Way OT: living in NJ ?

My fiancee and I want to move to NJ. Maybe long branch or monmouth county. Some place nice and where work is available. I am just wondering what it is like in NJ and what your experience has been living there. We currently live in Maryland. I had lapband done 1/30/2007. I hope everyone is doing well with their surgery and journey. Thank you! Tina

I hate to break it to ya, but Long Branch is definately not a nice area. Lot of crime.

Michele, Thank you for the info on crime in long branch. We don't know much about NJ but we heard there is a lot of nice areas. We need to find out which ones are nice. We are trying to get away from crime.

Hey Tina, Lap Bander here also....We moved to New Jersey (Woolwich Twp, Gloucester County) 5 years ago, from Delaware County, Pa. Taxes are the highest in the nation, BUT I would not want to live anywhere else...We love it...Good luck with your banded journey..

David, thanks for the reply. I read about it being the highest taxes in the country. I spoke to my fiancee about this. We have to do some good investigating before making this move. We would really love to live in a nice area where the people are for the most part friendly. I know that is probably a dream because there are nasty people every where. Thanks for wishing me luck on my band journey. I hope yours is going good. Tina

"for the most part friendly" In my experience this was not true. Even kids my daughter went to school with were not friendly with her. It is a fast paced place to live and I have found that people who have grown up in NJ have families and friends and really are not that anxious to add new ones to their lives. It is a really expensive place to live - especially for a young couple starting out.

We used to live in Maryland before moving to NJ. We cannot wait to get out. Expect to pay higher taxes, at least twice as much for car insurance as well as extremely high home prices. Getting gas is something that you have to plan for as you can plan on it taking a lot longer because you cannot pump it yourself. Personally, I think there are much better choices of places to live than NJ.

i moved here over 4 years ago from boston taxes aren't high -- they are OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!!!!! you can buy a new car for what you spend in property taxes!! unless you plan on renting it depends on what kind of employment you are looking for -- i work in human services and it took me 2 years to find a company that i liked car insurance --- dont' get started on this issue -- you have to APPLY for insurance and possibly wait up to 2 weeks for an answer -- if you are a good driver they don't want your business (as a new customer) -- i now pay more for my 10 year old car with only liability on it than i did when it was new and i had full coverage in MASS. -- they also listed me as a new driver and gave me 4 'points' on my insurance until i could prove that i have had my license for 25 years!!!! it's a short ride to NY, DE, MD, PA and plenty to do and see -- mountains in PA and NY and beaches (if you want to pay) all down the NJ shoreline -- plenty of state parks and farmland to see -- nice scenery -- nice ride from the south jersey area up route 29 through Trenton to Route 32 in New Hope, PA and then follow 32 up the Delaware River -- really pretty i moved here cuz it was a place to go (i ran away) good luck with your decision Roberta

hi tina i grew up in NY but have lived in NJ for over 30 years now. yes its not cheap, and taxes and auto insurance are high, but its a great place to live. i raised my kids in the east brunswick area, which has good schools. Now i live close to the jersey shore in Manchester which is near TOms River and Lakehurst. I love it here, lots of retirment communities, but also many young people starting out. if you need anymore info. just post again hugs and good luck, jacki

Tina~ What a loaded post you put out there, and I am shocked by some of the answers you recieved as well. First of all, Long Branch is not ALL bad. There are very nice sections of Long Branch, sections I wish I could afford a home in... the crime is not bad in the entire city of Long Branch. It's an oceanfront coummunity, which is very expensive, just to be near the ocean is going to cost you. Some parts are beautiful! They just built a new "shopping pier" as I like to call it, some great stores and restaurants to relax in. I grew up in Belmar, about 20 miles south of Long Branch. I had a great childhood there. I love the beach and missed it immensely when I went away to college in Pittsburgh, PA. NJ is not cheap, anywhere is NJ is going to be overpriced, and yes-you will pay a lot for car insurance. I LOVE NJ and would never leave unless I was forced to, or my entire family moved to a commune somewhere! There are good sides of NJ and bad sides of NJ. Honestly though, if I were a newlywed couple trying to buy my first home, NJ would not be on the top of my list, it is very expensive. I don't want to steer you away from NJ, I am just being honest, the expense of living in NJ will be quite a shock when you are coming from MD. Best of luck with your lap band too Michelle Brennan Brick, NJ