let you know if we do infact end up living in one of the Brunswicks.
My pleasure. According to google maps, it is 26.7 miles from my place (just a tad west of those apartments) to Newark Airport, via Turnpike exit 13A. Yes the area is pretty pleasant overall I think. I'm here just under a year now and am very happy with the choice I made. You do have Rutgers University very close by in New Brunswick, which is a very large school, lots of wild parties and stuff, and students who don't live on campus rent places all over the area, but where I am is not far from New Brunswick and it is very quiet here. Most of the college parties are in town. Students who rent outside the city are usually looking for peace and quiet.
From the northern tip to the southern tip, more like 3-4 hours I would say. Problem is there is no major highway that goes from the northern tip of Montague in Sussex County all the way down to Cape May Point. The Brunswicks and surrounding area is almost dead center of the state, in all respects. And with the Route 1 corridor it's pretty easy to get anywhere, aside from some traffic issues although it has improved over the past few years with recent construction. I'll always prefer the burbs near Philly, but if I had to live anywhere else in NJ, where I am now would definitely be it.
Last edited by Whoelsebutcharles; 06-05-2010 at 11:34 PM..
Reason: More info.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
