Springfield and Passaic

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 9:02 am

We live in Passaic. We love Passaic. Our property taxes are ABSURD and out of control. My husband and I both work at full time professional jobs. We've been through it a thousand times, and there seems to be no way to make enough to cover our basic expenses+ property taxes (if only it were a set amount, ... They keep going up astronomically). We've considered many options with staying in Passaic, but it seems we'll still be in the same situation.
We are considering moving, but unsure where to go to find a community similar to what we've experienced in Passaic ( small, but not too small, all levels of frumkeit and observance, yet everyone is accepted....) and not to far from Brooklyn (where most of our families live), and not crazy expensive. I know thats a tall order....
We were considering Springfield but don't know much about it other than its not too far. What are the taxes like there? What kind of community is it? How well established is it?
Any advice greatly appreciated!!!!!

amother

Lime

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 10:38 am

You can usually find tax records on real estate websites (realtor, trulia, Zillow).

Pick a few representative properties from each town and see what you can afford.

Highland Park/Edison may work for you - there is a wide range of housing, so some will be considerably less expensive than others. I have heard that taxes in Edison are lower than in HP, which is known for high taxes.

Springfield is established, mostly MO as far as I know (but I only know a few people there) and people usually send to the schools in Elizabeth (again, AFAIK).

Maybe Elizabeth?

NJ in general has ridiculous taxes. At least we have cheap gas!

amother

Periwinkle

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 11:34 am

Springfield is much smaller and much more modern than Passaic.

I think Elizabeth might be a good fit for you - smaller than Passaic but really has all types of orthodox, and the community is very cohesive there.

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 11:41 am

amother wrote:

I will admit I don't know much about Edison or Elizabeth, but my impression of Elizabeth was not too many young families there? What makes up their community?
Is Edison a growing community, or has it been small and MO since it's inception?

amother

Lime

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 11:44 am

amother wrote:

Edison (and Highland Park - the Jewish community straddles the municipal border) is huge and Jewishly diverse. Several flavors of MO, Agudah, Chassidic, Sephardi and probably a few more.

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 11:53 am

amother wrote:

Edison (and Highland Park - the Jewish community straddles the municipal border) is huge and Jewishly diverse. Several flavors of MO, Agudah, Chassidic, Sephardi and probably a few more.

I didn't realize that (about Edison/HP) , that's what we are looking for- diverse community yet large enough for our kids (and ourselves) to fit in and find friends... I know no one can give me specifics but to anyone who knows the communities, what do you think the cost of living and cost of housing is there compared to Passaic?

amother

Lime

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 12:07 pm

amother wrote:

You'll need to do some homework. Here's the eruv map: http://www.hperuv.org/

Look at real estate listings for zip codes 08904 (HP) and 08817 (Edison). Double check locations on the erev map to see if the properties are in your desired area.

I have no idea what property values or taxes are like in Passaic, so I can't tell you how they compare. Certainly they are not low around here, but you may find something that suits your needs.

doctorima

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 12:49 pm

Edison (and Highland Park) is WAY larger than Springfield, and much more diverse, and is definitely not a primarily MO community. As you're focused on property taxes, focus on the Edison side, which has lower taxes than adjacent Highland Park.

amother

Periwinkle

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 3:27 pm

amother wrote:

I will admit I don't know much about Edison or Elizabeth, but my impression of Elizabeth was not too many young families there? What makes up their community?

Elizabeth has a very nice amount of young families, and they get new families all the time. Some (but not all) of the younger families are concentrated on the North Avenue side (vs. the Elmora side). Everyone in Elizabeth is orthodox, but it runs from very modern all the way through very yeshivish, and there are both sefardim and ashkenazim. Everyone goes to the same school for the most part, and the combination of unity and diversity is really wonderful.

Elizabeth is smaller than Passaic and Edison, but I think it could fit what you're looking for. Also, Elizabeth is actually cheaper than Passaic and Edison - and as far as I know, Elizabeth is the cheapest sizable Jewish community in New Jersey. There are definitely enough people in the Elizabeth community to find friends, and the community is much closer-knit than Passiac or Edison, so meeting people and integrating into the community is pretty easy.

amother

Bronze

Wed, Sep 21 2016, 3:41 pm

I don't know how many children you have but you have to compare tuition too. It could be tuition in Edison is a good deal more than Passaic - not sure myself but I suspect it- and then you can lose what you gained in tax breaks but spending more on tuition. Question

amother

Maroon

Tue, Sep 27 2016, 10:40 pm

Taxes are bad everywhere in nj. Springfield has only one shul, so much smmaller than Passaic and the other communities mentioned. Also more homogenous, between mo and mild yeshivish.