Can anyone give me information on living on the New Jersey side of the city? I am CONTEMPLATING somewhat -- as a cheaper alternative -- Seton Hall for grad school. I'm torn on the issue because I've been accepted to schools in Boston but the cost of living is just utterly ridiculous and I know I can't afford it.

Does anyone who knows where Seton Hall is (Oranges) have any suggestions about areas to possible live. Preferably somewhat quiet and safe of course. Hopefully less then $800/month or so for rent. I've done some preliminary searches but I'm not TOO familiar with the NJ side of the Hudson.

I jump every fucking two weeks on where I want to go to school now that I can actually afford to go after working for the last 1.5 years after graduation.. I'm just picky like that. Right now it's pretty much down to either NJ or Long Island..
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 10:00 AM. Reason : f]

12/5/2005 10:00:29 AM

watch your cornhole

12/5/2005 10:04:26 AM

12/5/2005 10:13:24 AM

This has been helpful!

I swear I get better advice when I actually post in Chit Chat mostly...

V I'm not 'selling myself short'... they are comparable schools... As long as I go to school in the northeast I can get a job in the northeast..

[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 10:16 AM. Reason : f]

12/5/2005 10:14:16 AM

Don't sell yourself short, go to the school you want to go to.

12/5/2005 10:15:45 AM

Wish I could help. My aunt is the women's basketball coach at Seton Hall so I spent a LOT of my childhood on campus. Unfortunately, I moved from NJ when I was 11, so I don't know much about it.

Seton Hall is nice though. It was one of the places I applied.

A good bit of South Orange is pretty nice and my aunt lives in Verona, which is REALLY nice, but I doubt it's cheap to live there.

Best of luck to ya!

12/5/2005 10:16:29 AM

How far are you willing to commute? It usually gets 'safer' the further "west" of east orange you go. Verona, South Orange, Bloomfield, Maplewood etc. If safety/quietness is a big concern, definetly avoid East Orange and Newark!

12/5/2005 10:42:03 AM

Don't.

12/5/2005 11:02:52 AM

Email Boozer. He lives in Fair Lawn.

12/5/2005 11:04:22 AM

I'm possibly moving to Boston also for a job. I have to decide by today, and I still don't know

I've used this while searching for apts in Boston, and its fairly helpful http://www.apartmentguide.com/

[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 12:31 PM. Reason : anyone wanna help with my Boston decision... advice welcome!! ]

12/5/2005 12:31:35 PM

Well I'm VERY familiar with all the areas in and around Boston (my Mom is from there and I went up like 10 times every year) and I love the city so if you have any specific questions feel free to ask. Problem is I know I can't afford where I would want to live there ON TOP OF the $35,000/yr tuition so I have to look elsewhere.

Plus the schools around NYC are a bit cheaper tuition wise and the states are much easier to gain residency in then Mass..

12/5/2005 12:36:19 PM

TEH GAUNTLET!

12/5/2005 12:37:23 PM

^^ I wanted to reply to the starting salary thread in the Old School section, but I'm not eligible. I have two job offers: one in Boston, one in RTP. I would start out making $16,500 more in Boston, and benefits for both companies are basically the same, no significant differences. Is it worth it to take the job with the cost of living differences?

[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 12:53 PM. Reason : ]

12/5/2005 12:53:45 PM

Well I currently live out near RTP and you'll pay about 550-650/month for rent if you get a 1 BR out there. In Boston you'll be LUCKY to find one less then 8-900/month even outside the city. If you go inside for a nice, safe place it'll be upwards of 12-1500/month in my experience. So that right there would be.. what.. about $7,200 a year difference (and that is conservative on my part). Health/car insurance will be significantly more expensive as well. Everying else such as cable/internet, electricity, gas is relatively equal to down here. My best guess is that you would be looking effectively at about $6,000 more after cost of living differences.

Really it depends on what field you are in. If there is more growth potential up there then I would certainly consider taking it.

[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 1:01 PM. Reason : f]

12/5/2005 1:01:13 PM

If i took the position in Boston, after a year (if i really hated the geography, the weather, etc and I still wanted to stay with the company) I would have good chance of moving to Charlotte and still be making what I was in Boston.

12/5/2005 1:06:46 PM

Wear a condom at all times. Thats the only way to be sure in New Jersey.

12/5/2005 1:10:18 PM

^^ In that case I would DEFINITELY take it. We lived in New England and my Dad had a New England salary. He got promoted and sent down to North Carolina and that N.E. salary down here can go a LONG WAY in North Carolina...

Too bad they got transferred to San Fran again (even MORE expensive then New England)!

^ yea thanks.

[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 1:12 PM. Reason : f]

12/5/2005 1:12:11 PM

Hey Bryan you can live with my Grandmother in Short Hills or my Aunt in Summit

I take the NJ Transit train through the Oranges all the time, but I don't know too much about it. I could ask my mom, she went to Seton Hall. However, that info might be outdated

12/5/2005 1:29:29 PM

This was a new revelation. I didn't think I had a chance in hell at getting in there for some reason but I saw the grid and 37/38 people who had my LSAT/GPA range got in last year. So I'm pretty good to go I think... plus they have the joint J.D./M.B.A. program.

Now to find ONE MORE person to write a reccomendation. Who to use.. who to use...

12/5/2005 1:31:38 PM

If I ever lived anywhere in Jersey... Id have at least one of these:

12/5/2005 1:35:04 PM

why, to shoot yourself? Most of NJ is a very nice place to live. too nice for you to probably afford.

12/5/2005 1:36:22 PM

Real estate prices are so ridiculous up there.

We're selling my grandmother's 40+ year old house for something like $500,000, when down here it would be maybe a $200,000 house at most.

12/5/2005 1:45:20 PM

random fact for NJ. They've having the first (or second) black bear hunt in 30 years right now, b/c the black bear population is too high there right now, lol.

12/5/2005 1:47:38 PM

Quote :

"Email Boozer. He lives in Fair Lawn."

Haha, my mom grew up in Fair Lawn. Went back there recently to visit family and it's still a nice place. Definitely Not Cheap though...real estate in that area is outrageous. (well, not cheap to buy, not sure how bad rents are...)

12/5/2005 2:07:01 PM

Quote :

"Most of NJ is a very nice place to live. too nice for you to probably afford."

precisely. oftentimes, people who rag on Jersey are lowlife enough to have only been to the dumps and know nothing about the nice places.

12/5/2005 2:44:02 PM

south orange is nice, but on the pricey side in certain parts. maplewood is expensive as shit, lotta rich folk there. livingston might not be a bad choice if u dont mind all the jews. again, how far r u willin to commute? i lived in east hanover and commuted to south orange (went to Seton Hall Prep) and took about 20 minutes.

12/5/2005 2:55:15 PM

I lived in Oakland back in middle school. If you're looking for small towns with not much going on, western Bergen County is pretty nice. The commute to the city would be a bitch though; I think the quick route involves driving to a NJ transit station, taking that to the PATH station, and riding that in to the city.

12/5/2005 3:49:29 PM

Quote :

"Preferably somewhat quiet and safe of course."

Wait you said Jersey right, like the garden state right? Yah, i think that dea just killed itself in the trial run. You're going to have a wonderfull life there, full of many interesting times, and hopefully you'll realize your mistakes, and move out soon.

GOOD LUCK

12/5/2005 3:53:43 PM

i love people who know absolutely shit and talk out their asses. it makes for fun reading.

12/5/2005 3:59:40 PM

Doh! It's in Newark -- the law campus... DEFINITELY not living in Newark. I'd commute..

[Edited on December 9, 2005 at 11:52 AM. Reason : ^^ I'd rather live/work in NJ then NC -- much more growth potential in the workforce]

12/9/2005 11:51:18 AM

^Oh lord. I'm sorry. I grew up in Scotch Plains, nearly knocking on Newark's door.

12/9/2005 11:55:36 AM

i stayed in cookstown in like the bottom middle of jersey for a while, it wasnt bad, but it was like a ghost town with a military base

12/9/2005 12:02:07 PM

Springfield is decent enough - fairly quiet, in Union County so the commute wouldn't be too bad (my grandma moved there a few years ago). There are loads of garden apts. for rent. You just have to be able to handle the average age of its citizens being over retirement (great if you love Bingo).

12/9/2005 12:05:15 PM

12/9/2005 12:06:24 PM

Quote :

"watch your cornhole"

HAHAHA

12/9/2005 12:11:43 PM

Hoboken was alright when I went there over Fall Break

12/9/2005 12:58:29 PM

I hear Hoboken is getting "trendy"/popular with the young professional set, after having some problems a few years back.

12/9/2005 2:28:02 PM

hoboken is the place to be; the whole nnj bar scene is pretty much there now.

12/9/2005 3:47:27 PM

aren't you the fucktard who's always on here disrespecting Philly?

and now you're stuck in Newark of all places. Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

12/9/2005 6:08:19 PM

You know what I think is hilarious? That every person down here (meaning mostly people from NC) think NJ is one big smoke stack and all the housing is ghettos. I would just like to clarify I live in Hunterdon County, NJ, and based on median household income, it is the richest county in the nation. NO smokestacks near me

To NyM410...Newark campus = baddd idea...and if its not the Newark campus...good luck finding any 1 bedroom apt in Nj for under 1000/month.

<3

12/12/2005 1:24:41 AM

Quote :

"#1 teton county, wyoming (average adjusted household gross income $107,694 in 2002) #2 fairfield county, connecticut #3 marin county, california #4 sommerset county, new jersey #5 morris county, new jersey #6 clear creek county, colorado #7 douglas county, colorado #8 hunterdon county, new jersey #9 westchester county, new york #10 new york, new york"

choke on your lies.

12/12/2005 1:27:59 AM

^ She said median not average. Depends on how the data is spread as to which would be a better indicator.

Although, she is still wrong.
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GRTTable?_bm=y&-_box_head_nbr=R2001&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-format=US-31&-CONTEXT=grt

[Edited on December 12, 2005 at 2:56 AM. Reason : link]

12/12/2005 2:47:31 AM

Quote :

"aren't you the fucktard who's always on here disrespecting Philly?"

wtf? I probably have like 2 posts out of all of mine about Philly. You are correct though... I think it's a shithole and I despise all their sports teams. What is your point?

Quote :

"#2 fairfield county, connecticut"

woot! That first one doesn't count because there is probably like 50 people in it... I'm from New Haven County though but my Dad is from Greenwich (via Queens).

Quote :

"To NyM410...Newark campus = baddd idea"

I wouldn't live on campus or in Newark. It's law school so they don't even have student living. I'm also looking at New York Law School, which is in Manhattan. I'd live on Long Island or in Westchester County in all likelihood for that though..

[Edited on December 12, 2005 at 8:48 AM. Reason : f]

12/12/2005 8:44:44 AM

haha fairfax county wins the median income battle again

<3 NOVA

12/12/2005 2:17:59 PM

Quote :

"#5 morris county, new jersey"

awwww shit!

12/12/2005 5:41:05 PM

its not bad. be a devils fan, and dont expect much out of the jersey side. dont stay in the left lane too long when driving, and dont get mad when someone honks thier horn. otherwise its cold and gross in the winter. get used to dirty black snow on the side of the road. buy tire chains, things dont shut down as easily.

thats all i got. i was from west caldwell, nj. essex co. 30-45min out of the city.

12/12/2005 5:54:03 PM

Quote :

"be a devils fan"

Hell NO! I'm a Rangers fan born and raised. I know the lifestyle, the weather, and the driving... I was born in Queens and lived in the Tri-State Area ... just the other side of New York City (New Haven County in CT). I was just looking for some specifics on towns that have some normal apartment complexes and that kind of thing..

[Edited on December 12, 2005 at 6:13 PM. Reason : ff]

12/12/2005 6:12:44 PM

ok my stats on Hunterdon Co. are outdateddddd...I know, I was simply trying to get the point across....
if you look at that linkk.....care of clalias, just glace at how many of those are NJ counties. It's an awesome place to live.
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GRTTable?_bm=y&-_box_head_nbr=R2001&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-format=US-31&-CONTEXT=grt

12/12/2005 8:32:17 PM

long valley is so pretty

12/12/2005 9:25:42 PM

Quote :

"#5 morris county, new jersey"

hollllllller

12/12/2005 11:03:51 PM