Living in New Jersey

I may have a job posting to NJ - Looking for some feedback/opinions as to what's like living in NJ - have stayed out in Singapore (i.e. Beijing, Taiwan) and have travelled around the region in Asia Pacific
Interested in university for my daughter as well
Thanks

I moved to Jersey because housing here was much less expensive than across the Hudson. I still work in New York and I like it there. But the truth is that NJ combines the amenities of suburbia with the proximity of NYC. It is a great thing to spend the day in the City and then come back to the silent, safe streets of North Arlington - which is just 30-40 minutes away from Times Square! From here it is also much easier to hit the road in vacation time, not to mention that Newark International is just around the corner, so to speak.

I agree with trevisani.  Although New Yorkers like to badmouth New Jersey, it is a great place to live.  If you live around Jersey City or Hoboken you have more space than if living in NYC.  And rents are cheaper.  However, New Jersey does have some of the highest taxes in the country.

If you live in other parts of New Jersey, say southern Jersey, it is very quiet and peaceful.  New Jersey can be a great place to live in you like the beach.  Cities like Tom's River, Belmar, Red Bank, and Long Branch are all quiet towns (compared to NYC), and they are right by the ocean.  Homes are much cheaper than in NYC and the lifestyle is more relaxed.  NJ Transit (train) can take you right into NYC for work.

Even the small towns are getting large immigrant communities.  For example, if you are a Brazilian in Long Branch you will find many other Brazilians living there, as well as Brazilian stores, restaurants and clubs.

I live in New Jersey since 2004. We came here with 2 kids for only 4 months, today we still live here and have a little American who joined our family.

New Jersey is large, depending where you are planning to relocate you can be close to NYC, the shore or the country side.

We live in Morris County which is 30 minutes away from Manahatten and I enjoy living here a lot and I do come from a very beautiful area.

New Jersey has lots to offer..we have skiing areas ( unbelievable I know), the shore, city life and rural neighborhoods. It is very green here in Spring, Humid in the summer and a beautiful Indian Summer in Fall.

If you need any further information let me know, I have seen many families come and go, for most the go was the tougher part!

Alexandra

I love New Jersey. Taxes are cheaper and the city's proximity to Manhattan is perfect for me. I used to stay in Mid -Manhattan and Oh boy cant surely sleep with all the noise.Truly New York is the city that never sleeps!!!!---Michelle Cruz

I moved from France 8 months ago and it is not my first expatriation, just the first on my own (I used to follow my family before).
I like it here, the environment I went to the beach this summer and I can also go hiking a lot and rock climbing too. So many things to do around here.
I just regret that I live in a place where I can't go anywhere without my car (my company chose for me) but it is possible to find nice towns with real sidewalks
Also if it is not hard to meet people it is hard to make friends.
But these are only my own feelings.

Just moved to Chatham before Christmas love the fact that there's no noise at night from people walking back from the pub! Great area for kids, rental high compared to some areas, but 5 mins walk to town if I don't want to take the car. 10 mins on school run, 20-25 mins to drop wife at work. Less than an hour into NYC for $20 return, with a seat both ways, - compared to standing both ways from Southampton to London at nearly £100 return (Don't miss that bit!).
House huge to mine back in Cowes, lifestyle much better although making friends look like the hard part - on that we all seem to agree.
I'm a keen mountain biker, and if anyone else is a house husband as well then please PM me!

We've been in New Jersey since 2010 and the place we live in (Montclair) is a wonderful town.There's a very nice downtown area, with a big range of international cuisine offered in the local restaurants.We have a big arts and music community here, with our own Indie theatre and very own Art Museum! There are many nice towns though in NJ so there is a choice. The unusual thing for me as an Aussie is having such close proximity to skifields (30mins) and still be able to reach the beach in a reasonable drive (~1 hr). NJ is not only very pretty but offers a huge range of different acticities that you can do plus easy access to NYC. If you need any further info, just let me know:)

Where would you recommend for skiing, Mountain Creek looks good on paper, but the reviews are awful, that said I'm a full time househusband so will only be going weekdays while my girls at school.

I'm no expert at skiing but our Brit neighbours take their kids to Camp Gaw regularly. It doesn't look too fancy to my untrained eyes (not too many options for fast skiers and lots of kids). For better skiing than this and Vernon, you probably have to go elsewhere. Lots people go to PA or Vermont during holiday weekends or school breaks, so I expect there is much better options in other places. Having said that, if you have kids, it seems driving 30 mins to get somewhere with snow is pretty darn good. In Sydney, we had at least a 4 hr drive to see anything like snow.

Thanks for the feedback I will check it out. All I need now is someone to go mountain biking with when it gets warmer

I lived in New Jersey during 2008. It was a good experience to live there. New Jersey is a large city and it is near to New York and it is a good advantage. New Jersey's shores are beautiful, it has got skiing areas too. You can enjoy modern amenities with classical living altogether.

Hi Alexandra,
I just saw your post and would like to ask you for your advice. My name is Daniela and my family and I will relocate to NY shortly. We were thinking about renting a house/buying in NJ somewhere not too far from a good private school. Do you know of any good private schools and good neighborhoods in NJ? Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Daniela

If you are relocating to New York, why are you looking at New Jersey. Do you plan on working in the city and commuting every day. If so your choices will be limited as you won't want to spend hours every morning  getting to work and hours every evening getting home

Bob K  (former resident of Morris county...Dover area)

Hi Axita,
Have you already moved to NJ yet? If not I can recommend a number of areas and also a few good private schools. I have been living in NJ for 4.5 years now, and my kids attend local public schools here. My job is as a Destination Services Consultant for a large relocation company. We help new families arriving in NJ, looking for new towns, new schools etc, so I can provide any specific help you need for Northern NJ. I would start by thinking of how long or short you want your commute to be?

Where in north Jersey are you. I grew up in Morris county (Dover, Rockaway township area)

Bob K

Hi Bob,
I live in Montclair but spend a great deal of time in Morris County assisting expats settle there in many different towns. The location of large pharmaceutical companies, telecommunications and others in Morris and Somerset counties means a lot of expats moving in and out of Nth NJ.

So it sounds like you don't live there any more- where is home now?

Went from New Jersey (at the age of 26  to Kansas City for Med. school, then moved to Colorado for 20 years and now for the last 10 years have been retired in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic)

Bob K