<p>My husband and I are looking to move out of our home and either rent a condo or apartment to decrease taxes and upkeep fees/responsibility of owning a home. We are not particularly attracted to 50-plus developments and are looking for something where there might be a town center and easy/relatively quick access into NYC via public transportation.</p>
<p>Any ideas are much appreciated!</p>
<p>Leonia is a wonderful town, and it’s an easy bus ride to Manhattan.</p>
<p>Quest…what is your price point?</p>
<p>Take a train ride out the Morris/Essex line and start looking at places beginning w South Orange and head west. Look at the schedule to determine how long of a train ride you are willing to take and that’s your end point. This line has some of the best train service 7 days/week and small towns with vibrant downtowns. </p>
<p>While I love the shore, train service isn’t as frequent, it’s a long ride to NYC and the downtowns aren’t clustered by the train station. </p>
<p>You could live in Fairfield Cointy CT also…not a long train ride to NYC. But pricey in most towns.</p>
<p>Montclair is Brooklyn East. Wonderful downtown. About 25 minutes to Penn Station.</p>
<p>Hoboken?</p>
<p>I live a commuter ride away from NYC in NJ (have for 30 years). Places with downtowns and a commuter line are Hoboken, Montclair, and Westfield. Hoboken is changing now - was a very young town (due to Stevens) with lots of just out of college kids and the bars that go with it. I hear it is turning “older” now - with empty nesters moving into some of the condos. Both Montclair and Westfield may be pricey, but have condos, great walking downtowns, some culture, and fabulous restaurants (and trains into the city).</p>
<p>While Westfield is a lovely town, the lack of a one-seat ride from Westfield into NYC Penn Station is a huge drawback. </p>
<p>Agree that Montclair is nice, but check train schedules, as they didn’t used to have direct service on weekends. Also, Essex County property taxes are crazy. Great restaurant scene, however. </p>
<p><a href=“Fight continues for direct train service on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line - nj.com”>Fight continues for direct train service on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line - nj.com;
<p>I agree with nj2011 mom about checking out the towns along the Morris/Essex line. Maplewood is a great town, but I’m not sure what the rental market is like. Summit and Chatham are a little further out, but they have rentals that are close to town and the train station</p>
<p>New Canaan would meet your criteria, but it is expensive. Katonah is on a railway line and is another possibility. But neither of them is likely to have a lot of rentals. A big question is how urban a setting would you like? If you are up for a funkier neighborhood, Hoboken would work very well.</p>
<p>Anyone know about Secaucas? VERY close to NYC but don’t know much about the area itself…</p>
<p>Secaucus doesn’t have the best reputation.</p>
<p>I know empty nesters who sold the big house but still want to stay in NJ rented in Edgewater, Fort Lee, Englewood and Jersey City. Mostly Edgewater because of the great rental stock and the quick commuter ferry. They’re putting up some new rental buildings in Fort Lee, right at the bridge.</p>
<p>Fort Lee is a nice town. </p>
<p>Since you brought up Mplewood, take a look at these apartments. Right next to train station and downtown. You could live without a car. I know a couple that downsized into them and are happy. Even though next to the train tracks, the place is well soundproofed. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.stationatmaplewood.com”>http://www.stationatmaplewood.com</a></p>
<p>Secaucus is not a place I would downsize to. It’s an older town and fairly insular with regards politics, etc. </p>
<p>Any idea about how much rents are there? Just curious…</p>
<p>Summit, NJ is not inexpensive, but there Midtown Direct trains to and from Summit that start and NY Penn Station, Newark Penn Station and then Summit and the reverse. I believe there are condo/apartment buildings in walking distance of the train station and there is a pretty reasonable town center.</p>
<p>1 bedrooms start at $2500</p>
<p>Small correction to what Shawbridge says: There are trains from Summit NJ to Hoboken, where the PATH trains take the commuter to Penn Station NY and lower Manhattan destinations. There are direct BUSES to the NY Port Authority bus station, which is a couple of blocks from Times Square.</p>