Moving to Maplewood - favorite neighborhoods?

All the neighborhoods are great. Just look for the best house closest to the train. It's nice being able to walk to town/train, and that's why I chose my house over 20 years ago. But now, I hardly go to New York anymore and I mostly drive to town. So there is that also. 

Golf island is better for walking to the train, and it's my favorite. 

Jaytee said:
Golf island is better for walking to the train, and it's my favorite. 

"Better" compared to what? There are houses outside of Golf Island which are just as close to the train.

apple44 said:
"Better" compared to what? There are houses outside of Golf Island which are just as close to the train.

OP mentioned three locations:  Plymouth, Hickory (near Jefferson) and Golf Island.  Of the three, portions of Golf Island are closest to the train station.  Plus both Hickory and Plymouth are uphill from the station, a potential issue less likely to be faced by residents of Golf Island.  I assume that is the comparison Jaytee is making.  I agree that there are there are houses just as close (or closer) to the train station than much of Golf Island; however, they are not on Plymouth or Hickory.

If home size is important, homes on Hickory are definitely larger than those on Golf Island. Most homeowners feel their neighborhood is the best. They all have special charms. Its the house that draws you to the neighborhood.

Don't just limit your search to Maplewood.  South Orange is pretty much the same as Maplewood, as is the Gregory section of West Orange.  All of them have jitney service to the train stations, so walking distance should not be a deciding factor.  We moved to Tuxedo Park in South Orange 11 years ago, and could not be happier.  But it's not walking distance to the train.  That's OK because of the jitney service.  

Find a house you like in a neighborhood you like, and don't worry too much about proximity to the trains. 

I think walking distance to train increases your home’s value. 

galileo said:
If home size is important, homes on Hickory are definitely larger than those on Golf Island. Most homeowners feel their neighborhood is the best. They all have special charms. Its the house that draws you to the neighborhood.

 Without trying to be negative about this... As long as money is no object, then yes. 

Rob_Sandow said:
Don't just limit your search to Maplewood.  South Orange is pretty much the same as Maplewood, as is the Gregory section of West Orange.  All of them have jitney service to the train stations, so walking distance should not be a deciding factor.  We moved to Tuxedo Park in South Orange 11 years ago, and could not be happier.  But it's not walking distance to the train.  That's OK because of the jitney service.  

Find a house you like in a neighborhood you like, and don't worry too much about proximity to the trains. 

 This is true as long as your work schedule corresponds with the jitney schedule.  If you start work very early in the morning or end work late at night, the jitney will not work for you.  If you will be traveling during "rush hour" times in both directions, you should be fine.  Also, be aware that depending on your location and jitney route, taking the jitney can add substantially to your travel time.

author said:

When you are old and grey move into Maplewood Village.  5 minute walk to the train station..........3 dedicated coffee houses........bit my tongue on that one.  Number of restaurants ever changing but figure in the area of 15.  4 liquor serving establishments.  2 bottled liquor stores.  Miracle of miracles King's Supermarket remains.  What seems like a zillion novelty stores......2 realtors......3 nail establishments and quaint movie theater with Senior Discounts and I believe $6.00 admission on Tuesday.Three pizza establishments  Republicans are summarily executed but given a proper burial.

 haha thank you!

Valid points. A lot of folks in these towns work nontraditional hours. In three house transactions here, "walk to train" was at the top of my list. 

rll8208 said:
I'm American (though a brit dual citizen now), but we were in Greenwich/Blackheath for 5 years. My husband was born in London but raised in Australia so we've done a giant circle. Camden is great! 

 You're going to love the Aussies on this board, @joanne and @marksierra. Not living here but keeping us apprised of the goings on down under.

Move in bring your politics and pull up a chair.

Wish I could move to London.

Easily, the best neighborhood is SoDoSoPa.  Right near historic Kenny’s House.  

I agree with everyone who has said find the house you love and also that every neighborhood is wonderful - you really can't go wrong. But since you mentioned Plymouth, I live a few blocks over and really love this neighborhood. It's our second house in town (yes, I did love my old neighborhood as well), and here we can walk everywhere - train, town, Springfield Ave (my gym, my hair salon, the farmer's market, etc), all 3 schools (elementary, middle and CHS, plus 1-2 more elementary schools are walking distance), multiple parks, and an easy walk down Prospect to South Orange, too. The Jitney is in the neighborhood but my commuting spouse always walks to/from train easily, and we've had only one car for our many years in town. Like Plymouth, our street does not go all the way down to Valley nor all the way out to Springfield Ave, making it quite quiet and the flat streets are great for kids to play on (similar to Golf Island). Good luck - if you are drawn to the town, you'll likely be happy wherever you land.

north crescent has a house for sale and a great 30-year block party tradition. probly 8 minute walk to the train. welcome to town!

rll8208 said:

author said:

When you are old and grey move into Maplewood Village.  5 minute walk to the train station..........3 dedicated coffee houses........bit my tongue on that one.  Number of restaurants ever changing but figure in the area of 15.  4 liquor serving establishments.  2 bottled liquor stores.  Miracle of miracles King's Supermarket remains.  What seems like a zillion novelty stores......2 realtors......3 nail establishments and quaint movie theater with Senior Discounts and I believe $6.00 admission on Tuesday.Three pizza establishments  Republicans are summarily executed but given a proper burial.

 haha thank you!

Only two realtors??????

Agree with others who say find the house and location you like, and odds are you'll like the neighborhood.  While certain neighborhood in MapSo may have certain characteristics due to lot size, traffic patterns and the like, they are really not that different from one another, IMO.*  We're in the Jefferson area, which is easily walkable to the train station, and we're in the middle of a perfect walking triangle with Jefferson Elementary, Maplewood Middle School and Columbia HS as the points.  Couldn't be happier with the neighborhood.

* That said, a few areas have some distinctions.  The streets of Golf Island and Kendall Ave. (off Jefferson) are distinguishable because of their relatively long stretches of flatness and low traffic patterns -- making them ideal for scootering, biking, skateboarding and street ball.  They are also very popular trick or treating streets for that reason.  I think you pay a bit of a premium in home price as a result.

yahooyahoo said:
Only two realtors??????
      

 Two offices, each with about 125 realtors in them!

ridski said:
 Two offices, each with about 125 realtors in them!

 Soon the be three agencies.  ReMax is going in next to Able Bakers.

If considering owning very close to the railroad tracks, there is an occasionally observed law that makes trains arriving at the station blow their whistle before arrival.  This can be a pain late nights and early mornings.  Just so you know, but not a deal breaker.

never buy a house on or very near railroad tracks regardless of the whistle. Terrible re-sale prospects. Think of buying more like a business transaction.  Sure, find one you like but mostly be focused on the best deal for your $ and which will hold/ increase value.

ridski said:

yahooyahoo said:
Only two realtors??????
      

 Two offices, each with about 125 realtors in them!

 Our cup runneth over.

mrmaplewood said:
If considering owning very close to the railroad tracks, there is an occasionally observed law that makes trains arriving at the station blow their whistle before arrival.  This can be a pain late nights and early mornings.  Just so you know, but not a deal breaker.

 I think that in a way is NJIT proving it is still alive.  I've been told that the longest and loudest

 shrieking whistles occur as the Express train goes rumbling through.  Now having lived less than 100 feet from said rail road tracks for 10 years, I am qualified to make some interesting observations.  For one thing..........the Village Coffee building which also houses 8 apts now....when first built in the 1920's consisted of only 4 apartments.  Logically they were all 3 bedroom two baths units.

So therefore and where fore..........the Village Coffee building was the first luxury building in the Village.  It predates the Circus building and no doubt its success as a domicile inspired NJIT to come up with the Transit Village concept.  The irony of it all.

The noise from the train tracks and dumpsters behind the building being emptied at 2 AM...........barely noticeable if you have drunk yourself into a stupor earlier.

conandrob240 said:
never buy a house on or very near railroad tracks regardless of the whistle. Terrible re-sale prospects. Think of buying more like a business transaction.  Sure, find one you like but mostly be focused on the best deal for your $ and which will hold/ increase value.

My friend purchased a house right on the tracks a couple years ago -- and he loves the easy walk to the train. But he did have to do more to protect the house against flooding since it is at a low point. The house is larger than anything else that was available in his budget because of this location, and also the assessment and taxes are lower than his neighbors up the hill. 

So, if you plan to be there for a long time, considering reduced financial burden of mortgage and taxes over time, rather than resale value, may be a priority.

author said:

mrmaplewood said:
If considering owning very close to the railroad tracks, there is an occasionally observed law that makes trains arriving at the station blow their whistle before arrival.  This can be a pain late nights and early mornings.  Just so you know, but not a deal breaker.

 I think that in a way is NJIT proving it is still alive.  I've been told that the longest and loudest

 shrieking whistles occur as the Express train goes rumbling through.  Now having lived less than 100 feet from said rail road tracks for 10 years, I am qualified to make some interesting observations.  For one thing..........the Village Coffee building which also houses 8 apts now....when first built in the 1920's consisted of only 4 apartments.  Logically they were all 3 bedroom two baths units.
So therefore and where fore..........the Village Coffee building was the first luxury building in the Village.  It predates the Circus building and no doubt its success as a domicile inspired NJIT to come up with the Transit Village concept.  The irony of it all.
The noise from the train tracks and dumpsters behind the building being emptied at 2 AM...........barely noticeable if you have drunk yourself into a stupor earlier.

 New Jersey Institute of Technology?