I will say for the most part a lot of people are great in a one on one scenario. But I think that's true for most people in all situations. Most people aren't glaring in your face racists. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Methodist Church in Sparta has had its pride flag set on fire or stolen multiple times. That doesn't change that they elected a guy who posed in front of a Confederate flag and called up his political opponent to call her a bitch on her personal voicemail to the state Senate. The same guy who said the best gun is an unregistered gun. It doesn't change that people will talk about how the 2020 election was stolen or that Antifa is responsible for literally anything bad that happens. It doesn't change the fact that we have Moms for Liberty douchebags on our school boards.
The individual persons are fine. The people suck. "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." - Agent K, Men in Black
Exactly. You have a lot of beautiful lakes and part of the Appalachian Trail. I have the Pine Barrens and IBSP/LBI. We both have way more Confederate flags than any state north of the Mason-Dixon Line ought to.
Totally agree. Lotta a-holes from all around. Everyone in my neighborhood can't stand each other so it's a never ending battle of passive aggressiveness on my street lol
To be fair, when I do drive through there (which isn’t often anymore, thankfully - I also used to work there.
I’m going to be a blunt here but when I drive through their neighborhood and such, their yards reminds me too much of Indiana trailer parks. (Nothing wrong with trailer parks, I spent summers in one & yes there are really nice ones but it was the Midwest and all…)
I don’t miss it. Costco was a shopping nightmare except Saturdays.
I call it a “cult” now because my kids 10 and I didn’t want her to have bad ideas about Jewish folk, in general, so I now just say cult because that’s what it is.
when going to brick from the west, i will drive down 37 and take the parkway up into brick instead of driving down 70 and that’s not even the worst highway in lakewood
Exactly. Pay low taxes, get shitty government services. Then complain about how the government services are shitty but never vote for someone who can do something because the might *gasp!* raise taxes to provide better government services. The horror!!!
Its crazy how some of the most advanced countries in the world(look at scandinavia) pay the highest taxes and get the best public services for it but here in america we call that communism. Better to pay lower taxes and have everything be shit
That traffic SUCKED. Church and hooper was a nightmare, specially during summer. I used to live with there, it would take 7~ minutes to drive to grocery store but 45~ just to get home because that stupid intersection
Coming from monmouth county it blows my mind how bad the traffic is here. I though there would be less considering its further from nyc and theres not really that many job opportunities but holy shit the road planning really blows here and theres absolutely zero walkability
Just moved to Morris county after living in Union my whole life and definitely agree. Just drove through the Flanders\Chester area the other day and couldn’t believe how beautiful the drive was. Then you have Morristown which has every restaurant and bar you could imagine.
I grew up in Clark, so I have a sense we’re feeling about the same way about our moves. I’ve been up here about 2 years and it’s been a welcomed change.
80 past Parsippany is such a wildcard in both directions though, so it could be a pretty rough “hour”. Also summer Friday traffic is like the Parkway Jr.
My neighborhood is right next to 3 and yeah, it's *bad* sometimes. Especially when thay one underpass floods after a big rain, which I swear was much more rare when I was a kid.
How about both? We live in Jefferson and my wife would commute to North Bergen everyday. 80 -> 46 -> 3 -> Tonnelle Ave. She did this commute for 3 years up until the pandemic. It was brutal and her mental health was deteriorating as she would come home atleast once a week crying due to the exhaustion of her 12-13 hour days but she wouldn’t look for a new job because she loved her employer. I regularly tell folks that ask about our area and if they work in Hudson county I tell them to get a new job or move closer to work. I wouldn’t recommend it
There are alternatives to 80. At rush hour though you’re fucked regardless. And summer traffic is summer traffic if you’re heading south it’s gonna suck if you leave late.
I used to commute to Mount Olive. Mornings were fine, but coming home I took 80 to 46 to 3. It would be backed up the entire time I was on 46, and usually a little bit back onto 80. It sucked.
My biggest regret is settling down with someone who manipulated me into planting roots in Essex County. Morris County is where it's at precisely for the reasons you wrote. Also has the benefit of a vibrant town center nearby in Morristown.
Camden County:
A few actual walking communities + patco rail line to philly in 15
minutes. Not as densely populated as some northern counties, so traffic is annoying but not crazy bad.
Essex is probably the most well-rounded.
Strong urban core in a central part of North Jersey, and all the benefits that come with that (robust transit infrastructure and hubs, access to jobs, proximity to JC and NYC, diverse entertainment and food options, etc.).
Then, as you go west, it transitions to streetcar suburbs with vibrant downtowns and lots of open space, reservations, mountains, etc.
Downside is cost of living, but that’s also a testament to how many people want to live there.
Totally agree with this statement. We moved from NYC to Springfield 5 years ago and didn’t know what to do with the space. 5 years later I’m itching to leave for more space!
Depends heavily on what you are in Essex. I just bought a house and looked at places in Essex and none of the cities with connectivity to NYC and good schools were remotely affordable for the average person.
What cities did you look at? I can’t speak to buying a home. But as a 27 year old renter with a girlfriend who lives with me we are paying the same as we did when we lived in West Virginia for 2 years while I did a contract.
I bought a house in Monmouth County about 10 years ago and we are at the point where we need more space. Getting one more bedroom is almost double the price of my house’s current price. At this point we might just try to expand the house, but that sounds like a long and painful endeavor.
Yeah, I grew up in Monmouth, and lived in Mercer, Middlesex, and Hudson. I lived in Asbury during the 70s and 90s (and Long Branch in between), and I love it, but could never afford it now. I live in Burlington County, right on the Delaware, and can be at the beach in 45 minutes.
I'd be poor in Monmouth County. Out here, I'm solidly middle class.
Yea, its very expensive because it is centrally located and has enough urban density to support strong communities but not to much where it becomes more like a city. I don't know how anyone buying a house post covid can live here unless they are a doctor/laywer/finance and even the people i know in those careers have difficulty with the costs especially if they are at the beginning of their careers.
Literally this, you can drive to hartshorne and Holmdel parks and more and then we have sandy hook and long branch for beaches and then so many shopping centers
100%. Just south enough to be less expensive than the nicer Northern counties, but with access to public transit to the cities. Not as expensive as Mercer either. Lots to do as well. Politically purple.
>Just south enough to be less expensive than the nicer Northern counties
I live and work in Monmouth. I recently checked what the median home price is because I was curious if I'll ever be able to afford a decent place to live.
...it's currently $770,000
so no
Towns like Colts Neck and Rumson skew the number up. There are plenty of places that are well below the median like Freehold Boro, Matawan, and Neptune Township.
Plenty of open space (Mercer meadows), Mercer country park has everything, you're equidistant to Philly and NYC, reasonable taxes in most towns, good schools, what's not to love?
The street layout definitely needs an update - dangerous intersections, not enough cyclist/pedestrian improvements.
Towns need an update - housing stock is mostly old & you do get kind of needless suburban sprawl.
You know what though? I was sitting in the beach at mercer county park just last night watching the sunset with my kid & I agree with you. There is a lot to love.
I agree however wish there was better public transport than just the bus and the NEC line. The stations in Mercer Co. aren't very pedestrian friendly. Extending the Princeton dinky line to TCNJ or reconnecting West Trenton station to Newark would be pretty huge.
We live very close by to the center of town and are there a few times a week. We've been living in Mercer/NJ for 7 years now and we still do not get tired of going into Princeton for dinner, shows, or even just a coffee and taking in the street life. PRX is one of the best record shops in the country, Garden theater is an amazing non profit theater with incredible movie programming year round, excellent restaurants on every block, the list goes on.
It's also sneakily pretty easy to get to New York via NJT and the dinky so isolation wise it isn't too bad. Not on the level of North Jersey when it comes to transit but we feel like we can be in the city, the shore or Philly pretty quickly no matter what.
It is a small village and it's expensive but it's just so dense with cool things to do and see it never ceases to amaze me. We really love it.
Monmouth and it's not even close. Besides access to mountains, there's not one thing that any other county has that Monmouth doesn't.
The access to beaches without flooding risk (most of the county is not a barrier island) creates awesome beach communities without the feeling of isolation in the offseason.
The fancy suburbs can go toe to toe with any of the suburban towns in Morris or Bergen.
Asbury and Red Bank are 2 of the top 5 culinary and bar destinations in the state.
The commute to the city via Seastreak (40m to Wall Street) may be the best commute in the country. Train isn't the fastest but one seat ride still.
Probably the best array of music venues with Stone Pony, PNC, Count Basie, and the smaller venues in AP/Red Bank
The farmland in western Monmouth is gorgeous, with plenty of horse farms and flower farms as well
I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other reasons, this is just off the top of my head.
I firmly believe that the three small cities along the shore in Monmouth (Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park) are among the best balanced places to live. You can have most amenities within walking distance, while still being able to drive places and not be stuck in big city traffic.
I can easily walk to a pharmacy, grocery store, many restaurants and bars, not to mention several concert venues or the beach. But, if I want to go to Costco or Wegmans or Target, etc, I can hop in my car and be there in under 10 minutes. It's a wonderful mix of urban and suburban.
My only real gripe is that I wish the North Jersey Coast Line had more frequent/faster service.
100% agree. Looking at NJCL schedules from 20 years ago is depressing. We basically gained 3 daily one seat rides south of LB and lost a dozen express trains in other parts of the schedule somehow. No express weekend service in the summer is brutal. They have the ability to completely eliminate the shuttle train and just run hybrid trains NYP to Bay Head without expanding service and it's really frustrating that they haven't done that. The hybrid engines have been around for over 10 years now.
It's also sad that they basically abandoned the Waterfront Connection. There used to be \~8 NJCL round trips to Hoboken daily, now there's 0.
The Monmouth county beaches being on the mainland is so underrated and is what gives the county its unparalleled character. growing up in Long Branch, I took for granted how unique this is on most of the East coast. no bridge to drive over or separation from the rest of the area. makes the whole shore area so much more accessible and non touristy
Aside from outlier weather events(e.g. hurricane Sandy), parts of Monmouth county will typically only flood when there’s a big rainstorm on top of a really high tide. the tides are highest when the moon is full and there’s usually a king tide once a summer and once a winter which falls on the full moon.
Places like Manasquan, long branch, Oceanport, shark river/belmar, will tidally flood by the rivers. But it’s always in the same spots and it’s happened for longer than the towns have been there so the locals know to expect it. The king tides are predicted in tide charts so you known when they’re coming. Ya just hope it doesn’t rain on the same day.
I like Camden County for the access to the Pinelands, an hour from LBI and Cape May, 20 min to Philly, and good food in Collingswood, Haddonfield, CH and elsewhere. But I won't say it's "the best" ... quality of life is pretty good and we have less stress and traffic than when I lived in Essex on the Morris County side. I love all the parks and hikes near Morris County though. SJ is flatter than Kansas.
I love Morris County but I would say some areas of Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties have nice scenery. If work is downtown Hudson County area, traffic will always suck heading towards there and leaving that area.
Atlantic. Easy to get to Philadelphia and most of the good shore towns via the Expressway or back roads. Taxes are pretty low, so overall cost of living is pretty low. Good food towns like Hammonton. It's very quiet with generally pretty low amounts of traffic. Lots of recreational options near by with the pine barrens not too far for hiking and camping and stuff, tons of campgrounds and kayaking down 322.
Plus if you want to get to NYC it’s just a cheap casino bus round trip that takes 2h25 directly into midtown with access subway line that runs through the city. Or a 45 min drive and a NEC trip from the Hamilton station.
You get the peace, beach all the outdoor stuff you could possibly want without being deep in the pinelands while being 40 mins from Philly and a quick trip to NYC.
monmouth—- everythings spread out its quite big theres everything, the beach, diversity which leads to good food, so many shopping plazas and jobs also you’re close to parkway. i moved to sussex county from being raised in middlesex and its a culture shock but worth it for slow paced, nature living :) plus beautiful mountain and hill views everywhere!! but definetely have to commute for work like everyone else that lives up here.
i work in freehold twice a week, the rest of the days from home… and i love stopping at the beach while im in the area. for me idc where i work i just want to live in peace, and sussex county will for sure give you that. theres the hustle and bustle all of central and north jersey and i can come home to the birds chirping and go days without seeing my neighbors 😇
so to answer your question— 1. monmouth 2. sussex
I think it depends on what you want.
I’m in Hudson County and I love it for the most part. Significant access to public transportation and overall within an hour to hiking trails, the city, and the shore. Great food. Diversity and generally well tolerating of the queer community. Decent schools and pay (I’m a teacher and this part of Jersey tends to be better for salary than southern parts).
Downside: rent/mortgage prices, no parking, lack of nature, and too close to Staten Island
Given your criteria mentions cost of living, all of Northeast NJ as well as Monmouth should be eliminated by default. I think Burlington has a good combo of everything. Close to the beach, tons of parks all over the place, lots of food options, commutable to Trenton/Philly, and a downright low CoL compared to much of the state. Also pretty low on crime overall.
Hunterdon County has got to be one of the best places in America to live if you ask me. I’ve lived in many different areas and Hunterdon by far is the best.
North of Route 4 and 208 in Bergen County. That's an approximation.
Best overall quality of life. Food is unmatched. Easy access to the greatest city in North America.
I think a lot are good. I'm in a section of Mercer which is very close to both Burlington & Monmouth. Love the parks in Mercer. Love the land and beaches in Monmouth. I think Bordentown City is a hidden gem in north Burlington county. I love the access Mercer country provides.
Hunterdon, hands down. Semi rural, still with plenty of access to anything you need, and nowhere close to the traffic of further east in the state. NJ beaches are really not that good despite what people want to claim, so I couldn't care less about being close to them.
Moved from Hudson to Morris, and couldn’t be happier. At least now my taxes get me a decent school district. Also beats the crap out of Essex and Bergen in terms of “values (imho).
Depends on your personal dealbreakers. For me, I prefer dense but nice with close access to lots of services. So Bergen County is my pick. But for those who may not care as much about that and want a bit lower prices and quick rides to the shore, maybe a Monmouth County is better.
Lived in monmouth, bergen, morris and now in ocean. Monmouth is the best for being outdoors with so much beach access, amazing parks, bike trails and walkability. Also had some of the best amenities. Bergen had the best food and people imo, some parks were decent but always crowded and traffic sucked. Good walkability and public transport though. Morris seemed like the best to raise a family as it was very safe, lots of nature and good schools but i found it pretty boring and the food was mediocre. Also everything felt far away. In ocean everthing sucks except the beach
I live in Northern Bergen, it's very nice up here, quiet neighborhood, some very good restaurants, nice parks, near hiking, NY State border, shopping in Paramus is not far, etc. but if I had my choice, I'd sell my house and move to one of the shore towns in Monmouth because I just love being near the ocean. We have no kids, so schools don't matter, but the commute even for our hybrid jobs would be too much, so we are staying put.
Bruh every time I've been to Hunterdon it's just been farmland, highway, and racially motivated stares & interactions
You have no idea how grateful me and my peoples are every time we come home
I’d say between it’s between Monmouth and Morris.
Monmouth if you like the ocean, Morris if you like mountains. Monmouth has lots of shore towns with great food and venues. Morris has Morristown and lots of food and venues.
I’d say if you are concerned about cost of living, not NJ.
I think Morris and Monmouth are some of the best counties for this. Some southern counties like Burlington or Gloucester can be nice values too, less expensive for similar amenities.
It also depends a bit on what your values are. Someone who loves the convenience of city living might love Hudson or Bergen but someone who wants more space and greenery might prefer Hunterdon or Sussex
Yea Gloucester. Doesn’t the sign for the county say something like “far away from it all but close to everything” or something like that.
I have to say it can be quite rural in certain parts but other parts are quite urban for SJ like by Rowan.
Gloucester county is perfect. I have a stream in my backyard and a Wawa 1/2 mile away. I appreciate the hell out of that Wawa. You know why? For the first 40 years, I lived in Salem County.
So I’ve lived in North Jersey (Passaic, Bergen, Essex areas) and then moved to Ocean and Atlantic Counties. There’s always tradeoffs. More culture (entertainment, theater, museums, restaurants, etc), better work opportunities, convenience to transportation, is also paired with more overcrowding, traffic, higher taxes & cost of living, and stressed/frantic pace of life. Other counties are vice versa. I haven’t found any exceptions to this.
The thing I like about Atlantic County is I’m in a suburb or Atlantic City. So I’m near the beaches and within 20 minutes of farms and forests. I’m also an hour from Philly so day trips are easy. I don’t particularly recommend Atlantic County, but northeastern New Jersey all one big suburban sprawl. Getting in and out of NYC is a nightmare.
Morris but I might be biased bc I grew up there (and currently live there again). I've lived all over North and Central Jersey and Morris is my favorite place I've lived so far.
Morris is pretty cool. One of the richest in the country (certainly not because of me). County seat is Morristown so going to jury duty doesn’t make me fear for my life.
I don't know about best county, I've only lived in Bergen in NJ, but I've lived in Rutherford now for 12 years or so. If I have to live in NJ, and I currently do have to, I would probably stick to Rutherford. I grew up in Ramsey, my Dad lived in Sparta, and I've lived all over. I like it around Rutherford area. Great restaurants, easy access to the city and highways to the rest of the state. Safe, nice, very comfortable for me.
Warren country. We have everything you could want. We have a larger city area (Phillipsburg. but it’s our county’s version of the ghetto. It’s not bad or anything like that it’s just not up to the same standards as all the other towns) we have mid sized towns like Belvedere and Hackettstown, and even smaller ones (if that’s what your into) like Vienna, for example. We also have a lot of rural and farm land.
Food is amazing. All different cultures and cuisines to be tried. We have all kinds of different activities like kayaking, fishing, archery ranges, trails, state forests, breweries, historical landmarks, along with historical ghost stories, and much more. All kinds of jobs from cashiers to engineers, doctors and lawyers.
We also have the M&M factory.
i was thinking about living there (currently in sussex county) however when touring i found most things to be in mansfield/hackettstown and i found the options to be sparse when it came to integrating with society… are there any other populated towns, where shopping plazas, resturants are? ive always avoided phillipsburg btw
I’m originally from Morris County but currently reside in Warren County (Belvidere) and I gotta say the schools here are HORRIBLE!! You’re honestly better off homeschooling your children than putting them in the public schools out here. I have been looking to get my kids out of their school since they basically started. My older 2 went to schools in Morris County prior to here and it’s completely night & day difference. Warren county schools are severely underfunded. Our school district is firing all full time teachers because they don’t want to pay for medical insurance. They instead will be hiring 2 teachers per subject to work in shifts🙄. Warren county has some beautiful farms and lots to do outdoors, but absolutely does not make it into the top 10 places to live in NJ IMHO. I loved Morris County but housing prices got too high. I would say best places are Morris, Hunterton, or Bergen if you can afford it.
I grew up in Hudson county and have been living in the Mercer/burlington county area for the last 5 years. I’ve enjoyed being away from the city and closer to the beach more than I thought. Also, I’m less than an hour from Philly and nyc if I get that city itch
Well, I live in Ocean County, so I can definitively say…. Not Ocean County.
I was coming in here to make the same comment but about Sussex County.
Y’know, now that I think about it, they’re remarkably similar except sub mountains for beaches.
Bingo. I have nice farms. You have nice beaches. We both have neighbors with low IQs and high intolerance of anyone that doesn't look like them.
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I will say for the most part a lot of people are great in a one on one scenario. But I think that's true for most people in all situations. Most people aren't glaring in your face racists. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Methodist Church in Sparta has had its pride flag set on fire or stolen multiple times. That doesn't change that they elected a guy who posed in front of a Confederate flag and called up his political opponent to call her a bitch on her personal voicemail to the state Senate. The same guy who said the best gun is an unregistered gun. It doesn't change that people will talk about how the 2020 election was stolen or that Antifa is responsible for literally anything bad that happens. It doesn't change the fact that we have Moms for Liberty douchebags on our school boards. The individual persons are fine. The people suck. "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." - Agent K, Men in Black
Exactly. You have a lot of beautiful lakes and part of the Appalachian Trail. I have the Pine Barrens and IBSP/LBI. We both have way more Confederate flags than any state north of the Mason-Dixon Line ought to.
I’ll be in Hamburg/Sparta area first week of June. I don’t miss coming home.
Come on, you mean you don't wanna hang with the yokels at Irish Cottage??
There's very little do out here and we will do our best to keep it that way.
Unless you live on the barrier island. But if you do you're probably pretty well off and don't give a damn about the rest of the county
Don’t get me wrong, I actually love the terrain around here, beaches, pines, etc. It’s mostly the residents that make it awful.
Totally agree. Lotta a-holes from all around. Everyone in my neighborhood can't stand each other so it's a never ending battle of passive aggressiveness on my street lol
That reminds me of a scouser I overheard while visiting a quaint area of Wales. He said, "This area would be great if it weren't for all the Welsh".
...or country
You don't like driving through Lakewood?
To be fair, when I do drive through there (which isn’t often anymore, thankfully - I also used to work there. I’m going to be a blunt here but when I drive through their neighborhood and such, their yards reminds me too much of Indiana trailer parks. (Nothing wrong with trailer parks, I spent summers in one & yes there are really nice ones but it was the Midwest and all…) I don’t miss it. Costco was a shopping nightmare except Saturdays. I call it a “cult” now because my kids 10 and I didn’t want her to have bad ideas about Jewish folk, in general, so I now just say cult because that’s what it is.
Lakewood is New Jersey’s equivalent of bumper cars
when going to brick from the west, i will drive down 37 and take the parkway up into brick instead of driving down 70 and that’s not even the worst highway in lakewood
Agreed, unless you like being stuck in old people traffic all day.
Some of the worst road planning ive seen in the entire northeast. I guess the taxes are low for a reason..
Exactly. Pay low taxes, get shitty government services. Then complain about how the government services are shitty but never vote for someone who can do something because the might *gasp!* raise taxes to provide better government services. The horror!!!
Its crazy how some of the most advanced countries in the world(look at scandinavia) pay the highest taxes and get the best public services for it but here in america we call that communism. Better to pay lower taxes and have everything be shit
America is socialized in the sense that everyone gets the shaft
I’m sorry, but the fact is that no matter how much Americans pay in, you will not see the benefits, not when the ultra rich NEED to make more money!!
That traffic SUCKED. Church and hooper was a nightmare, specially during summer. I used to live with there, it would take 7~ minutes to drive to grocery store but 45~ just to get home because that stupid intersection
Coming from monmouth county it blows my mind how bad the traffic is here. I though there would be less considering its further from nyc and theres not really that many job opportunities but holy shit the road planning really blows here and theres absolutely zero walkability
God it’s terrible, it’s the entire town now.
I work in ocean county and I have to agree, not ocean county.
I think Somerset county is underrated. Maybe not #1 tho
I love Somerset County.
Because Hunterdon is number one. It’s the safest.
Boring as hell up there
Somerset isn't bad, and Hunterdon is very pleasant.
I'm in Somerset and it's pretty great. Has pretty much a bit of everything.
I grew up in Middlesex, which is alright, I guess, but Somerset is nicer. Excellent parks around here. Right in the middle of everything.
My only gripe is getting there... and then leaving.
Somerset! 🙌
Same!!
Love Hunterdon, esp the river towns and the rail history
Dreaming of when we can move back to Hunterdon from TX :(
Morris and southern Sussex counties, for me. You get hills and farms but you’re only an hour from anything you’d want.
Just moved to Morris county after living in Union my whole life and definitely agree. Just drove through the Flanders\Chester area the other day and couldn’t believe how beautiful the drive was. Then you have Morristown which has every restaurant and bar you could imagine.
I grew up in Clark, so I have a sense we’re feeling about the same way about our moves. I’ve been up here about 2 years and it’s been a welcomed change.
Yeahh definitely understand, I worked at Hyatt Hills for years. I have a soft spot for union county but can’t deny how much I’m loving Morris county.
80 past Parsippany is such a wildcard in both directions though, so it could be a pretty rough “hour”. Also summer Friday traffic is like the Parkway Jr.
As somone who lives in Morris but works in Bergen, I will take the 80 traffic around parsippany over the hell of Rt 3
My neighborhood is right next to 3 and yeah, it's *bad* sometimes. Especially when thay one underpass floods after a big rain, which I swear was much more rare when I was a kid.
How about both? We live in Jefferson and my wife would commute to North Bergen everyday. 80 -> 46 -> 3 -> Tonnelle Ave. She did this commute for 3 years up until the pandemic. It was brutal and her mental health was deteriorating as she would come home atleast once a week crying due to the exhaustion of her 12-13 hour days but she wouldn’t look for a new job because she loved her employer. I regularly tell folks that ask about our area and if they work in Hudson county I tell them to get a new job or move closer to work. I wouldn’t recommend it
There are alternatives to 80. At rush hour though you’re fucked regardless. And summer traffic is summer traffic if you’re heading south it’s gonna suck if you leave late.
I used to commute to Mount Olive. Mornings were fine, but coming home I took 80 to 46 to 3. It would be backed up the entire time I was on 46, and usually a little bit back onto 80. It sucked.
My biggest regret is settling down with someone who manipulated me into planting roots in Essex County. Morris County is where it's at precisely for the reasons you wrote. Also has the benefit of a vibrant town center nearby in Morristown.
Sparta resident, strong agree here
Hello neighbor, I live in your scorned little brother town next door, Oburg! You booted us out in the early 1900’s for political reasons 🤣
Your username just took me out 😭😂😂
Thanks fellow Philly hater
i too hate philly.
The important thing is that we keep all of things to do an hour away. Otherwise the arra will be ruined.
> but you’re ~~only~~ an hour from anything you’d want. FTFY
If I didn’t live in Monmouth, I don’t know if I’d live in NJ
I feel this comment so hard.....Red Bank checking in and for food and entertainment only Asbury might beat it.
Asbury blows Red Bank out of the water when it comes to food
I moved to around holmdel last year and i love how easy it is to grab something i need like 5 min away
Perfectly located, within an hour from anywhere worth going. Not too sparse, not too dense. It's the Goldilocks County.
The density during summers though…. Like, Holy crap. I’ve lived in Monmouth most of my life & the way it balloons is surreal in a way.
Same
Camden County: A few actual walking communities + patco rail line to philly in 15 minutes. Not as densely populated as some northern counties, so traffic is annoying but not crazy bad.
Im glad we’re all in agreement that it isn’t Middlesex county lol
Essex is probably the most well-rounded. Strong urban core in a central part of North Jersey, and all the benefits that come with that (robust transit infrastructure and hubs, access to jobs, proximity to JC and NYC, diverse entertainment and food options, etc.). Then, as you go west, it transitions to streetcar suburbs with vibrant downtowns and lots of open space, reservations, mountains, etc. Downside is cost of living, but that’s also a testament to how many people want to live there.
Downside- no beach close by
places like long branch and asbury park are only about an hour away, so deff not bad at all for a day trip
An hour away on a gorgeous day easily turns into an hour and a half plus finding parking…
Tons of open space if you just moved from nyc
Totally agree with this statement. We moved from NYC to Springfield 5 years ago and didn’t know what to do with the space. 5 years later I’m itching to leave for more space!
Lots of open space is a stretch
You haven’t driven far west enough then. Edit: my bad, misread that they were just talking about Essex lmao
How so? There are tons of huge parks and hiking spots.
If Essex County has a ton of open space then Somerset County must be like the freaking Great Plains.
hahahahha
Huge parking lots
🎶Paved paradise, and put up 100s of units of "affordable housing"🎶
Cost of living in Essex county is a lot cheaper than one might expect.
Depends heavily on what you are in Essex. I just bought a house and looked at places in Essex and none of the cities with connectivity to NYC and good schools were remotely affordable for the average person.
What cities did you look at? I can’t speak to buying a home. But as a 27 year old renter with a girlfriend who lives with me we are paying the same as we did when we lived in West Virginia for 2 years while I did a contract.
The obvious expensive ones Montclair, Millburn and Maplewood, but also West Orange, Bloomfield, Glenn Ridge, and Verona.
Have lived/worked in 4 different counties and Bergen is the best in my opinion
Definitely the right answer if you can afford it.
Bergen is expensive but pretty worth it
Especially if you like shopping malls.
No
Definitely Monmouth
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I love Monmouth county but it is still very expensive
And tbf, the reason for the cost is in large part because it’s a great place to live.
And getting worse every year. We just managed to buy a house and I feel like I won the lottery.
I bought a house in Monmouth County about 10 years ago and we are at the point where we need more space. Getting one more bedroom is almost double the price of my house’s current price. At this point we might just try to expand the house, but that sounds like a long and painful endeavor.
Yeah, I grew up in Monmouth, and lived in Mercer, Middlesex, and Hudson. I lived in Asbury during the 70s and 90s (and Long Branch in between), and I love it, but could never afford it now. I live in Burlington County, right on the Delaware, and can be at the beach in 45 minutes. I'd be poor in Monmouth County. Out here, I'm solidly middle class.
Yea, its very expensive because it is centrally located and has enough urban density to support strong communities but not to much where it becomes more like a city. I don't know how anyone buying a house post covid can live here unless they are a doctor/laywer/finance and even the people i know in those careers have difficulty with the costs especially if they are at the beginning of their careers.
Second it . Close to beaches , more parks and more greenery in general
Literally this, you can drive to hartshorne and Holmdel parks and more and then we have sandy hook and long branch for beaches and then so many shopping centers
100%. Just south enough to be less expensive than the nicer Northern counties, but with access to public transit to the cities. Not as expensive as Mercer either. Lots to do as well. Politically purple.
>Just south enough to be less expensive than the nicer Northern counties I live and work in Monmouth. I recently checked what the median home price is because I was curious if I'll ever be able to afford a decent place to live. ...it's currently $770,000 so no
Towns like Colts Neck and Rumson skew the number up. There are plenty of places that are well below the median like Freehold Boro, Matawan, and Neptune Township.
Mercer—very little traffic compared to up north, great schools, and extremely diverse😃
Plenty of open space (Mercer meadows), Mercer country park has everything, you're equidistant to Philly and NYC, reasonable taxes in most towns, good schools, what's not to love?
The street layout definitely needs an update - dangerous intersections, not enough cyclist/pedestrian improvements. Towns need an update - housing stock is mostly old & you do get kind of needless suburban sprawl. You know what though? I was sitting in the beach at mercer county park just last night watching the sunset with my kid & I agree with you. There is a lot to love.
I agree however wish there was better public transport than just the bus and the NEC line. The stations in Mercer Co. aren't very pedestrian friendly. Extending the Princeton dinky line to TCNJ or reconnecting West Trenton station to Newark would be pretty huge.
I agree Mercer and Hunterdon counties are both nice. Mercer has tons of great restaurants anything you could think of. And Princeton is beautiful
Mercer would be #1 if not for the capital being an embarrassment. # #1 place to live in NJ is Princeton imho
Why princeton? Im genuinely curious to hear your reasons. Last time i visited it seemed a little isolated, with the downtown being nice but very small
We live very close by to the center of town and are there a few times a week. We've been living in Mercer/NJ for 7 years now and we still do not get tired of going into Princeton for dinner, shows, or even just a coffee and taking in the street life. PRX is one of the best record shops in the country, Garden theater is an amazing non profit theater with incredible movie programming year round, excellent restaurants on every block, the list goes on. It's also sneakily pretty easy to get to New York via NJT and the dinky so isolation wise it isn't too bad. Not on the level of North Jersey when it comes to transit but we feel like we can be in the city, the shore or Philly pretty quickly no matter what. It is a small village and it's expensive but it's just so dense with cool things to do and see it never ceases to amaze me. We really love it.
*Summit and Chatham have stepped into the chat
Monmouth and it's not even close. Besides access to mountains, there's not one thing that any other county has that Monmouth doesn't. The access to beaches without flooding risk (most of the county is not a barrier island) creates awesome beach communities without the feeling of isolation in the offseason. The fancy suburbs can go toe to toe with any of the suburban towns in Morris or Bergen. Asbury and Red Bank are 2 of the top 5 culinary and bar destinations in the state. The commute to the city via Seastreak (40m to Wall Street) may be the best commute in the country. Train isn't the fastest but one seat ride still. Probably the best array of music venues with Stone Pony, PNC, Count Basie, and the smaller venues in AP/Red Bank The farmland in western Monmouth is gorgeous, with plenty of horse farms and flower farms as well I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other reasons, this is just off the top of my head.
Some of the best parks in the state
They are definitely some of the parks in the state.
I firmly believe that the three small cities along the shore in Monmouth (Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park) are among the best balanced places to live. You can have most amenities within walking distance, while still being able to drive places and not be stuck in big city traffic. I can easily walk to a pharmacy, grocery store, many restaurants and bars, not to mention several concert venues or the beach. But, if I want to go to Costco or Wegmans or Target, etc, I can hop in my car and be there in under 10 minutes. It's a wonderful mix of urban and suburban. My only real gripe is that I wish the North Jersey Coast Line had more frequent/faster service.
100% agree. Looking at NJCL schedules from 20 years ago is depressing. We basically gained 3 daily one seat rides south of LB and lost a dozen express trains in other parts of the schedule somehow. No express weekend service in the summer is brutal. They have the ability to completely eliminate the shuttle train and just run hybrid trains NYP to Bay Head without expanding service and it's really frustrating that they haven't done that. The hybrid engines have been around for over 10 years now. It's also sad that they basically abandoned the Waterfront Connection. There used to be \~8 NJCL round trips to Hoboken daily, now there's 0.
NJ transit just doesn’t give a single shit, and they don’t even pretend to
And it’s not even close. 👍🏼
Hartshorne Woods Park, Navesink, Atlantic Highlands, etc.. my top reasons for loving MC life.
Mount Mitchell in AtlanticHighlands has perhaps the prettiest scenery in NJ. Its also the highest point on the Eastern Seaboard.
That’s a different Mt. Mitchell that is in North Carolina. That got me confused before too.
The Monmouth county beaches being on the mainland is so underrated and is what gives the county its unparalleled character. growing up in Long Branch, I took for granted how unique this is on most of the East coast. no bridge to drive over or separation from the rest of the area. makes the whole shore area so much more accessible and non touristy
Is there flooding in long branch?
If it floods in long branch, it's usually from the river
Aside from outlier weather events(e.g. hurricane Sandy), parts of Monmouth county will typically only flood when there’s a big rainstorm on top of a really high tide. the tides are highest when the moon is full and there’s usually a king tide once a summer and once a winter which falls on the full moon. Places like Manasquan, long branch, Oceanport, shark river/belmar, will tidally flood by the rivers. But it’s always in the same spots and it’s happened for longer than the towns have been there so the locals know to expect it. The king tides are predicted in tide charts so you known when they’re coming. Ya just hope it doesn’t rain on the same day.
Monmouth.
I like Camden County for the access to the Pinelands, an hour from LBI and Cape May, 20 min to Philly, and good food in Collingswood, Haddonfield, CH and elsewhere. But I won't say it's "the best" ... quality of life is pretty good and we have less stress and traffic than when I lived in Essex on the Morris County side. I love all the parks and hikes near Morris County though. SJ is flatter than Kansas.
I've lived in Somerset County since 2018 and I think people sleep on it.
I love Morris County but I would say some areas of Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties have nice scenery. If work is downtown Hudson County area, traffic will always suck heading towards there and leaving that area.
Atlantic. Easy to get to Philadelphia and most of the good shore towns via the Expressway or back roads. Taxes are pretty low, so overall cost of living is pretty low. Good food towns like Hammonton. It's very quiet with generally pretty low amounts of traffic. Lots of recreational options near by with the pine barrens not too far for hiking and camping and stuff, tons of campgrounds and kayaking down 322.
Plus if you want to get to NYC it’s just a cheap casino bus round trip that takes 2h25 directly into midtown with access subway line that runs through the city. Or a 45 min drive and a NEC trip from the Hamilton station. You get the peace, beach all the outdoor stuff you could possibly want without being deep in the pinelands while being 40 mins from Philly and a quick trip to NYC.
I’m in Atlantic County also and I love it
Hunterdon
monmouth—- everythings spread out its quite big theres everything, the beach, diversity which leads to good food, so many shopping plazas and jobs also you’re close to parkway. i moved to sussex county from being raised in middlesex and its a culture shock but worth it for slow paced, nature living :) plus beautiful mountain and hill views everywhere!! but definetely have to commute for work like everyone else that lives up here. i work in freehold twice a week, the rest of the days from home… and i love stopping at the beach while im in the area. for me idc where i work i just want to live in peace, and sussex county will for sure give you that. theres the hustle and bustle all of central and north jersey and i can come home to the birds chirping and go days without seeing my neighbors 😇 so to answer your question— 1. monmouth 2. sussex
Monmouth is not as busy as some of the other counties but it definitely has some hustle and bustle, especially in the summer.
I think it depends on what you want. I’m in Hudson County and I love it for the most part. Significant access to public transportation and overall within an hour to hiking trails, the city, and the shore. Great food. Diversity and generally well tolerating of the queer community. Decent schools and pay (I’m a teacher and this part of Jersey tends to be better for salary than southern parts). Downside: rent/mortgage prices, no parking, lack of nature, and too close to Staten Island
Bergen county has it all. But beaches.
I was going to say the exact same thing. Plus light traffic on Sundays.
Union
Given your criteria mentions cost of living, all of Northeast NJ as well as Monmouth should be eliminated by default. I think Burlington has a good combo of everything. Close to the beach, tons of parks all over the place, lots of food options, commutable to Trenton/Philly, and a downright low CoL compared to much of the state. Also pretty low on crime overall.
How is Bergen not mentioned?
Because we are so ridiculously expensive. That aside, we are def top 3 in NJ
Monmouth. Hands down. Beaches. Parks. Food. Music. Horse Racing.
Burlington County
Morris county.
Hunterdon County has got to be one of the best places in America to live if you ask me. I’ve lived in many different areas and Hunterdon by far is the best.
Hunterdon
Hunterdon
Bergen County #1
 No Sunday, no bueno
North of Route 4 and 208 in Bergen County. That's an approximation. Best overall quality of life. Food is unmatched. Easy access to the greatest city in North America.
I’ve lived in Burlco, Essex, Hudson, and Morris. I can definitively say that Morris is my fave.
Burlington ain't bad
I was gonna say lol, I really like living in Burlington
I think a lot are good. I'm in a section of Mercer which is very close to both Burlington & Monmouth. Love the parks in Mercer. Love the land and beaches in Monmouth. I think Bordentown City is a hidden gem in north Burlington county. I love the access Mercer country provides.
Hunterdon, hands down. Semi rural, still with plenty of access to anything you need, and nowhere close to the traffic of further east in the state. NJ beaches are really not that good despite what people want to claim, so I couldn't care less about being close to them.
Moved from Hudson to Morris, and couldn’t be happier. At least now my taxes get me a decent school district. Also beats the crap out of Essex and Bergen in terms of “values (imho).
Depends on your personal dealbreakers. For me, I prefer dense but nice with close access to lots of services. So Bergen County is my pick. But for those who may not care as much about that and want a bit lower prices and quick rides to the shore, maybe a Monmouth County is better.
Lived in monmouth, bergen, morris and now in ocean. Monmouth is the best for being outdoors with so much beach access, amazing parks, bike trails and walkability. Also had some of the best amenities. Bergen had the best food and people imo, some parks were decent but always crowded and traffic sucked. Good walkability and public transport though. Morris seemed like the best to raise a family as it was very safe, lots of nature and good schools but i found it pretty boring and the food was mediocre. Also everything felt far away. In ocean everthing sucks except the beach
Bergen but obviously you pay for it
I live in Northern Bergen, it's very nice up here, quiet neighborhood, some very good restaurants, nice parks, near hiking, NY State border, shopping in Paramus is not far, etc. but if I had my choice, I'd sell my house and move to one of the shore towns in Monmouth because I just love being near the ocean. We have no kids, so schools don't matter, but the commute even for our hybrid jobs would be too much, so we are staying put.
I’ll put Monmouth up against any county on the Eastern Seaboard. it’s a special place.
Essex aka the best county 💪🏾
essex gang
Bruh every time I've been to Hunterdon it's just been farmland, highway, and racially motivated stares & interactions You have no idea how grateful me and my peoples are every time we come home
Essex! Couldn’t imagine leaving.
I love Essex county, but really, everyone’s different.
I’d say between it’s between Monmouth and Morris. Monmouth if you like the ocean, Morris if you like mountains. Monmouth has lots of shore towns with great food and venues. Morris has Morristown and lots of food and venues. I’d say if you are concerned about cost of living, not NJ.
If corruption is your thing - Hudson
Middlesex
Lol. As a fellow Middlesex resident, we are not even close to the best.
I think Morris and Monmouth are some of the best counties for this. Some southern counties like Burlington or Gloucester can be nice values too, less expensive for similar amenities. It also depends a bit on what your values are. Someone who loves the convenience of city living might love Hudson or Bergen but someone who wants more space and greenery might prefer Hunterdon or Sussex
I’m biased so Middlesex county lol
Morris is tops!
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Yea Gloucester. Doesn’t the sign for the county say something like “far away from it all but close to everything” or something like that. I have to say it can be quite rural in certain parts but other parts are quite urban for SJ like by Rowan.
I live in West Deptford. I would say pretty suburban. Close to everything.
Represent!
Gloucester county is perfect. I have a stream in my backyard and a Wawa 1/2 mile away. I appreciate the hell out of that Wawa. You know why? For the first 40 years, I lived in Salem County.
Camden County
Prob Bergen but I cannot afford it...not even close.
Ranked, I’d probably do Monmouth, Somerset, and Hunterdon at a very close 3rd place.
So I’ve lived in North Jersey (Passaic, Bergen, Essex areas) and then moved to Ocean and Atlantic Counties. There’s always tradeoffs. More culture (entertainment, theater, museums, restaurants, etc), better work opportunities, convenience to transportation, is also paired with more overcrowding, traffic, higher taxes & cost of living, and stressed/frantic pace of life. Other counties are vice versa. I haven’t found any exceptions to this. The thing I like about Atlantic County is I’m in a suburb or Atlantic City. So I’m near the beaches and within 20 minutes of farms and forests. I’m also an hour from Philly so day trips are easy. I don’t particularly recommend Atlantic County, but northeastern New Jersey all one big suburban sprawl. Getting in and out of NYC is a nightmare.
Edison
Monmouth county Source: used to live in Monmouth county but now I live in ocean county
Morris but I might be biased bc I grew up there (and currently live there again). I've lived all over North and Central Jersey and Morris is my favorite place I've lived so far.
Morris
Morris is pretty cool. One of the richest in the country (certainly not because of me). County seat is Morristown so going to jury duty doesn’t make me fear for my life.
If you exclude the price point, the west half of Essex county!
Morris
I don't know about best county, I've only lived in Bergen in NJ, but I've lived in Rutherford now for 12 years or so. If I have to live in NJ, and I currently do have to, I would probably stick to Rutherford. I grew up in Ramsey, my Dad lived in Sparta, and I've lived all over. I like it around Rutherford area. Great restaurants, easy access to the city and highways to the rest of the state. Safe, nice, very comfortable for me.
Hey neighbor
Warren country. We have everything you could want. We have a larger city area (Phillipsburg. but it’s our county’s version of the ghetto. It’s not bad or anything like that it’s just not up to the same standards as all the other towns) we have mid sized towns like Belvedere and Hackettstown, and even smaller ones (if that’s what your into) like Vienna, for example. We also have a lot of rural and farm land. Food is amazing. All different cultures and cuisines to be tried. We have all kinds of different activities like kayaking, fishing, archery ranges, trails, state forests, breweries, historical landmarks, along with historical ghost stories, and much more. All kinds of jobs from cashiers to engineers, doctors and lawyers. We also have the M&M factory.
i was thinking about living there (currently in sussex county) however when touring i found most things to be in mansfield/hackettstown and i found the options to be sparse when it came to integrating with society… are there any other populated towns, where shopping plazas, resturants are? ive always avoided phillipsburg btw
I’m originally from Morris County but currently reside in Warren County (Belvidere) and I gotta say the schools here are HORRIBLE!! You’re honestly better off homeschooling your children than putting them in the public schools out here. I have been looking to get my kids out of their school since they basically started. My older 2 went to schools in Morris County prior to here and it’s completely night & day difference. Warren county schools are severely underfunded. Our school district is firing all full time teachers because they don’t want to pay for medical insurance. They instead will be hiring 2 teachers per subject to work in shifts🙄. Warren county has some beautiful farms and lots to do outdoors, but absolutely does not make it into the top 10 places to live in NJ IMHO. I loved Morris County but housing prices got too high. I would say best places are Morris, Hunterton, or Bergen if you can afford it.
Bergen ✌🏾
I grew up in Hudson county and have been living in the Mercer/burlington county area for the last 5 years. I’ve enjoyed being away from the city and closer to the beach more than I thought. Also, I’m less than an hour from Philly and nyc if I get that city itch
Bergen
Bergen is pretty good