Question for New Jersey folks...
 

Not sure what discussion board to put this on but we could sure use some advice from the Garden State folks out there...Our son just got a federal job and his office will be in downtown Newark on Mulberry street. We know absolutely NOTHING about the garden state..Our son is 25, a true small town boy, does not party but likes casino gambling for fun. Does not think he will like "city living" at all and was born and raised in the suburbs of Va..Our question...In which areas of Jersey would you suggest he look for a place to live where he can commute on a train to work and still feel like he is in the burbs and in a safe area, but not too far from his work? It appears as if the train is the way most folks commute into the city ...correct? Also, he thinks he wants to live south of Newark to be closer to Atlantic City for weekend fun...Is there a train that goes out to A/C? Anyway, Any town/city suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we have no idea where to help him start looking. He has 60 days to get moved!! As soon as he is settled, we plan to reduce the price ( yet again, sigh...) of our VA home and get to living as full time frogs!! We have been waiting to get him settled before we really push hard to sell our Virginia home.....So, please help!

Go to the NJ Transit website, that will tell him what trains will go to Newark.
And to live in the type of community you're describing, I would suggest looking in Monmouth or Ocean County. But not sure what kind of commute he would have from there. Atlantic City is about 1 hour south of Ocean County, by car.

We have a son who works in NYC, but lives in NJ (our home state until we became Villagers) and truthfully he picked where he chose to live based on the availability of mass transit. NJ is not a cheap place to reside and the further north you go, the higher the price of housing, partly because of the ease of the commute to NYC. Newark and Atlantic City are FAR apart and not an easy trip on the weekends, especially from May thru September...plan on bumper-to-bumper traffic

I highly recommend your son research the city of Newark to give him an informed idea of where he'll be working.

Newark is a rough city. Not that there aren't decent places to live, but your son should research it very carefully, perhaps work with a realtor, and not look for the cheapest accomodations.

ok, Jersey boy here even though to here me talk, but born in Newark, and rasied in Linden which is just out side of Newark/Elizabeth. I agree Newark USE to be nice when I was a kid but after 68......
Ok, if he truely does not want big city, then I suggest you look towards the Center of the State, and look along the Jesery Central Train Line. Cities like Watchung, Bound Brook, Bridgewater areas. That area of the state is still kind of rural. The problem with the Penn Central Line which is NJ Transit is VERY developed. Even Mommouth/Ocean Counties are now very developed. From the Bound Brook area then hope on 287 to the Parkway and straight to AC. There is a train that goes to AC, but it is on the Penn Central Line, so would have to take train to Penn Station, Newark and transfer to go by train to AC, but there are Buses that leave from all over the state to AC that offer perks for a small price.

Army Guy

Thanks!
 

Thats the kind of info I was looking for...You guys dont seem very cheerful about Newark though..:cry:.Oh well, it is a good job and he has no choice..Trying to make the best of it...Thanks to all of you , very helpful. I think I will start with the NJ transit stuff first...

i echo the recommendation to locate in monmouth/ocean county...both have convenient access to bus and rail transportation into newark. the drive to newark is not unbearable either...anywhere from 45 mins to 75 mins depending on where one lives, time of commute and accidents.

i lived in monmouth county and rode the north jersey coast line into newark every day with minimal adventures. most commuter delays that we faced were a result of amtrak problems on the main line running from the philly/trenton area into newark/manhatten. there is just enough time on the commute to read the paper with a cup of coffee and take a cat nap - or to just take a longer nap! our door-to-door drive from monmouth county to atlantic city is 1 hr and 15 mins.

there is nothing better - socially - for someone your son's age than the jersey shore in the summer - except maybe for hoboken all year round - but the cost of living and lack of parking availability in hoboken is a downer. being able to hop on a train on a friday nite rather than face TRAFFIC on fri nite or sat is a blessing!

when i left working in the city, the up and coming area in development was jersey city - because of the housing transformation taking place there - and that because of its proximity to nyc and the move of some nyc business to jersey city for economic reasons. jersey city offers waterfront, city and suburban areas for living styles.

your son might want to contact his supervisor/boss to inquire if any of his coworkers live in the shore area so he could speak with them...and he might want to look into renting in the pier village complex in long branch - a hopping place in the summer and an enjoyable beach solitude in the off-season. asbury park offers new housing developments, too - some are loft units for that city feeling. and the western areas such as howell or farmingdale [bus transportation - not rail] offers a more country feeling what with local growing farms and horse farms scattered throughout the area.

pm me if you have specific questions - we're here in the villages now if you are, too, and would like to meet and chat.

question for jersey folks
 

Worked in Trenton till 2006 and had to go to Newark for job many times. Tell son NEVER STAY AFTER WORK hours done. empties out fast. When I went to Newark had to walk from train station up Raymond Blvd had police on every corner during rush hour.

Train is very convenient and can get anywhere along line take a look at NJ transit website for stations. From outside Trenton, Hamilton station was about 1 hour.

We have a place outside Atlantic City. Can get there couple of ways. during summer Casinos run a train from NYC with stop in Newark to Atlantic City during week ends. Fare sometimes as cheap as $29.00. Or could take local NJ transit river line to camden then PATCO high speedline to Lindenwold(end of line) and pick up train to AC from there.

or take train into philadelphia 30th street station and then get on atlantic city rail line. Eitgher train to AC leaves you out at the convention center in Atlantic City.

anyother questions just ask and if know answer will help.

Congradulations on his getting a job as they are still hard to come by.

always a Jersey girl. emc :wave:

Response to your New Jersey question
 

I am a federal employee as well and originally from NJ - born in and lived a few towns away from Newark and would recommend he stay away from that surrounding area. What agency will he be working for and what will he be doing? He should speak to the local Human Resources Rep and tell her/him what his desires are and they should be able to point him in the right direction. Are they doing anything to assist with his relocation? Also whomever his new supervisor is going to be should be able to help as well. I have to agree with one of the other posters with Monmouth County. I lived there prior to moving out of state for another federal job. Little Silver, Shrewsbury, Red Bank, Middletown all pretty nice areas. If I recall correctly Little Silver and Red Bank have train stations.
Now that he is in the federal gov't, later on down the road he can look for a transfer to Florida to be closer to Mom and Dad :-).

Hopefully his job allows him to carry a gun. Newark has serious crime and gang problems. It was being called the murder capitol of NJ just a year ago. Do not forget that there is also excellent bus service to Newark. I lived in Old Bridge and could get to Newark by train or bus in 45 minutes or less counting drive time to the bus or train stations.

Not trying to scare you but hopefully your son is aware of Newark's bad reputation. Like many high crime cities it is not bad during business hours and in the bdiness district. I used to travl there once a month Personally I would drive to work as many do who both live and work in NJ. For suburban living most towns south and west of Newark are fine. Bullets only travel so far. :)

Knew I could count on you guys!
 

Wow! Lots of Great info, thanks!!!!! Will tell son all of this and you have all given us a good starting place..and FYI ...the agency he is with is DEA....

He will have job security in Newark. :crap2:

Another vote for the Red Bank/Middletown area. Red Bank is a small town that has some nice restaurants and nightlife in it. The surrounding towns are more suburban in nature. This area puts you close to the Jersey Shore, big name entertainment in the summer at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, and about an hour or so into NYC. While a lot of the farms are being converted to housing, there are still some left in the area. The county has a lot of very nice parks that offer anything from mountain biking to hiking to golf. It's a good compromise in terms of keeping the commute reasonable, but also allowing weekend jaunts down to AC. The Jersey Coast Line provides rail transportation to Newark as well as NYC.

That sounds good!
 

Thanks NJBLUE , your post sounds exactly like what he is looking for! Thank you!

Pa has gambling as well and it could be closer to Newark.

I was a truck driver in Northern NJ for 43 years and a resident for all those years and have to put in my 2 cents worth.

Newark is an urban center and can be a dangerous place after dark. But it is revitalizing downtown somewhat with the new Performing Arts Center the area surrounding it. Also, that part of the city has a vibrant Portuguese community with many great restaurants that are quite busy. So, it is a vibrant area during the day and an interesting evening out, it you're careful and stay where the people are.

You don't have to go as far as some others are suggesting to find a decent residential community in convenient commuting distance from downtown Newark.

Look on Google Maps and trace Route 21 north from Newark and you'll find plenty of nice towns.

Starting with Belleville, which is a nice blue collar town with home prices and rents in the "starter" range.

I would skip Passaic (as it's too close to the problems of Newark), but then you have Clifton and Garfield which are nice and then Elmwood Park at the top of Route 21, which is a great town and where I lived for 25 years and a quick 25 to 30 minute drive to Newark.

There's plenty to like in Northern NJ and it's boasts the best shopping malls in the state in Paramus NJ with scads of awesome restaurants (which I dearly miss here in TV).

Hope your son finds great success in my home state and builds a great life there.