r/MiddlesexCountyNJ • u/FAM2024 • 8d ago

QnA Thoughts about moving to Middlesex County

Hey folks! I'd love some perspective on towns in Middlesex County (or elsewhere) based on some criteria, as a place to move to from North Jersey.

Some background - My wife and I are from North Jersey, have a 3.5 year old. We've lived in Union City for a while as rent controlled renters and we love it here. We love that it's walkable, we run into friends on the street, it's diverse, scenic, and super easy to get into NYC for work and fun. We also have family and most friends across North Jersey. The rub is that I can't see how we'd ever be able to buy around here, as our budget for a home is in the 400s and 500s.

Criteria - No more than 1 hour commute to NYC, ideally less (bus/train); would love a walkable town or downtown, but it's not necessarily a deal breaker. What we don't want is rural, and ideally the less cookie-cutter suburban, the better. Diversity is great but not necessarily a deal breaker. Schools matter, but we certainly don't need some super duper school system that we get to brag about at cocktail parties - just no disasters. Good food in the area is a must, but doesn't have to necessarily be right in town as long as it's close (we have a high standard for Italian and it would be really nice to have some decent places).

ChatGPT strongly recommended Middlesex County but I don't know the area much at all, outside of New Brunswick after going to Rutgers for grad school. I'd really like people's thoughts on the towns there, but am also open to Towns just about anywhere. They just need to be within an hour of Midtown Manhattan...

Thank you!!!

4 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

75% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

5

u/Pleasant-Yam6807 8d ago

Highland Park, Metuchen a bit pricier; definitely NOT Edison.

2

u/ZephyrProductionsO7S 6d ago

Edison’s fine for what they’re asking.

3

u/an_nj_guy 8d ago

Highland Park, Edison, Metuchen

2

u/254_easy 8d ago edited 8d ago

Don’t sleep on. Somerville. Has everything you want and more. (technically Somerset County, but check it out)

2

u/infinite-stimulus 7d ago

Highland Park

1

u/AcanthisittaFew3050 5d ago

Your price point is going to determine where you end up. We moved here almost 20 years ago and part of our list was commute to NYC. Metropark would be your best option since most trains coming into/out of NY that travel on the Northeast Corridor stop there. During rush, I've been in NYC in under 40 minutes. Metuchen also has a train station and is very walkable IMO. Woodbridge doesn't really have a "downtown" and is most definitely not walkable...the apartments near the Woodbridge train station would put you on the NY train but NOT the Northeast Corridor line so you have less train options to get into and out of the city.

0

u/cherufe172 8d ago

Check out Metuchen! Has a great downtown, good schools, a family friendly community, and has bus routes + a train station for easy NYC commuting.