Oh… Union Street!!!
Well, we’re thinking about buying a house. I mean, we hadn’t considered it but my husband’s family owns a very successful real estate/architecture business, and his father believes if he goes out to Jersey with us and roots around, he can find us a fixer-up mortgage deal for cheaper than rent. He’s willing to walk us through the whole process. I trust his father’s judgment on that, he is a shrewd businessman who manages very high-end properties… and lately has gained a lot of experience on fixing up foreclosed housing. I just thought we would never get to the home ownership stage until after we graduate, so that is kind of shocking… next thing you know we’ll be talking babies. :eek:
I’ve had people tell me they don’t like Jersey, but I’ve never really been anywhere I didn’t like. I don’t mind industry and urban environments, though all the people everywhere will take some getting used to. I’m sort of agoraphobic. I am very excited for all the cultural opportunity… being so close to New York City, so close to the Ocean, so close to so many museums, universities and cultural attractions will be very exciting.
And I am excited for the Spanish-language opportunities, for finally getting on with my own education. The deadline has passed for fall application for the MSW, but they have a program where you can take foundation courses on a not-matriculated basis and every single course transfers upon acceptance. I think there’s a 99.99% chance I’ll be accepted for an MSW, especially if I’m already taking foundation courses there. We may have to take out some loans this Fall for me to do it at least on a part-time basis, but I figure I’m having to take out loans for my education anyways. I want to do research on mental health policy with Latinos, and I think Jersey will be an ideal place to find such an opportunity.
I turned down the Bankruptcy Counseling position. I did the math and figured out that after training, I’d only be working for 2 months as a BK Counselor. It seemed kind of pointless, the hours are late and long, and since I really care more about graduate school and immigration and mental health, I decided I’d use the few months of chilling in my current position to really focus on the planning for the move. I told my bosses I was going to leave and they had nothing but good things to say about what an asset I am to their company and how lucky anybody would be to have me, so I feel like I made the right decision. They will write me a kick ass recommendation letter if I need one.
Questions, huh.
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Is public transportation feasible in New Brunswick? We have a car, but we don’t like using it, and as it’s a 1997 model it’s not going to last much longer. We have some money saved up to purchase a new one, but why bother if we don’t have to?
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Is it easy to get into New York City using public transportation? How easy? How long is the trip?
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How warm does it get in the summer and how cold does it get in the winter? Husband’s impression is that the winters are milder than here in Michigan (we have the lake effect crap.)
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Any natural disasters we need to worry about?
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Are there parts of the area more dangerous than others? How dangerous are we talking? I know poverty in urban areas /= danger so I’m asking realistically, is it safe to go out at night and walk around? Are there better placed to live than others? Especially if we are thinking about purchasing a home?
We’ve also talked about living in a mostly Latino neighborhood so I can practice my Spanish and make Spanish-speaking friends. Does this seem feasible?
Wicked confusing, eh?
First off, no matter how crowded your NJ neighborhood feels, it is an easy ride to some place less crowded. I like to point out after many Dopers seemed so surprised by it, that wild deer roam my yard most days and my area is very green for a suburban area.
1 & 2. There are plenty of buses & Trains to various points. Buses 810 to 815 & 818 serve New Brunswick. 810 811 813 814 815 818
These will get you to NYC, Newark, Trains or Malls but not really around town.
Here is the all important map of NJ Trains in a PDF format.
Here are the schedules.
Specifically New Brunswick.
Here is the really great Google Map of the NYC Subways.
You will see that NJ Transit is mostly about getting you to NYC and to a lesser extend Philly and Trenton. The Trip to NYC is not bad from New Brunswick, it will take 50 to 68 minutes depending on time of day. The good news is the New Brunswick has express trains to NYC, that is where the 50 minutes come in.
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We rarely see 100° days, summers are more likely to be high 80s to low 90s and muggy. The Winters are mild compared to Michigan, I went to Bootcamp at Great Lakes. We almost never go below 0° and more often than not the winter days warm above freezing. Snowfall is fairly light, maybe 2-6 good storms in a year with 4-6 inches being the norm except in the North West of the State. NB is pretty similar in weather to what I get. It is only 18 miles from where I live.
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Natural Disasters: Not really, if you lived really close to the shore you would have to worry about Northeasters and don’t buy or rent in Bound Brook, it is notorious for devastating floods. New Jersey gets about one tornado every other year and we never seem to get the nasty ones the mid-west is famous for.
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I don’t know about the crime statistics of NB, but I bet Loach can help on that one. He is a police officer.
Jim
The only real public transit in NB is the Rutgers buses, and the NewBrunsQuick Shuttle thingy. However, NB is compact enough that you can walk and bike most of the city. Public transit into NYC is very easy. Here is the train schedule: PDF
I’m from NW Indiana, and it does not get as cold here as there.
Within New Brunswick, there the Rutgers bus system, which connects the campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway. There are also city buses, but I almost never needed them during the year I was at Rutgers; as I recall, the bus to the Menlo Park mall took about 45 minutes, and the Woodbridge mall an hour; these would be 10-15 minute drives if you had a car. There’s also a train station on the Northeast Corridor Line of NJ Transit, which runs to Penn Station in New York City (about an hour on the train, unless there’s an express) and Trenton, where you can connect to Philadelphia (about 1:45 total, as the Trenton-Philly train stops about every five feet or so.) Getting to other places in NJ, including the beach, would probably be a pain in the butt without a car. That said, if you have a car, move here with it, then see how much you use it. If you don’t find that you need it, don’t buy another one, and rent a car when you do need one. Personally, when living in NJ, I find it almost indispensable, but YMMV.
NJ Transit trains are, overall, pretty decent. From New Brunswick, there aren’t any connections if you want to go to Midtown, so that’s super-easy and takes an hour, or you can switch to the PATH in Newark if you want to go to the Financial District or other neighborhoods downtown, which probably won’t take much more time although I have little experience with it myself. If you’re going into Manhattan, the train is probably a better bet than a car even if you had one.
I think the winters are milder. Generally, highs are in the 30’s-40’s, although highs in the 20’s are pretty common and the teens not unheard of. There are usually several snowstorms a year, although we had almost no snow this year. I don’t know how hot Michigan summers are, but summer highs in NJ are usually in the 80’s-90’s, and sometimes quite humid.
Sometimes it rains a lot. The Raritan River is prone to flooding, but I think that’s more of a problem in the Bound Brook area than near New Brunswick/Highland Park.
I haven’t spent significant time in New Brunswick in nearly a decade, and I’m told it’s much better than it was, so I’m sure there are other posters better qualified to comment on this. At the time, there were definitely neighborhoods in which I wouldn’t have been comfortable walking by myself at night. I have friends in Highland Park, which is a lovely suburban town; I don’t think there’s anywhere there where I’d feel unsafe. I like Highland Park a lot - it’s attractive and friendly, with a functional downtown strip. I’d consider living there myself when it comes time to buy a house, if our jobs aren’t too far away.
I’m sure you can find one reasonably nearby - it’s a very diverse state. Can’t help you with recommendations, though.
On preview, I see that people have answered a lot of this already, but I’ve already spent all this time typing it 
Have been answered but I’ll give you my spin.
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Like others said the Rutgers bus system is pretty good. I would not count on public transportation to anywhere else. It sucks. Except…
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It is not worth taking a car into the city. There is a train station in downtown New Brunswick and another in Edison. Take the train. That line goes directly into Penn Station Manhatten. You don’t even have to change trains in Newark. It is very easy. I practically live in Pennsylvania now and I drive to Edison and take the train into the city when I go. Takes about 50 minutes to get to Penn Station. About what it would take in a car, if there were no traffic. (like that would happen)
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We usually only have a couple of bad snow storms a year. Nothing like lake effect snow. We have Noreasters but many times they are mostly rain and wind instead of snow and wind. Winters will be milder than you are used to. Strike that, my wife is from UP Michigan. Winters are much milder than you are used to.
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During Hurricane Floyd I had to squeeze my wife out a second story window onto a boat. I say squeeze because she was quite pregnant at the time. It wasn’t an actual hurricane by the time it got to us but it dumped a ton of rain. I was living in Manville at the time. When looking for a house in the area I would look closely at the flood information for the area especially if it is near the Raritan or the Millstone River. Other than that just your usual. Ice storms. Hail. Wind storms. A mild tornado now and then. Usually nothing too extreme but it is possible.
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Of course there are parts that are dangerous. It is New Jersey after all. There are some pretty rough areas of New Brunswick. Mostly away from the downtown area and the college. But not too far. Lots of gang activity in New Brunswick. Bloods and Crips (mostly Bloods). Latin Kings. MS13. 18th St gang. Mexican Mafia. Lets just say I would not live in New Brunswick if I had kids going through the school system. I would not pick it as a place to live but I have visited many many times. I know a few guys on the NB police department. They tell me they don’t get bored much. But this is coming from a guy who left the area to go to one of the most rural areas of the state. Most of the areas just outside of New Brunswick are very suburban. I couldn’t tell you more unless you find a specific area.
As for buying a house. I have no idea what the market is right now other than it is a buyers market. However, you may be shocked by the cost of a house here and what you get for it. Especially in the Middlesex/Somerset County area. And you may be doubly shocked by the property tax. My mother still lives in Piscataway. Luckily for her they only have her house assessed at $150k or so. It’s real value is somewhere over $300K. Her tax rate is over 5%. I moved west where you can get more for your money (of course after I moved gas prices went through the roof so there goes that money). I’m paying something like $8900 a year in taxes. But that is for a pretty big house on three acres. My inlaws live in North Plainfield (maybe 12-15 miles from New Brunswick) and they are paying over 12K a year in taxes for a house on a small lot. You have been warned.
I won’t even mention how much car insurance is. Or the fact that we have one of the highest state income tax rates. But they make up for it by also having one of the highest state sales taxes. And the state is still broke so they are looking for more money. And the corruption. And the mafia. And the C.H.U.D.s. But there is no need to get into all that.
I didn’t think you were lying. But I reserve the right to think you may be a bit nutty.
Now, now, no C.H.U.D.s in NJ. Just the Jersey Devil, Evil Clowns and all the other assorted critters you can find on the excellent reference books Weird NJ.
olives, you’re not gone yet. Another outburst like that and we can legally oust you from Michigan.
Congratulations Olives! That’s great news!
I don’t know anything about NJ at all, except for the one time my coworker and I drove from NYC to the AT&T Operations center, an hour or so. I was really impressed with how beautiful the countryside is.
Its flat, but it can be windy. Dress in layers with a hat & gloves in the winter. Summer is made for walking & bicycling (no hills).
Jan-Feb: cold.
Feb-Mar: 2-3 snow storms
May-Aug: The college kids go home.
By & Large, re-read everything **What Exit ** & Loach have to say.
And seriously consider visiting Englishtown at least once; its the biggest fleamarket that I’ve ever seen.
I was going to say that Coffaro’s pizza was always better than El Greco’s pizza, but it seems both are long out of business. They’ve gone the way of Greasy Tony’s and the FIJI fraternity house. Rumor has it the trains still run on timers at Tumulty’s though.
I met my wife at Rutgers too, Jim.
Tumulty’s still exists. But it is not in it’s original location. Actually moved about the time they knocked down Greasy Tony’s (that was a hell of a place). When they put in the Hyatt and the new J&J headquarters. The trains still run. I used to take my wife there a lot when we were dating. The Old Bay on Church St was my favorite place to hang out. Saw Johnny Copeland’s last performance there. And I remember when it used to be J. August.
There’s still a Coffaro’s Pizza in nearby South River, N.J. Been there for ages:
http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=11015487&lsrc=results&p=Pizza&csz=South+River%2C+NJ&fr=&lcscb=’
Coffaro’s in SR is good (very greasy.)
American Pie in East Brunswick (on Route 18) is better.
Wow, me too. As a teenager I worked on George Street.
I was born in New Brunswick, grew up in NJ, and graduated from Rutgers in '93. I left the state and came back in 1998. I live in the Princeton area now, but I really liked living in NB while in college. It has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. It’s less college bar scene and more adult contemporary. I almost don’t know where I am now when driving on Rt 18 north into Metlars. Not that I drive there often. The traffic is awful. I take the train if I have to go to NB or NYC.
Highland Park is a nice place to live. It’s right next door.
Thank you so much for all the great feedback! I am getting so excited!
I’m sorry if this has been covered, but what is the cost of apartments there? My daughter just got into grad school there (with a nice fellowship) and her boyfriend got into law school at Rutgers Camden. She was born in Princeton, so NJ is coming home for her. We never spent much time in New Brunswick, mostly zipping by it on the way to the Turnpike to head for Jersey City and the PATH.
Voyager - New Yorker by birth, New Jerseyan by choice, Californian by necessity. And heading back when I retire, I hope before the big one hits.
Aposto’s in Highland Park is very good.
You are looking for Apartments in Camden?
The rents aren’t bad, but that is the most dangerous place in NJ and the worst city in the US.
I would not want my daughter living in Camden. I would look in one of the towns outside of Camden.
Just my thoughts, I was just there this weekend and one of the people that live there mentioned that if you end up in the ER for a broken bone you would be there a long time as they take the Gun & knife wounds first.
JIm