My wife and I are looking to move closer to her work (in Hackensack) and have found two houses we like...one in Oradell and one in Saddle Brook. We've got young kids so we are really looking for a family oriented and friendly place to live. I've heard lots of good things about Oradell but don't know much about Saddle Brook.
We were also looking at homes in Glen Rock and Ridgewood, so any input on those areas would be welcome too, or any other town you know in that area. We're not really into "status" or appearances....what's really important to us is having the best environment to raise our kids. Obviously the schools are a huge factor. We are almost definitely going to send our kids to Catholic school until 8th grade...not sure about high school yet....would at least like the option of sending the kids to public high school.
Any input here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Ridgewood - Money Money Money for the most part. My parents decided NOT to move there in the 90s because every other kid drove a new BMW to high school when they turned 17. I know several people from that town and I like them very much...but there is a stigma a little bit of being "stuffy". Great downtown. Incredibly safe. Great high school.
Glen Rock - Very similar to the town I grew up in. Small. Very nice community feel. Great downtown. Very strong school system for such a small town. Very safe but 5 minutes from Paterson. Still...have never heard a thing bad about that town, have several friends that grew up there and rave about it.
Oradell: Not as familar but I can tell you it is a safe town and I believe they belong to a regional high school (River Dell) which is known to be a very good system as well. Quiet.
Saddle Brook: Never liked that town. Never liked the people from there. But hey...I may have just had a couple bad experiences. Just always left that school after a football/basketball/baseball game thinking there were a lot of thugs there.
Don't take my word as bible on anything...but have lived in that area since '95
But I"m also concerned about Ridgewood being to snobby....we are really turned off by that kind of stuff.
Oradell is a good town, pretty quiet. The high school is a mix of River Edge and Oradell (hence, River Dell). It has Giants' roots (Doug Parcells, Bill's brother was the head of Oradell Rec for many years and is friends with my family). I went to River Dell but Bergen Catholic was walking distance from my home. I didn't want to go there however, entering my teen years, I was more interested in having girls in school than a parochial sausagefest;)
Given the choice, I'd pick Oradell over Saddle Brook.
Ridgewood and Glen Rock both have significant downtown areas and a lot of community activities. Glen Rock is a little smaller and more laid back. Oradell is a step down and Saddle Brook once again is in last place.
On the other hand, Ridgewood has the highest real estate taxes and Glen Rock isn't far behind. Oradell's pricey but a little cheaper and Saddle Brook has lower taxes.
One other town you might look at is Ho-Ho-Kus. A tiny little town with schools only running through 8th grade, though K-8 are excellent. But they have a high school sending arrangement with Northern Highlands in Allendale, a top notch regional high school comparable to Ridgewood and Glen Rock. The upside is a real small town feel and real estate taxes about 15-20% below what you'd pay in Ridgewood.
If you are sold on Glen Rock, there is a section of town called RadRock, which is on the border of the Radburn section of Fair Lawn and Glen Rock that is nice.
The trade off is a major tax break on your real estate taxes.
You have to decide if the trade-off is worth it.
Every few years, the towns get lawsuity because Oradell pays a higher school tax percentage than River Edge does to River Dell. Oradell is the higher priced of the two, and that will rear it's head with the River Edge kids (though to this day, my closest high school friends were all from River Edge). Oradell keeps putting out a vote to push more tax burden on River Edge, and not surprisingly, River Edge votes it down.
I've raised my 3 kids in Ridgewood and yes, there can be some snobbery, but for the most part people are very nice. My kids do not have their own cars, or even smart phones, and don't have the money to spend that some of the other kids have, but they get along just fine. They understood that they couldn't have everything. There are a lot of doctors, lawyers and Wall Street/financial people in town and even some professional athletes.
The size of the town and schools can be both a plus and a minus. There are a lot of programs in town and the schools offer quite a lot that smaller schools can't. But that makes everything more competitive. Playing a sport in HS is not a given because the teams do cut players due to the number who try out. Gaining a starting spot also becomes tougher with the number of kids battling for playing time. A lot of young kids play club sports (soccer, lacrosse) and pay the price that goes with it. The HS does not divulge class rank because so many kids are high achievers - a kid in the 60th percentile here could be top 10 or 20% if he/she went to another school. There are a lot of Honors and AP classes offered.
Overall, I've had a great experience here and don't really want to live anywhere else. I know other parents who plan to move out of Ridgewood once their kids are out of school so that they don't have to pay high taxes, but right now I don't plan to do that.
Saddle Brook is more blue collar than towns like Ridgewood, Glen Rock and Oradell. Nothing wrong with that - I grew up in a similar town (Hasbrouck Heights). But it is a different environment.
The taxes are more reasonable than Ridgewood and Glen Rock, it's further away from Paterson, and you have very good choices of school whether it is River Dell or, if you can afford it, sending your son to Bergen Catholic. Oradell is close enough to the major thoroughfares and parkway, and has both buses and trains for NYC commute.
Are you sure you don't mean Saddle River?
No way to compare Saddle Brook and Oradell.
Midland Park
Saddle River kids now have their choice of Ramsey or Northern Highlands for high school. But if you think Ridgewood and Glen Rock home prices are expensive......
My 5 children all went to St. Catherines and then to the local High School.All 5 had no trouble getting into the college of their choice. Taxes were high but you get what you pay for.Glen Rock had a low crime rate and excellent programs for both children and adults
Never really cared for Ridgewood, although it has great schools and some very nice neighborhoods. But it's also pricey and has very high property taxes. My biggest complaint though, is that it gets incredibly congested with traffic and parking downtown.
Glen Rock is similar, but a little smaller and less bustling downtown. Both of those towns have excellent transportation due to the train lines and easy access to highways. Hackensack is easy from either. The proximity of
Glen Rock to Paterson shouldn't concern you regarding GR. Big towns of Hawthorne and Fair Lawn, along with Rt. 208 are buffers.
Oradell is nice enough. A step down from Ridgewood and Glen Rock, but not a big one. Different train line makes travel accessible and it's closer to Hackensack than the others. Good schools, although a bit of a step down from the other two. Can't speak to the taxes, but I'd bet lower than the others.
Saddle Brook is in another league, lower down the list than the other 3, and significantly so, IMO.
Other towns you might look at are Midland Park and Waldwick, which offer good schools, probably lower taxes and slightly less pricey home options.
Ho Ho Kus, Allendale, and Wyckoff are also very nice, but closer to the Ridgewood price range.
Good luck.
The reason why we didn't is options. With real estate and taxes the way they are, it seemed like we were about to marry Ridgewood High. Great school obviously, but I'm not a believer that one school fits all, and I wanted to preserve the right to go private if need be. Alot more bang for your buck - and flexibility - elsewhere.
Changed but it's still not the best.
Ridgewood is the village of Bergen County. Lots and lots of people who would like it to be New York City but it's Ridgewood very high taxes very good schools.
Glen Rock small-town not a lot of business so high taxes wants to be Ridgewood very good again schools but very very high property taxes.
Still believe Mahwah is the best town in Bergen, lots of business keeps taxes down and property values up. Next one I like is Wyckoff.
I have lived here in BC for the last 30 years have been involved in politics.
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up in Ramsey. Left 37 years ago. That whole area north of Ridgewood was nice. Ramsey high had the Saddle River kids go there.
Saddle River kids now have their choice of Ramsey or Northern Highlands for high school. But if you think Ridgewood and Glen Rock home prices are expensive......
I know all about Saddle River. The maids and butlers could afford Ridgewood. :)
I still reside in Bergen County in Mahwah. All the towns that have been mentioned are very good. My Mom has been selling Real Estate for over 30 years in BC she would tell you that Wyckoff, Ho Ho Kus, Old Tappan,
Mahwah and Park Ridge are great places to live.
Ridgewood is the village of Bergen County. Lots and lots of people who would like it to be New York City but it's Ridgewood very high taxes very good schools.
Glen Rock small-town not a lot of business so high taxes wants to be Ridgewood very good again schools but very very high property taxes.
Still believe Mahwah is the best town in Bergen, lots of business keeps taxes down and property values up. Next one I like is Wyckoff.
I have lived here in BC for the last 30 years have been involved in politics.
Mahwah is a great town.
I was disappointed to hear the thanksgiving day games are no longer a tradition. You talking thousands at the game.
Also Don Bosco is on the Ramsey/Mahwah border if interested in sending the boys to a Catholic high school.
Not sure how bad Oradell taxes are. Saddle Brook is just not in the same class (or two classes) as the other three as most had mentioned. Again depends on how far you think far is for a commute. Paramus's taxes are much cheaper than most Northern Bergen County towns. I grew up in Hasbrouck Heights. The commute is ideal for Hackensack. I think out of the 4 you mentioned it is the closest to Oradell.
Housing is relatively affordable (compared to other towns in the area), low property taxes, tons of parkland. My wife works in Hackensack, and it takes her 20 minutes most days. It's definitely worth a look.
Confused at how spread out the towns are you listed. Glen Ridge is way south of the others.
Very familiar with all of these towns. Lived and worked in Bergen County for half of my life. Did deliveries in Northern Bergen County for a few years.
Northern Bergen County is beautiful. I always wanted to live in Allendale or Ramsey - the aforementioned Waldwick IS the bargain spot of the area. Those are west of 17 - to the east of 17 is Oradell - Oradell is a great town - really, all of the towns bordering the Oradell Reservoir are beautiful - Emerson, Haworth, Harrington Park - but rush hour can be a little tough if you're driving.
Saddle Brook is just surrounded by mayhem - traffic, industry - I-80/GSP/Patterson, though some of the neighborhoods are nice.
Proximity to Rt. 17 (and AB&G!) are important. Drive time is key. Train stations in-town or nearby are a big plus.
AB&G - ( New Window )
And that was K-8 - High School was and is another story completely. Bergen County's Catholic High Schools have always been top-notch.
ridgewood's school system is excellent and has that reputation amongst colleges.
parking is sometimes a pain downtown, but if you live there, it's quite possible you'll be able to walk to many of the restaurants, some of which are top notch.
i think glen rock, ho-ho-kus, and oradell are pretty similar to each other. all of them are great towns. saddle brook has more of a blue-collar feel, but i've heard good things from residents.