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Did you mean to say that "bad is all relative"?
That would make a whole lot more sense in that context.
I think that the OP needs to know that, while the crime rate might be a bit higher in Finderne than in other parts of Bridgewater, it is not "high" in the true sense.
Finderne is just...let's say...more blue-collar than most other parts of Bridgewater. Overall, there is nothing "bad" about Finderne.
Yes, you are correct, I am a victim of "auto correct"
I do have to ask, is there a particular reason you are looking only at areas in the Bridgewater/Raritan School district? There are several other (nicer) communities with as good, or better schools in the area, and which also have more reasonable housing. (and if you are working in the area it will be within a reasonable commute)
KoalaNJ
Nope--I'm all ears. The other area that I'm looking at is---Scotch Plains/Berkeley Heights/Mountainside/Fanwood
Bridgewater seems to give you more house for the money than the above areas though.
Please suggest away though--I'm definitely open to other areas.. I'll be working in Rahway.
I do have to ask, is there a particular reason you are looking only at areas in the Bridgewater/Raritan School district? There are several other (nicer) communities with as good, or better schools in the area, and which also have more reasonable housing. (and if you are working in the area it will be within a reasonable commute)
KoalaNJ
I know somebody looking in that area, could you be more specific as to which towns are nicer than Bridgewater but have more reasonable housing.
I know that area well and can't quite figure out which towns you are talking about.
I know somebody looking in that area, could you be more specific as to which towns are nicer than Bridgewater but have more reasonable housing.
I know that area well and can't quite figure out which towns you are talking about.
To clarify my statement, the OP was looking at homes in Bound Brook as well as the Finderne section of Bridgewater as the home prices there were lower than other parts of the Twp. My comment was referring to the fact that there are other communities in the area with as good or better schools which they will find similarly priced homes as they found in the Finderne area or Bound Brook.
To the OP, to better answer your question as to other areas to look at it would help to have a little more info as to what your likes/desires/needs/requirements in housing are. Please see the sticky post in the forum, https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...residents.html and provide us with more info to go on...the more we know about what you are seeking the better we can advise.
I think you misunderstood my original post. I'm not looking at homes in Bound Brook--I just wasn't aware of the name of the neighborhood (Finderne) and tried to describe it by saying it was in between Somerville and Bound Brook while still in Bridgewater.
But I will certainly answer the questions:
Where are you coming from? St. Louis, MO
Why are you moving? Job transfer
Where will you be working ? Rahway
Will you buy or rent? Buy
What is your budget ? $450-500K
What kind of place are you looking for ? Decent home with back yard. Older is fine. Older with character is preferred.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? All of the above. Wife, 2 kids, dog.
Do you need/want good public schools? Yes--have 2 and 4 yrs old boys.
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) Families with young children, safe, good schools.
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) family oriented, nice parks, charming
Like I said, I've been focusing on the Scotch Plains/Berkeley Heights area, then also Bridgewater, Green Brook, and Metuchen.
I'd definitely love to hear your take as someone who knows NJ.
Where are you coming from? St. Louis, MO
Why are you moving? Job transfer
Where will you be working ? Rahway
Will you buy or rent? Buy
What is your budget ? $450-500K
What kind of place are you looking for ? Decent home with back yard. Older is fine. Older with character is preferred.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? All of the above. Wife, 2 kids, dog.
Do you need/want good public schools? Yes--have 2 and 4 yrs old boys.
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) Families with young children, safe, good schools.
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) family oriented, nice parks, charming
Like I said, I've been focusing on the Scotch Plains/Berkeley Heights area, then also Bridgewater, Green Brook, and Metuchen.
I'd definitely love to hear your take as someone who knows NJ.
thank you in advance.
Firstly, you indicate that you are looking for a short commute...I should warn you that here in NJ we are hard core commuters...first thing to do is forget about the travel times given on websites such as googlemaps, mapquest, etc. as they are extremely, um optimistic - actually down right laughable. What ever the time googlemaps gives you multiply by 2 and add 10% at a minimum. For instance google indicates it is about 32 minutes from the Finderne area to Rahway...your actual commute time to Rahway will be around 1 hour 15 min to/1.5 hours during rush. (rush hour starts around 5 am and last until around 10 am, and commences again around 3 pm until 7:30-8ish)
Most of the area west of Rahway is more suburban than urban, and towns with walkable downtowns are the exception rather than the rule. (there are a few of them though.) In general the further west you go the more rural the areas become. All of the communities you mention will have plenty of young families. Though most of the towns are nice I'd not consider any of them to be "charming" (for a charming walkable downtown area with shopping, restaurants, parks, great schools -some of the best in the state and nation - as well as lower taxes I'd go with Chatham or Madison...both towns have been used for several movie settings, the down side will be the longer commute - about 1.5 hours)
You mentioned looking at New Providence and Berkeley Hts, both are nice communities, schools are decent, neither have a walkable downtown, but are nice safe areas. Your commute time will be around an hour each way. Scotch Plains is also nice...good schools, and your commute will be just under an hour. Westfield is a wonderful bit more urban town..great walkable downtown with shopping & restaurants, but fewer parks and open areas than New Providence, Berkeley Hts, and Scotch Plains. Westfield's schools are quite good, but you will find your housing dollar does not go very far, and there is not that much in your price range. Cranford located just east of Westfield is an option to check out. Schools are decent, and your housing will go a little further than in Westfield. Cranford is also a bit more urban than suburban. While Westfield and Cranford are generally considered safe, there is more crime than you will find in the New Providence, Berkeley Hts and Scotch Plains areas. That being said, as a female I have never felt uncomfortable going out to dinner with friends or walking around in Westfield. Another thing to consider is taxes... be prepared for a shock when looking at this - here in NJ we pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. Your property/school taxes will be higher in Westfield and other parts of Union County than in some of other areas you are looking at (Somerset and Morris County)
You might want to check out Springfield, it is a nice town with pretty decent schools. I'd stick to the norther part of town for access to rte 78 to avoid dealing with rte 22 as much as possible. The commute to Rahway will be around an hour.
Areas of Green Brook have flooding issues, the schools are meh, not bad, but not great. Your commute would be long and a real PITA, You'd have to deal with driving rte 22 during rush hour...something you really do not want to do on a regular basis... here is a video of traffic on 22 just east of Greenbrook near the Springfield/Union Twp border. NJ traffic congestion: There MUST be a better way! - YouTube
Firstly, you indicate that you are looking for a short commute...I should warn you that here in NJ we are hard core commuters...first thing to do is forget about the travel times given on websites such as googlemaps, mapquest, etc. as they are extremely, um optimistic - actually down right laughable. What ever the time googlemaps gives you multiply by 2 and add 10% at a minimum. For instance google indicates it is about 32 minutes from the Finderne area to Rahway...your actual commute time to Rahway will be around 1 hour 15 min to/1.5 hours during rush. (rush hour starts around 5 am and last until around 10 am, and commences again around 3 pm until 7:30-8ish)
Most of the area west of Rahway is more suburban than urban, and towns with walkable downtowns are the exception rather than the rule. (there are a few of them though.) In general the further west you go the more rural the areas become. All of the communities you mention will have plenty of young families. Though most of the towns are nice I'd not consider any of them to be "charming" (for a charming walkable downtown area with shopping, restaurants, parks, great schools -some of the best in the state and nation - as well as lower taxes I'd go with Chatham or Madison...both towns have been used for several movie settings, the down side will be the longer commute - about 1.5 hours)
You mentioned looking at New Providence and Berkeley Hts, both are nice communities, schools are decent, neither have a walkable downtown, but are nice safe areas. Your commute time will be around an hour each way. Scotch Plains is also nice...good schools, and your commute will be just under an hour. Westfield is a wonderful bit more urban town..great walkable downtown with shopping & restaurants, but fewer parks and open areas than New Providence, Berkeley Hts, and Scotch Plains. Westfield's schools are quite good, but you will find your housing dollar does not go very far, and there is not that much in your price range. Cranford located just east of Westfield is an option to check out. Schools are decent, and your housing will go a little further than in Westfield. Cranford is also a bit more urban than suburban. While Westfield and Cranford are generally considered safe, there is more crime than you will find in the New Providence, Berkeley Hts and Scotch Plains areas. That being said, as a female I have never felt uncomfortable going out to dinner with friends or walking around in Westfield. Another thing to consider is taxes... be prepared for a shock when looking at this - here in NJ we pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. Your property/school taxes will be higher in Westfield and other parts of Union County than in some of other areas you are looking at (Somerset and Morris County)
You might want to check out Springfield, it is a nice town with pretty decent schools. I'd stick to the norther part of town for access to rte 78 to avoid dealing with rte 22 as much as possible. The commute to Rahway will be around an hour.
Areas of Green Brook have flooding issues, the schools are meh, not bad, but not great. Your commute would be long and a real PITA, You'd have to deal with driving rte 22 during rush hour...something you really do not want to do on a regular basis... here is a video of traffic on 22 just east of Greenbrook near the Springfield/Union Twp border. NJ traffic congestion: There MUST be a better way! - YouTube
HTH
KoalaNJ
I know this is an old post, but I was reading about Bridgewater and came across this post.
Cranford more urban than suburban? Worrying about crime in Westfield and/or Cranford? An hour commute from Scotch Plains to Rahway? Maybe if you're walking.
Anyway, just wanted to point out that there is a ton of misinformation above for future searchers.
Hi,
We are planning to move to Bridgewater in few months since I work in bridgewater and my husband works in NYC. We are planning to buy a house near Bridgewater avenue. We have looked at that area couple of times but no idea if it is good area to live with kids. we selected that area because it is close to train station for my husband to commute to NYC. Can you suggest me if that is good area to choose or am I making any wrong decisions? Or can you tell me in Bridgewater what is good area to live with kids (affordable price - 500K (SFH)?
Areas of Green Brook have flooding issues, the schools are meh, not bad, but not great. Your commute would be long and a real PITA, You'd have to deal with driving rte 22 during rush hour...something you really do not want to do on a regular basis...
You don't take Rt 22 from Green Brook....no one in their right mind would. You go up the hill on whatever road is closest to you and get on Rt 78. (Mountain, Warrenville, Washington, Somerset). Commute time would be about the same as from most parts of Bridgewater, maybe a bit faster.
Beyond that, checking for flooding problems in GB is easy. If you live on Green Brook road, some properties flood. If you live more than 100-200ft North of it, you most likely don't. Check the maps and talk to the neighbors to be sure. And obviously the 1/2 of town on the hill north of 22 isn't going to flood unless you see an Ark floating by.
Hi,
We are planning to move to Bridgewater in few months since I work in bridgewater and my husband works in NYC. We are planning to buy a house near Bridgewater avenue. We have looked at that area couple of times but no idea if it is good area to live with kids. we selected that area because it is close to train station for my husband to commute to NYC. Can you suggest me if that is good area to choose or am I making any wrong decisions? Or can you tell me in Bridgewater what is good area to live with kids (affordable price - 500K (SFH)?
That section of Bridgewater is a bit more congested than much of the town, and the houses & properties tend to be on the smaller side. Yes, it is close to the train station, but most of town is fairly close, so unless he's planning to walk to the train, the exact distance is likely less of a factor than you think.
For the price range you mention (up to $500k) there are almost 100 single family homes available in Bridgewater. You have lots of options. I recommend coming out here & taking a look at more of the town. It's beautiful autumn weather, great for driving around and learning about the town.
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