Clifton NJ information?

amother

Lemon

Mon, Jun 22 2015, 8:16 pm

Hi!
We are a couple in our mid 20s who will be looking to move probably within two years. I know its early, but we want to explore our options. To describe us- we are Bais Yaakov/yeshiva graduates who are professionals. My husband wears a hat and is a very solid guy but not yeshivish. He was in college when we got married and never learnt in kollel etc. I cover my hair fully and we would send our kids only to Bais Yaakov types of schools/ right wing yeshivas. But a community like Lakewood would definitely be too "in the box" or yeshivish minded for us. We like the idea of an open minded, yet very solid and frum Torah community with a good, solid shul and yeshivos and schools, but not greasy. We want to live in the tri-state area however we do not want a "Flatbushy" or materialistic kind of lifestyle yet we are also not ready to live out of town. I really want a warm community, because growing up In Brooklyn we never had that and I realize now how very important that is!
One place that recently came up was Clifton. Can someone describe it for me in detail with the following questions answered?

Housing types/ housing prices including property taxes and how much land you would get
which neighborhoods the frum people live in
Tuition costs for preschool and elementary
Food/Groceries shopping etc
Types of people in the community ie yeshivish/professionals/ etc, where they are from
the difference between Clifton to Passaic
the difference to Monsey or Edison (we are considering those as well)
How much you think a family needs in income to live there and be OK financially

Belle

Tue, Jun 23 2015, 5:05 am

Hi! I can't answer questions regarding cost but I can describe the neighborhood. Clifton and Passaic are border communities, and while there might be some differences they really blend -- like Monsey/Airmont/Spring Valley. The biggest difference is neighborhood/block, not whether it is Clifton or Passaic. There is a small modern/Young Israel type community, a miniscule Chabad, and everyone else is on the black hat spectrum. I would say most men wear a hat to davening but there is a wide range that covers. Many people could be called "serious YU types." There is certainly a large population of people like yourselves - BY/Yeshiva educated -- but not "yeshivish" -- professional types. That's probably most of Passaic! Of course the Passaic Yeshiva is the center of the community and there is a population of yeshivish families but they are known not for insularity but for creating the atmosphere of an open community, welcoming to ba'alei teshuva and others not like them. There are so many shuls that most people find a chevre that suits them. It is a warm community where people still say "good Shabbos" to strangers on the street and where it's easy to meet people. Many streets have a tight neighborhood feel, and the whole community has a sense that we're a community, not just a place to live. To answer some of your questions: Passaic is in between Edison and Monsey in size. We don't have the shopping that Monsey has, but we are close to Teaneck. We have an Amazing Savings, large kosher grocery, bakery and a few small restaurants/takeout places. Not to mention non-Jewish stores like Trader Joes and Costco. I have heard that a few large kosher supermarkets are planning to come in in the next couple of years. In terms of neighborhoods, you should come to Passaic and explore it so you become more familiar with the area. It is nice everywhere but certain blocks have a 'bungalow colony' feel, and others are more private. Some blocks are more expensive with larger houses, others are smaller houses. Price is also determined by how close to the center of town a house is, not just by size. There is currently only one mikva so that has been an ongoing issue for those who live a bit further away for Friday PM/yontif, although one shul is struggling to get zoning approval to build another one.

Hope I have helped and good luck!