So...what's it like to live in Jersey?

[NAF1138]

In the continuing saga of "where will the NAF family live in 2011" we have seen possible relocation opportunities in Boston, Seattle, Chicago (didn't post about that one, but it was the closest so far) and now...Summit, New Jersey.

Um, Jersey wasn't really on our list, this opportunity just sort of fell in our laps and it seems like it could be very very real. Like, they are flying my wife out for a "final interview" on the company dime on January 2nd real.

So...I have like a week and a half to learn everything I need to know about New Jersey, because if this does happen they are going to want us there before the end of January.

I have never even been to that part of the country. What's it like?

[Dudley]

Ooooh... Jersey...

Yeah, well... hmmm....

Umm....

[whirlingbladesofkick]

I noticed in the recent census reports that quite a few of the richest counties in the US are in NJ. The median family income in Summit is $141K! So, you got that going for you.

[NAF1138]

Good point, wbok. One of the reasons that this seems like a good opportunity is that it will come with a good sized pay bump which will offset me having to be out of work for a period of time. It will also be a lateral move in terms of actual job responsibilities, but a promotion in terms of title and classification.

The job is a good one, my wife would be lucky to get it. It also might come with free tickets to the occasional Jets game, so that's cool. We could be close to family in Philly, and would be able to occasionally go to Manhattan (and if fact, I will probably be primarily looking for work over there since it is the only other place in the country that my particular field of accounting exists. Not that I particularly want to stay in accounting, but at least I would have that option.)

There has to be good stuff about Jersey. Help me out here!

[whirlingbladesofkick]

My parents lived there in the 90s (I was already out of the house). When I would visit at holidays and summers, I found it attractive. Like all other places, there's some ugly and some unpleasant, and the people take some getting used to for us westerners, but there was natural beauty and lots of access to culture as you mentioned above.

[Colonel Plink]

Snookie.

That is all you need to know.

Just Snookie.

[NAF1138]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Spiriting Lightly]

Summit is a very nice town as New Jersey towns go, but housing is very pricy, you will probably decide you need at least two cars, electricity and natural gas rates stay on the high side, and local taxes gobble up a fair amount of cash.

For all of the money you'll spend, a sense of discontent may set in, especially if you want to live in an actual neighborhood. All too many New Jersey towns don't really have main streets or downtowns, places where friends and people from the block congregate -- you might get very tired of malls and shopping centers. In particular, in that part of New Jersey, some people never really develop a sense of place, of belonging in a town; since these hamlets usually aren't separated by natural obstacles, like rivers say, one bunch of houses tends to run into another with nothing to really define a town as a town.

By bus or train, New York City is about 40 to 50 minutes away: the train dumps passengers at Penn Station on 34th Street; the bus goes to the Port Authority on 42nd Street. Public transportation runs pretty frequently; if you choose to live in Summit, bus stops or terminals are a fairly quick walk.

Here's a suggestion: If your spouse took the job in Summit, would you consider living in NYC? If she commutes, rush hour will be fairly easy for her because she won't be jostling for space on a train or bus, or fighting with what seems like millions of other drivers; she's headed in the opposite direction. If you're seeking work in the city, your commute is likely to be soft as well. Beyond any of that, though, you're living in New York, with all of its zoos, museums, sights, sites . . . .

Not that New Jersey lacks charm, of course. Some of the beaches are beautiful; it's called the Garden State because reasonable plantings yield luxurious results; fine schools and parks dot the state. An idle reader has to wonder, though, whether someone from Los Angeles would be happy in a metropolis like Summit, New Jersey.

[NAF1138]

Originally Posted by Spiriting Lightly

Here's a suggestion: If your spouse took the job in Summit, would you consider living in NYC? If she commutes, rush hour will be fairly easy for her because she won't be jostling for space on a train or bus, or fighting with what seems like millions of other drivers; she's headed in the opposite direction. If you're seeking work in the city, your commute is likely to be soft as well. Beyond any of that, though, you're living in New York, with all of its zoos, museums, sights, sites . . . .

Not that New Jersey lacks charm, of course. Some of the beaches are beautiful; it's called the Garden State because reasonable plantings yield luxurious results; fine schools and parks dot the state. An idle reader has to wonder, though, whether someone from Los Angeles would be happy in a metropolis like Summit, New Jersey.

Well, that's the question isn't it? Can a family of 3 reasonably afford to live in New York City? What is the difference between that and New Jersey, and where in New Jersey can a family with a small child (and hopefully another on the way in the near future) live and still commute to Summit reasonably if Summit itself is out of the question (don't know if it is or not, but it's nice to have other options).

We rent a 2 bedroom in Los Angeles right now. For $1,800 a month we get a very short commute to our offices 900 sq feet of living space, a relatively safe and family friendly neighborhood, and the joys of living in a duplex rather than an apartment complex. I don't know what, if anything is comparable to that in the New York City area, but I think we can probably find something comparable to that in New Jersey. Maybe with a dishwasher as a bonus?

I don't know if New Jersey is really going to be a forever home or just a part of a five year plan to get us to our forever home. She grew up in Philly and lived in Brooklyn for about 2 years, so I am not worried about her adjusting. But I know exactly nothing about living back east. I do expect some culture shock.

If she gets the job we are taking it, that isn't really in question. It's far too good an opportunity, and opens up far to many doors for her to pass it up. I just don't know what happens then.

[SoylentPopTart]

Originally Posted by Spiriting Lightly

<snip>New Jersey.

Lurker! Get 'em!

[Nebelhund]

Taxes are crazy high for pretty much everything. My co-workers that live in NJ say that $10,000 a year in property taxes for a pretty average house is not at all uncommon.

[What Exit?]

Summit is in the middle of Jersey Sprawl. Very expensive overall. Just heading a bit east towards Newark (But not in Newark :shudder the rents/housing cost drops.

Sadly commuting from down my way up to Summit is a time consuming pain. I can't imagine living in NYC and commuting to Summit. That's crazy talk.

New Jersey is the best and worst of states all in a fairly small package. We have the #2 average income, top 5 schools, easy reach of The City & Philly but also The Shore and AC and skiing. We have plenty of pro sports teams. We have Camden (worst city in US) and Brick (best city in US thought it is barely a city). We have great towns and terrible towns. We have rural farm areas, mountain towns, lovely walking towns, cities and hamlets surrounded by cranberry bogs. We're very water oriented. Lots of fresh produce below the Raritan River and in the North West, we are the Garden State after all. Most towns are safe, some are awful. Our traffic is terrible, our taxes high, our insurance high, if you work your life here as a professional and sock money into your 401K and investments, you should be able to retire well to one of those numerous cheap states (almost any other state ).


NAF, feel free to call me this week if you want. I'll Email over my number to you.


What do you consider a reasonable commute in minutes?

[mswas]

Originally Posted by Spiriting Lightly

Summit is a very nice town as New Jersey towns go, but housing is very pricy, you will probably decide you need at least two cars, electricity and natural gas rates stay on the high side, and local taxes gobble up a fair amount of cash.

For all of the money you'll spend, a sense of discontent may set in, especially if you want to live in an actual neighborhood. All too many New Jersey towns don't really have main streets or downtowns, places where friends and people from the block congregate -- you might get very tired of malls and shopping centers. In particular, in that part of New Jersey, some people never really develop a sense of place, of belonging in a town; since these hamlets usually aren't separated by natural obstacles, like rivers say, one bunch of houses tends to run into another with nothing to really define a town as a town.

By bus or train, New York City is about 40 to 50 minutes away: the train dumps passengers at Penn Station on 34th Street; the bus goes to the Port Authority on 42nd Street. Public transportation runs pretty frequently; if you choose to live in Summit, bus stops or terminals are a fairly quick walk.

Here's a suggestion: If your spouse took the job in Summit, would you consider living in NYC? If she commutes, rush hour will be fairly easy for her because she won't be jostling for space on a train or bus, or fighting with what seems like millions of other drivers; she's headed in the opposite direction. If you're seeking work in the city, your commute is likely to be soft as well. Beyond any of that, though, you're living in New York, with all of its zoos, museums, sights, sites . . . .

Not that New Jersey lacks charm, of course. Some of the beaches are beautiful; it's called the Garden State because reasonable plantings yield luxurious results; fine schools and parks dot the state. An idle reader has to wonder, though, whether someone from Los Angeles would be happy in a metropolis like Summit, New Jersey.

Summit does have a town center. It's actually a pretty nice town, but it's super expensive. All of the problems that Summit presents are the kinds of problems you run into in any of the wealthiest suburbs around the country. People are kind of snooty and stand-offish, etc...

I personally would rather live a little ways away from Summit like in South Orange or something, where the cost of living is probably half of what it is in Summit. But Summit is very nice. Also, check out Berkeley Heights. I kind of grew up there, it's where my Grandma lived. It's a really beautiful town, and probably 10-15% cheaper than Summit, and also has something of a town center.

Personally, I love New Jersey. There is a lot of culture there that people don't realize when they hate on Jersey. It's one of the most cultured parts of the country, with lots of stuff to do, and in Summit you are half an hour from NYC in one direction, and incredibly beautiful rolling hill farmland about 15 minutes in the other.

Summit is a hub for public transit, so you can get to a lot of places in New Jersey within half an hour from Summit via train.

Summit is also filled with positively gorgeous houses, mostly between half million and a million dollars a pop.

In the spring when the flowers are blooming, that part of New Jersey is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

[mswas]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Well, that's the question isn't it? Can a family of 3 reasonably afford to live in New York City? What is the difference between that and New Jersey, and where in New Jersey can a family with a small child (and hopefully another on the way in the near future) live and still commute to Summit reasonably if Summit itself is out of the question (don't know if it is or not, but it's nice to have other options).

I live in New York City with my wife and two kids on roughly $80k per year.

We rent a 2 bedroom in Los Angeles right now. For $1,800 a month we get a very short commute to our offices 900 sq feet of living space, a relatively safe and family friendly neighborhood, and the joys of living in a duplex rather than an apartment complex. I don't know what, if anything is comparable to that in the New York City area, but I think we can probably find something comparable to that in New Jersey. Maybe with a dishwasher as a bonus?

It takes us a little while to commute to downtown from where we are at the north end of Manhattan. For $ 2000 we have about 900sf in a 1.75 bath 2.5 bedroom apartment. Meaning that we have one bathroom with a shower-bath and another bathroom with just a shower. We have two bedrooms, one is billed as an office because it is not much larger than a walk-in closet out in the burbs.

I don't know if New Jersey is really going to be a forever home or just a part of a five year plan to get us to our forever home. She grew up in Philly and lived in Brooklyn for about 2 years, so I am not worried about her adjusting. But I know exactly nothing about living back east. I do expect some culture shock.

Yeah, there will be some of that. If you're talking about work in Summit, you can actually live half an hour south of Summit and be about half an hour from Philly if there is family in Philly. Princeton is the halfway point for NYC and Philly.

If she gets the job we are taking it, that isn't really in question. It's far too good an opportunity, and opens up far to many doors for her to pass it up. I just don't know what happens then.

Well, New Jersey is a great place. If you look around you can find really nice coffee shops and bars with live music. There are farmers markets, pretty much everything you'd find in a major city as long as you spread your net wider than just one town. Which isn't that hard considering a town like Summit is less than 5 square miles and you have that fabulous Jersey thing where you can drive in a straight line into a town out into another town back into the first town, into yet another town and back into the first town again. In otherwords, the towns are small but they are back to back.

Farleigh Dickinson University is in Madison NJ which is close to Summit and that's a cool town. It's pretty easy to get to New Brunswick and Boundbrook which are both college towns and get lots of rock shows and that sort of thing if you're into that.

For me New Jersey has a vibrant artist community, and unlike the big cities it tends to be less pretentious, more laid back. One of the nicer arts communities I've been involved with. That matters to me a lot. Might not matter to you at all.

And New Jersey is fairly central to the entire northeast. 4 hours to DC, less than an hour to Philly less than an hour to NYC, 4.5 hours to Boston.


How old is your little one? I live in Inwood, and if you have a little one, it's probably the best neighborhood in the city to raise a small child.


I think the biggest drawback to me of living in the part of NJ that you talk about living in, is that it's super white collar commuter town style. I can't stress enough that it's the wealthiest part of the entire country. Sure there are places like the Hamptons or Beverly Hills that concentrate mega-wealth into a tiny area, but that area of New Jersey has something like half a dozen of the wealthiest zip codes all abutting each other. If you're not rolling large in that area, it can be alienating for your child. And by that I mean like if you have a family income of $ 100k per year, your kid will be one of the poor kids in Summit.

[NAF1138]

Originally Posted by What Exit?

Summit is in the middle of Jersey Sprawl. Very expensive overall. Just heading a bit east towards Newark (But not in Newark :shudder the rents/housing cost drops.

So East of Summit is good. Check. What are we talking about? Looking at a map I see Maplewood, South Orange, Irvington and Union. I know my wife has found cheapish apartments in Union and South Orange has already been mentioned.

Sadly commuting from down my way up to Summit is a time consuming pain. I can't imagine living in NYC and commuting to Summit. That's crazy talk.

Good to know. We'll take looking in NYC off the list.

NAF, feel free to call me this week if you want. I'll Email over my number to you.

I got your email. I'll take you up on that offer in a couple of days once I have a clearer idea of what my questions are. Thanks!

What do you consider a reasonable commute in minutes?

I grew up in LA, so I am ok with long commutes. I currently have a 15 minute commute, and that is an extreme luxury in this city. Before we moved into our current place the shortest commute I ever had was 45 minutes, and when I was in college I would commute 1 - 1.5 hours every day after I moved off campus. Shorter is always better, but I am ok with up to 1 hour each way, as long as only one of us has to do that.

Originally Posted by Nebelhund

Taxes are crazy high for pretty much everything. My co-workers that live in NJ say that $10,000 a year in property taxes for a pretty average house is not at all uncommon.

Home ownership isn't an option for us right now. I don't want to buy a house in a state I have never even visited. But we would like to own a home someday, I guess that's something to take into account.

Originally Posted by mswas

Summit does have a town center. It's actually a pretty nice town, but it's super expensive. All of the problems that Summit presents are the kinds of problems you run into in any of the wealthiest suburbs around the country. People are kind of snooty and stand-offish, etc...

I currently live on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, I totally understand what you are talking about and would prefer to avoid it. So thanks for the heads up.

I personally would rather live a little ways away from Summit like in South Orange or something, where the cost of living is probably half of what it is in Summit. But Summit is very nice. Also, check out Berkeley Heights. I kind of grew up there, it's where my Grandma lived. It's a really beautiful town, and probably 10-15% cheaper than Summit, and also has something of a town center.

Check.

Originally Posted by mswas

I live in New York City with my wife and two kids on roughly $80k per year.

Good to know. That's going to be the ballpark of what we will be making if/when I get a job. Hopefully a little more, but in that ballpark.

It takes us a little while to commute to downtown from where we are at the north end of Manhattan. For $ 2000 we have about 900sf in a 1.75 bath 2.5 bedroom apartment. Meaning that we have one bathroom with a shower-bath and another bathroom with just a shower. We have two bedrooms, one is billed as an office because it is not much larger than a walk-in closet out in the burbs.

Something like that sounds perfect.

Yeah, there will be some of that. If you're talking about work in Summit, you can actually live half an hour south of Summit and be about half an hour from Philly if there is family in Philly. Princeton is the halfway point for NYC and Philly.

So if I were to say that Priceton is too far, but that somewhere between Princeton and Summit might be good (closeish to family still but with not quite as heavy a commute) where would you say I should look at living? Somewhere SW of Summit I would guess, but that part of the map is littered with towns. Where should I start?

How old is your little one? I live in Inwood, and if you have a little one, it's probably the best neighborhood in the city to raise a small child.

She just turned 1, and we are hoping to have a second on the way sometime this year. So good for raising very young children is a high priority.

If you're not rolling large in that area, it can be alienating for your child. And by that I mean like if you have a family income of $ 100k per year, your kid will be one of the poor kids in Summit.

I grew up like that. Upper middle class family living and going to school with the super rich (members of the Disney family, and the Hilton family are former classmates of mine from my elementary and Jr. High school years). It's not fun and I would like to avoid it for my kids if possible. So that's good to know. The arts communities you mentioned are important to me too. I used to make my living working in live theatre and it would be nice to get back into that type of a community even if I don't go back to working that way.

[Uthrecht]

I grew up in south Jersey. I give it a hard rap, and I prefer Pennsylvania, but it's not that bad overall. I think I'm more of a fan of south Jersey than north Jersey. There are a few differences, in my opinion. The southern half is more flat with sandier soil, and has the Pine Barrens in the middle of it. The northern half starts to get more rolling hills, particularly as you go northwest, and also gets more congested as you get up closer to NYC.

Now, while you can get serious suburban sprawl in the Camden County area on the Jersey side of Philadelphia, I don't think it's quite as dense as you get in the NYC suburb areas like the Oranges. On the flipside, that kind of density can give you better community identity. The further northwest part gets back into rural areas.

[NAF1138]

Gonna give this a post holiday bump in case anyone has something else they want to add. Otherwise I will leave it alone until after the New Year, at which point we should know if she got the job or not.

I think it look very likely personally. They are flying her out, putting her up in a hotel and hiring a car service all so she can go to lunch with 2 guys.

[Lilly]

As a NJ native my advice is to check out Hillsborough, Flemington, Somerville, East Millstone...Maybe Bridgewater, Martinsville and Watchung, too. These are just south(ish) of Route 78. Summit is very nice if you can swing it, I like the town. Very cute. No Snookies allowed. My aunt works at Overlook Hospital in Summit. She commutes from Somerset. My cousin used to work somewhere in Summit (I forget where) and she used to pay someone to park in their driveway since parking was really expensive and hard to find.

Hope this helps a little bit. If you give me names of the towns you are looking at on a map I'll give you my 2 cents again!

[mswas]

If you're gonna be lookng for a job, access to NYC will vastly improve your options. If your wife works in Summit, it can be problematic to have a car in NYC. Weehaujen and Tea Neck are just over the Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington bridge respectively, so easy access to NYC but not as expensive. Given her reverse commute she could breeze to Summit in half an hour. Union and South Orange are good. Seton Hall is in South Orange so it's a somewhat hip town. More Blue Collar than Summit. I do not know the area around Princeton so I cannot answer wuestions about it.

[mswas]

Weehauken even.

[Ceejaytee]

Originally Posted by Lilly

As a NJ native my advice is to check out Hillsborough, Flemington, Somerville, East Millstone...Maybe Bridgewater, Martinsville and Watchung, too. These are just south(ish) of Route 78. Summit is very nice if you can swing it, I like the town. Very cute. No Snookies allowed. My aunt works at Overlook Hospital in Summit. She commutes from Somerset. My cousin used to work somewhere in Summit (I forget where) and she used to pay someone to park in their driveway since parking was really expensive and hard to find.

Hope this helps a little bit. If you give me names of the towns you are looking at on a map I'll give you my 2 cents again!

I'm with Lilly. I'd go West or Southwest of Summit (which is a very nice town). I work one town over from Summit, in New Providence. It, and its other neighbor Berkeley Heights are nice. We live in the teeny tiny boro of Fanwood, a little east of there. If you're looking for someplace not as fancy or expensive as Summit, with good schools, there's Fanwood and Scotch Plains (we share a school system), and the neighboring town of Cranford. The only problem with all three towns is that the train does not go directly into Manhattan; you have to change in Newark. It's an easy transition, but a bit of a pain. I would avoid Westfield, in the same area, due to its lovely but incredibly clogged downtown, its incredibly high parking fines, and because it raises my blood pressure to go there. It is pretty though.

We've been thinking about moving in the direction of Madison or Basking Ridge. If you want more diversity, Morristown is also a good place to go and has a nice downtown. We're a bit concerned about the schools which aren't as fabulous as we'd like.

You also probably want to stay out of Essex County, which has very high taxes due to carrying Newark. We have friends in Maplewood, also a nice town, but they complain about the tax burden there.

[What Exit?]

Of interest on the schools. NJ schools are among the best in the nation. Maybe 4th on the last round up IRC. California's are nose diving and a lot lower, so even our average schools might be better than what you could hope for in most of California. Worth keeping in mind.

[Giraffe]

Originally Posted by What Exit?

Of interest on the schools. NJ schools are among the best in the nation. Maybe 4th on the last round up IRC. California's are nose diving and a lot lower, so even our average schools might be better than what you could hope for in most of California. Worth keeping in mind.

Nose diving? I thought we were already last?

[NAF1138]

Originally Posted by Ceejaytee

I'm with Lilly. I'd go West or Southwest of Summit (which is a very nice town). I work one town over from Summit, in New Providence. It, and its other neighbor Berkeley Heights are nice. We live in the teeny tiny boro of Fanwood, a little east of there. If you're looking for someplace not as fancy or expensive as Summit, with good schools, there's Fanwood and Scotch Plains (we share a school system), and the neighboring town of Cranford. The only problem with all three towns is that the train does not go directly into Manhattan; you have to change in Newark. It's an easy transition, but a bit of a pain. I would avoid Westfield, in the same area, due to its lovely but incredibly clogged downtown, its incredibly high parking fines, and because it raises my blood pressure to go there. It is pretty though.

We've been thinking about moving in the direction of Madison or Basking Ridge. If you want more diversity, Morristown is also a good place to go and has a nice downtown. We're a bit concerned about the schools which aren't as fabulous as we'd like.

You also probably want to stay out of Essex County, which has very high taxes due to carrying Newark. We have friends in Maplewood, also a nice town, but they complain about the tax burden there.

This is very very helpful. Thanks. We are looking at apartment adds and it's hard to tell good neighborhoods from bad right now.

I know my wife has found places in Murray Hill and Vauxhall that seem to be in our price range and are ready for immediate move in. But I don't know anything about them.

We will know for sure what is happening on Tuesday. So...fingers crossed.

[Lilly]

I'd love to know where you wind up. Keep us posted, and good luck with everything.

[mswas]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

This is very very helpful. Thanks. We are looking at apartment adds and it's hard to tell good neighborhoods from bad right now.

I know my wife has found places in Murray Hill and Vauxhall that seem to be in our price range and are ready for immediate move in. But I don't know anything about them.

We will know for sure what is happening on Tuesday. So...fingers crossed.

Murray Hill is nice, it is sort of an outcropping of Berkeley Heights and New Providence, being that their town centers are its town centers.

Madison and Basking Ridge are not cheap. Basking Ridge is much farther from Manhattan than Summit, like another half an hour.

[What Exit?]

Originally Posted by Giraffe

Nose diving? I thought we were already last?

I was under the impression that 10 years ago Cal. was middle of the pack but even recently was ahead of the Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas at very least. But I really haven't checked lately. My kids are in some of the best schools in the state that is at least top 5 overall. We don't plan to move again until the kids are out of the house so I have not checked as much lately.

I just did some quick checking, NJ is anywhere from 4-16 in different ratings and California is consistently bottom 10 and often bottom 5. So I guess the fall is complete for California.

[NAF1138]

Yeah, our public schools are horrible at anything below the college level. We still have the best public university program in the country though, so that's something.

Anyway, my wife is on the plane right now and by this time tomorrow we will know if we are moving.

I think we might have a place in Murray Hill lined up, but nothing is set in stone yet since we don't know if she has the job yet.

[Portia]

My hubby Tripler's from New Jersey, lots of family still living there in North and South Jersey; mayhap he'll chime in? We were just there 2 weeks ago, in Mickleton/Bridgeton/Elmer/Sewell area. Crazy windy out there in cowland!
Did someone already mention they don't let you pump your own gas in NJ?

[Who_me?]

Originally Posted by Portia

My hubby Tripler's from New Jersey, lots of family still living there in North and South Jersey; mayhap he'll chime in? We were just there 2 weeks ago, in Mickleton/Bridgeton/Elmer/Sewell area. Crazy windy out there in cowland!
Did someone already mention they don't let you pump your own gas in NJ?

I've been stuck working in Mickleton and Elmer, NJ the last two weeks and am in Williamstown, NJ this week. I don't know squat about Jersey since I'm from Baltimore.

[What Exit?]

Originally Posted by Portia

Did someone already mention they don't let you pump your own gas in NJ?

Overall the gas thing is nice. It is occasionally a minor pain, but hey, you get to stay in your car on rainy and snowy days. We also have fairly cheap (for the region at least) gas.

I've driven across country and indeed lived in San Diego for 3+ years and from what I can see, most of the time, our service stations are as quick as the self serve states.

NAF1138, good luck. I hope she gets it and I look forward to meeting you both.

[Portia]

Originally Posted by Who_me?

I've been stuck working in Mickleton and Elmer, NJ the last two weeks and am in Williamstown, NJ this week. I don't know squat about Jersey since I'm from Baltimore.

Holy crap, I didn't know they still had milkmaids!!

[Tripler]

My Sweet Pea alluded to this thread, so you know I just had to find it.

I'd given a response to this thread some serious thought, and weighed it on my prolific praise versus some of my caution. Then I said to myself, "Um, dude, this is your inside voice talking. Nobody on the innerwebs can hear me. Just friggin' post." So, here it is.

If you want to really know New Jersey, it'll take a scoche of drivin'. Jersey's not that big, but you can and ought to take two hours' drive to some of the better spots of NJ.

Here's my quick synopsis: Draw an east-west line through Trenton. There's your quick North Jersey/South Jersey line: two different and distinct cultures. On the northern half, draw a meridian through Morristown. That's your New York Suburb/rural North Jersey line. Keep those four lines in mind.

Starting with South Jersey, you're going to find a large agrarian or beach-based society. Good times! Life in South Jersey's pretty laid back, and you will enjoy it. Philadelphia is the predominant city there (yes, even all the way to Atlantic City), and most things are pretty slow and relaxed. I'd go into it more, but why? Tomatoes and asparagus grow slowly, and so do things down there. My folks hail from Bridgeton and to a lesser extent Vineland, so I can fill you in on details. Hell, I'll give you directions to the concrete shipwrecks (yes, as in cement!) at Cape May.

Moving Northward, it's fairly obvious that New York City dominates the suburban life. Morristown's got a lot of history, and there's a lot of seashore stuff and more history towards the ocean. Most people overlook the mountains in North Jersey. I used to go hiking in Allamuchy and Wanaque, and spent a couple 'o' summers with the Boy Scouts near Blairstown.

Bottom line, there's a sh*tload of things to do and see. Yeah, I know I sound like a tourist advertisement, but 99% of the people that talk crap about NJ never took an exit off the Turnpike. I've seen it all. Love the state, but there's too damn many people there anymore, and they spoil what I remember what Jersey was.

Tripler
I bleed red, white, and black.

[NAF1138]

Thanks for all the information guys. I am getting genuinely excited about the prospect of moving.

Well, the in person interview went well. We will know by Friday if they are giving the job to my wife or to someone else. We thought we would know by today, but that was just an assumption on our part.

The waiting sucks.

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by Tripler

Hell, I'll give you directions to the concrete shipwrecks (yes, as in cement!) at Cape May.

Sadly, there isn't much left of the Atlantus at this point, and I believe the WWII bunker down the beach has been fully closed off for a while now. I remember fishing off the top of it and having some guy down the way catch a small shark.

Cape May itself is a pretty nice place to tool around in, though.

[eleanorigby]

Ok, so fill me in. I've never seen that show that features those people in New Jersey (the Snookie reference), but I've grown up with slighting Jersey references in comedy and pop culture. I've driven through NJ several times, but mostly as a young child and the one time I did it as an adult, it was dark.

So, what part of NJ is the butt of all the jokes (armpit of the nation, mobster paradise, odd looking orange people with really bad haircuts etc)?

[mswas]

Tripler A piece of family trivia that I learned over the holiday is that my Father's Grandfather who was a famous Southern Architect had a hand in designing those concrete ships.

[mswas]

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

Ok, so fill me in. I've never seen that show that features those people in New Jersey (the Snookie reference), but I've grown up with slighting Jersey references in comedy and pop culture. I've driven through NJ several times, but mostly as a young child and the one time I did it as an adult, it was dark.

So, what part of NJ is the butt of all the jokes (armpit of the nation, mobster paradise, odd looking orange people with really bad haircuts etc)?

North Jersey, the Jersey Shore. For the armpit you're talking like Elizabeth/Bayonne or Camden. For the orange Guidos you're looking at the shore like Seabright (or anywhere really). New Jersey as a whole is pretty mobbed up honestly. But it's not like you run across them in your daily life.

[NAF1138]

Holy carp! She got the job!

Ok, now we need to figure out how long it will take to move across the country. They are letting her pick her own start date since they aren't going to help us move, but sooner is still better.

Yikes. I never expected New Jersey.

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Yikes. I never expected New Jersey.

Nobody does. Congratulations and good luck!

[Mako]

Originally Posted by Giraffe

Nose diving? I thought we were already last?

I'm sure I read somewhere[Citation Needed] that Broward Co., FLA had the worst public* school results in the nation. Mind you, that was probably 20 years ago.

Apropos of the thread, I thought from the title that NAF was moving to Jersey.

Advice for moving there would be somewhat different.




* ="State-run" as opposed to English 'public' schools such as Harrow, Eton, etc. which Americans call 'private'. Why do we differ in this? It's stupid. ETA: The American terminology makes far more sense.

[Portia]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Holy carp! She got the job!

Ok, now we need to figure out how long it will take to move across the country. They are letting her pick her own start date since they aren't going to help us move, but sooner is still better.

Yikes. I never expected New Jersey.

Now's the time to look into local charities who'll pick up from your house.

[whirlingbladesofkick]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Holy carp! She got the job!

Ok, now we need to figure out how long it will take to move across the country. They are letting her pick her own start date since they aren't going to help us move, but sooner is still better.

Yikes. I never expected New Jersey.

Congrats to her!

[eleanorigby]

Yay for new jobs, even if they do involve moving 3000 miles!

[Merestil Haye]

Congrats to Mrs. NAF.

I hope the move goes smoothly for you all.

[What Exit?]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Holy carp! She got the job!

Ok, now we need to figure out how long it will take to move across the country. They are letting her pick her own start date since they aren't going to help us move, but sooner is still better.

Yikes. I never expected New Jersey.

Way cool. Congrats to both of you.

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

Ok, so fill me in. I've never seen that show that features those people in New Jersey (the Snookie reference), but I've grown up with slighting Jersey references in comedy and pop culture. I've driven through NJ several times, but mostly as a young child and the one time I did it as an adult, it was dark.

So, what part of NJ is the butt of all the jokes (armpit of the nation, mobster paradise, odd looking orange people with really bad haircuts etc)?

North East Jersey is nearly pure urban and there is still the refineries and enough garbage dumps and old mills to keep up the negative view of NJ. North West Jersey is lovely and expensive. Below the Raritan is mostly nice.

The Shore starts in parts of Monmouth County with Sandy Hook and runs all the way south to Cape May. Some communities get overwhelmed by Bennies and Guidos every summer. Wild Wood gets the Pennsylvania equivalent. Atlantic City is the gambling mecca of the aged. Huge amount of seniors roll in on buses from North Jersey, NYC & Philly. On the other hand Cape May is a throw back to an earlier time and nearly perfect. Many of the Shore communities are great and many are honky tonk.

Originally Posted by mswas

North Jersey, the Jersey Shore. For the armpit you're talking like Elizabeth/Bayonne or Camden. For the orange Guidos you're looking at the shore like Seabright (or anywhere really). New Jersey as a whole is pretty mobbed up honestly. But it's not like you run across them in your daily life.

Not Sea Bright, not for a very long time. It went upscale in the 80s. Even the Highlands are much nicer than they were in the 70s and early 80s when I had friends living there. Asbury Park is very run down and places like Bradley Beach and Long Branch are not great. But Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Ocean Grove, Avon-by-the-Sea, Spring Lake are very nice and expensive communities.

[Portia]

I sure wish my husband Tripler were here to tell me why they call it The Garden State. *walks away whistling*

[whirlingbladesofkick]

Originally Posted by What Exit?

Not Sea Bright, not for a very long time. It went upscale in the 80s. Even the Highlands are much nicer than they were in the 70s and early 80s when I had friends living there. Asbury Park is very run down and places like Bradley Beach and Long Branch are not great. But Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Ocean Grove, Avon-by-the-Sea, Spring Lake are very nice and expensive communities.

My folks lived in Spring Lake for a few years in the 90s. It was really idyllic and beautiful.

[Solfy]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Holy carp! She got the job!

Ok, now we need to figure out how long it will take to move across the country. They are letting her pick her own start date since they aren't going to help us move, but sooner is still better.

Yikes. I never expected New Jersey.

Hooray! Best wishes for your newest adventure.
_{NJ can't be that bad, can it?}

[whirlingbladesofkick]

Originally Posted by Solfy

_{NJ can't be that bad, can it?}

It's not like it's Pennsylvania or something!!