rp2pilot

I have a bid to EWR, planning on pulling up stakes on the West Coast and moving to the New York area. I was hoping for suggestions and thoughts on places to live that are within driving distance of EWR. It seems like houses are reasonably priced in eastern Pennsylvania which is about the limit of how far I want to drive (~70 miles). Are there other places people might recommend?

oldmako

The Bada Bing.

northshore973

Jersey shore, home prices/taxes arent as bad but traffic on parkway can be bad esp on the weekends. Lot of ppl getting out of town for the beach, atlantic city etc. I'm up in north jersey in passaic county. Taxes are quite a bit more but i have a 45 min drive to work, traffic is negligible and the area I live is beautiful. So I pick up a few trips a year to offset the difference.

fireman0174

Check out the Sparta, NJ area.

pilotgolfer

I used to live in Mt Laurel / Marlton / Cherry Hill area. It's 45 minutes to Newark. Easy access to Philly and South Jersey Shore. I loved it there. I did not have kids at the time, but the schools have a good reputation.

Lots of Newark guys live out near Poconos. I'm sure someone can chime in about that area.

Scrappy

You don't live in Newark...you merely survive.

flightmedic01

I'd stay out of Jersey. Taxes are absolutely ridiculous. Eastern PA is the way to go. I live out near Reading, but the Lehigh Valley (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area) have some decent areas. Just stay out of the downtown areas. Bethlehem is pretty nice.

Sunvox

That's a huge question and if you'd like some in depth insight I'd gladly spend some time on the phone with you. Just drop me a PM and I'll give you my phone number if you're interested. In simple forum terms I'll give you my quick synopsis. I know the area fairly well as I grew up in Litchfield County, CT, I have a sister that lives in PA, a Sister-in-Law in Sparta, NJ, and right now I live in Westchester, NY.

I am biased because of where I grew up and would encourage you to look in Litchfield County, CT in towns like New Milford or Sherman where you could find a decent affordable home on Candlewood Lake, but as my brother-in-law likes to say it's "the land of wives with pointy noses and blond pony tails". Sparta, NJ is very similar and also affordable and equally a cross between urban and rural, but the taxes in NJ are relatively high. Eastern PA is the cheapest place to live by far but it has a much more rural culture and feel. If you spend any time in PA I think you'll find the communities to be a little more country mouse type versus the city mouse types that tend to end up in Sparta, NJ or Sherman, CT. I don't say that in a negative way at all because I myself prefer "the country mouse" types, but you just get a different group. Sparta and Sherman have small local groups of UAL/CAL types that get together for dinners, boating, golfing etc. and eastern PA just doesn't have the same amount (at least not that I have seen).

Now on a complete flip side if you were to tell me you want as urban an environment as possible then I would point you towards Stamford, CT. UBS and several other banks moved in over the last two decades so it has become a tiny NY in it's downtown with hip new apartments built by Trump that are quite affordable and even have ocean views.

Well anyways I could go on for hours, but like I said I'm glad to talk in depth if you'd like, but I'll stop there for now.


Good Luck!!

UAL T38 Phlyer

THAT is funny!

Grumble

This. NJ is just insane with the cost of living for such an awful state (never mind the politics of living in a police state). Bucks county PA, especially east part has some really nice areas. The only thing that's high are property taxes. Second Lehigh Valley.

PM sent. If you can avoid leaving the west coast, don't.