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New Jersey

8 replies

Skala123 · 21/09/2016 21:19

So from previous threads you may know that a move is on the cards and it's looking more and more likely that the U.S. is where it will be. DH will be based in New Jersey, near Tewksbury. Has anyone any experience of this area of areas that are commutable to it? He currently drives 60 miles to work so will be happy for a longer commute to be in the right area. We have DC 6 and 3 so need to consider schools as well.

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Skala123 · 22/09/2016 14:32

Anyone help?

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Want2bSupermum · 22/09/2016 15:59

Hello! I live in New Jersey and know Central Jersey quite well. It is a lovely area with lots of great towns. Schools in that area are not a problem as lots of options of towns with highly rated school districts.

What is important to you in the town that you live in? Do you want to be able to take the train on a regular basis to NYC? Are you going to be working?

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Want2bSupermum · 22/09/2016 16:04

Also, what is your budget? Morristown has a nice downtown but I didn't like the school district much. It has great diversity but I found that diversity to be too segregated for my liking. I thought the schools there could be doing more to integrate everyone.

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Skala123 · 22/09/2016 16:46

Budget unknown at the moment - it's all so up in the air but want to have some areas narrowed down as when it happens it will happen quickly.
So I love where I live at the moment for the following reasons:
Small community, two nice pubs, decent local shop, school I can get very involved in, lovely running routes, good local gyms, relatively easy access to big towns and london.
I won't be working, certainly not to begin with anyway. DH will be working near Tewkesbury but happy to do a longer commute for us to be in the right area.
Thank you for your help! I'm excited about the move but very nervous too. We would be renting and rental prices scare me a little as they seem really high for not a lot of house.

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Want2bSupermum · 22/09/2016 17:23

So first of all rental prices are high because housing here is expensive. To give you an idea, we spend $15k a year on property taxes alone. Our monthly housing costs are over $5k. We are in Hoboken, which is just over the water from NYC. When we lived in South Orange our monthly housing costs were about $3,500.

Your DH needs to be on a package that allows you to spend $4k - $4.5k a month on rent. Spending less than that will mean you are in a smaller home.

Towns I would look at are New Providence, Far Hills, Long Valley (just north of Tewkesbury), Bernardsville, Mendham, Basking Ridge, Berkeley Heights and Bedminster. If you want more town life look at Summit, Madison and Millburn. I would not go to Maplewood or South Orange as the commute will be over an hour each way. I know you say your DH is used to a 60 mile commute but traffic is brutal here. I live in Hoboken and go out to Livingston 4 days a week. The drive can take me up to 2 hours to get there and it is only 18 miles. I also don't know how many hours your DH works now. The culture here is different. I work 9:30am - 10pm Monday through Friday.

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Skala123 · 22/09/2016 20:03

Thank you. He currently leaves home around 7 for a 90 min commute then leaves around 5 for a 90-120 min commute and then works 7-10/11pm at home.
I did say this was rather up in the air...well I've now been told the Tewksbury office is temporary and the permanent one will be in Kenilworth!

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Want2bSupermum · 22/09/2016 21:10

Well that is great. Kenilworth is a great location for Westfield and Cranford. Both are fab towns. Be careful with Cranford as certain parts of it flood.

Summit, Chatham, Millburn and New Providence from my previous list also work.

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Want2bSupermum · 22/09/2016 21:12

Also, expect his office hours to extend to 8am-6.30pm at a minimum.

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