moving to lakewood not as a newlywed

amother

Tue, Jul 20 2010, 9:04 pm

just wondering how common this is since all the people I know who live there have lived there since getting married (dh learning there).

when did you move there? if you moved there NOT as a newlywed, please share your experience (or if you know someone who has). Thanks.

amother

Tue, Jul 20 2010, 9:59 pm

We are currently in the process of moving to Lakewood, not as newlyweds. We're expecting our second child very shortly, so maybe we're not that old, but we've already lived in two different cities since getting married.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Posting anonymously because of identifying info.

mamaleh

Tue, Jul 20 2010, 10:39 pm

I know many people who have moved here after a number of years of marriage. Some came from Israel after a few years and some came as Bubbys & Zaidys to live closer to their aineklach, and some everywhere in between. Most have settled in nicely, although some have taken longer than others. One factor that is urgent to deal with before moving- if you have children in school, make sure you have schools for them.
Also make sure you look into the specific neighborhood before you move, some are more diverse. Make sure you find one that is a match for you, both in age/ family size and in lifestyle, etc.
If you have any specific questions feel free to ask, I'll do my best to answer (or find answers) for you.

SingALong

Tue, Jul 20 2010, 10:52 pm

I know several people that moved to lakewood not as newlyweds for various reasons either they lived in E"Y first, or they came for an employment opportunity, or for buying a house it was cheaper, etc.

if your child is school age it is VIP that oyu contact schools maybe even before moving here. (people I know moving here form E"Y actually contacted schools months beforehand)

also for playgroups and babysitters, many people register ages in advance. so once you figure out what neighborhood you are going to, call people and ask where oyu can send ot playgorup/babysitter.
you can also call masa umatan and BP graphics they both have playgroup lists and apartment lists. Beofre I moved they faxed stuff to me

groisamomma

Tue, Jul 20 2010, 11:48 pm

Do the school thing first, it cannot be overstressed. Everything else will fall into place. If you need any info/errands/calls done, I'll gladly help. Good luck and welcome to town! Very Happy

amother

Wed, Jul 21 2010, 11:14 am

op here.

thank you everyone for your replies. yes, I have heard about the school issue and would not consider moving there unless my kids were already enrolled somewhere.
I am a bit concerned about the transition to a more uniform community as opposed to where we are now, which is a mixed community. my kids are used to all types and I hope that our "openmindedness" will not be an issue.
moving to lakewood with a family seems to be unusual. whenever I mention it to someone, they are always surprised that we would consider such a thing.

sky

Wed, Jul 21 2010, 11:27 am

groisamomma wrote:

Do the school thing first, it cannot be overstressed. Everything else will fall into place. If you need any info/errands/calls done, I'll gladly help. Good luck and welcome to town! Very Happy

I agree.

It is very common to move here not as newlyweds, with kids. Many move here when they are ready to buy a house and realize they can't afford it were they live or want their kids to live with a nice sized backyard, etc. I know a few people who did it. One of dh's friends did have a hard time getting all of his kids into school. He moved here before one had a place and one daughter was out of school for about 2 months (the other 5 children were in school before he moved)

mamaleh

Wed, Jul 21 2010, 11:28 am

amother wrote:

op here.

moving to lakewood with a family seems to be unusual. whenever I mention it to someone, they are always surprised that we would consider such a thing.

Anyone who says it's unusual has no idea what they are talking about. 100's (if not 1000's) of families have moved here in recent years. Mostly because of the cheaper housing, but also because they like the communitty.

amother

Wed, Jul 21 2010, 11:41 am

cheaper housing (for a house with land) and cheaper tuition are two of our reasons. for some odd reason, people tend to poo-poo money reasons, saying that thats not a reason to move somewhere, you have to be somewhere where youll be happy....
Obviously, you dont move somewhere thats totally not for you just for money reasons but money is a very huge reason to live somewhere. money=stress and if you could live somewhere where you will not be stressed about money all the time, work fewer hours, be there more for your children, have a nice yard for your kids to play, then that makes sense to me. if everyone in the town is not exactly like you, who cares. as long as you have a few friends and your kids feel comfortable in their school, then that is happiness, right?
I think people (in my community at least) get very hung up on the idea of "lakewood" and how it is so yeshivish, a lot of politics, being run by the yeshiva, etc. which may all be true but how much does that actually affect your day to day life?

amother

Wed, Jul 21 2010, 5:13 pm

I dont have any school age girls but for boys, where im coming from, lower elementary school is in the 15,000 range plus all the extra fees. lakewood tuition is a joke compared to that.

MrsDash

Wed, Jul 21 2010, 5:39 pm

My sister moved to Lakewood from Brooklyn with 6 children with the oldest being 12 at the time, and even had a seventh child while living here (This was about 13 years ago). The entire family adapted pretty well and in a short time. She still lives here, and as far as I know, loves it here. Her two oldest children are married and live here as well.