Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > USA
Reload this Page >

Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Old Dec 4th 2010, 8:26 am
  #1  
Just Joined
Thread Starter
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2
csbarratt is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Guys,

I have been given the opportunity to be sponsored into the US from the UK with work, and we are seriously considering the move.

The office is based in NYC business district, and we were just wondering which suburb would be a good choice to live in for a family, that is commutable to the office. We have seen Monmouth Beach area and looked at Princeton - are these good locations and indeed commutable?

One thing we couldn't determine is the commute from Monmouth Beach area into the city on train, I understand that there is a quick ferry but would like to get an idea on the train commute - can anyone help.

Thanks,

Charles.
csbarratt is offline  
Old Dec 4th 2010, 12:19 pm
  #2  
Forum Regular
 
usanewlife's Avatar
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 65
usanewlife is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
Guys,

I have been given the opportunity to be sponsored into the US from the UK with work, and we are seriously considering the move.

The office is based in NYC business district, and we were just wondering which suburb would be a good choice to live in for a family, that is commutable to the office. We have seen Monmouth Beach area and looked at Princeton - are these good locations and indeed commutable?

One thing we couldn't determine is the commute from Monmouth Beach area into the city on train, I understand that there is a quick ferry but would like to get an idea on the train commute - can anyone help.

Thanks,

Charles.
Hello Charles and welcome to BE.

Will you be looking for a good school district and are you willing to comute by train direct into Penn Station? If so, I can recommend Syosset, Long Island. The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) runs an excellent service and the commute into the city is about an hour.
usanewlife is offline  
Old Dec 4th 2010, 12:23 pm
  #3  
221b Baker Street
 
Sherlock Holmes's Avatar
 
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Miles from anywhere, Victoria, Australia.
Posts: 14,125
Sherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond reputeSherlock Holmes has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
Guys,

I have been given the opportunity to be sponsored into the US from the UK with work, and we are seriously considering the move.

The office is based in NYC business district, and we were just wondering which suburb would be a good choice to live in for a family, that is commutable to the office. We have seen Monmouth Beach area and looked at Princeton - are these good locations and indeed commutable?

One thing we couldn't determine is the commute from Monmouth Beach area into the city on train, I understand that there is a quick ferry but would like to get an idea on the train commute - can anyone help.

Thanks,

Charles.
Hi Charles and welcome to B.E.

It's my pleasure to welcome you to the forum and give you a point of contact should you need any help with the site in general. You can contact me here.

A list of all the moderators and helpers with their relevant countries including The United States can be found here.

I see that you have found your way around but any problems with the site in general, dont hesitate to PM me.

I'll leave the good folks of the USA forum to give you the answers you need.

Enjoy B.E.

Alistair.
Sherlock Holmes is offline  
Old Dec 4th 2010, 3:48 pm
  #4  
 
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Englishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond repute
Post Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
Guys,

I have been given the opportunity to be sponsored into the US from the UK with work, and we are seriously considering the move.

The office is based in NYC business district, and we were just wondering which suburb would be a good choice to live in for a family, that is commutable to the office. We have seen Monmouth Beach area and looked at Princeton - are these good locations and indeed commutable?

One thing we couldn't determine is the commute from Monmouth Beach area into the city on train, I understand that there is a quick ferry but would like to get an idea on the train commute - can anyone help.

Thanks,

Charles.
Hi,

I live in New Jersey (and Singapore, but that's another story lol!).

Spouse worked in Times Square; our priorities when we moved to the NYC metro area were: 1) Door to door commute of 1 hour maximum 2) Great school district 3) Access to international airport. We live approx 18 miles west of Manhatten (the town is rated the no 1 public school district in NJ)

You need to account for the time spent actually on the train - plus getting to the train station at each end. Many car parks near train stations are operated by the towns they serve; if you're not a resident you can't get a car park permit (all side roads marked 'no parking' or 3 hour parking only to deter commuters). Some car park permits are approx $390 per year plus daily parking charges, but some towns have long waiting lists - of years - to obtain a parking permit at the train stations.

Train schedules and prices for NJ Transit trains and buses are here:

http://www.njtransit.com

PATH underground trains from NJ-NYC and ferries are here (many commuters take the NJ Transit trains to Hoboken then take the PATH subway or ferries at Hoboken train station):

http://www.panynj.gov/path/

http://www.panynj.gov/commuting-trav...portation.html

I think it would be quite a long commute from Monmouth Beach.....Long Branch has a large station though. A friend commutes into Times Square from her home in Middletown by taking the ferry to Manhatten, then a subway. She only goes into the office a couple of times a week though and mainly works from home. Sometimes the ferries can't operate in the coldest winter months due to ice on the Hudson river....

I think that Princeton would be a horrible daily commute....nice enough to visit for an outing, but it would be a tedious daily grind (and expensive) to do it every day if working in NYC. Also you may sometimes want to see a show or have dinner in NYC after work or weekend, maybe even have to work late and it's not so easy or fun to do if you have a long journey home afterwards.

Last edited by Englishmum; Dec 4th 2010 at 3:50 pm.
Englishmum is offline  
Old Dec 4th 2010, 4:40 pm
  #5  
 
meauxna's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 35,082
meauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond reputemeauxna has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Since this is not an immigration quesiton, I'm moving it to the USA Lifestyle forum (thanks for finding us over here Englishmum!)

If you have any visa or immigration questions, please start a new thread in the Immigration forum.
meauxna is offline  
Old Dec 4th 2010, 7:21 pm
  #6  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: May 2009
Location: New York
Posts: 61
Untitled 3 is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
The office is based in NYC business district, and we were just wondering which suburb would be a good choice to live in for a family, that is commutable to the office. We have seen Monmouth Beach area and looked at Princeton - are these good locations and indeed commutable?
Hi Charles,
How long a commute is acceptable to you?

Where in Manhattan will you workplace be?

You also not need to factor time getting to Manhattan (I assume that's what you meant by NYC business district) but you also need allow for travel within Manahattan i.e. walk from the train station or take additional subway train(s).
Untitled 3 is offline  
Old Dec 4th 2010, 7:42 pm
  #7  
Concierge
 
Rete's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,358
Rete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
Guys,

I have been given the opportunity to be sponsored into the US from the UK with work, and we are seriously considering the move.

The office is based in NYC business district, and we were just wondering which suburb would be a good choice to live in for a family, that is commutable to the office. We have seen Monmouth Beach area and looked at Princeton - are these good locations and indeed commutable?
Assume you mean Monmouth County in New Jersey. Yes, it is commutable to Manhattan. Can do it by bus (which a co-worker does who lives in Marlboro or by train if you drive to Woodbridge to get the train station.

Princeton is just to far to travel unless you were working in Philadelphia.


One thing we couldn't determine is the commute from Monmouth Beach area into the city on train, I understand that there is a quick ferry but would like to get an idea on the train commute - can anyone help.

Thanks,

Charles.
Look up New Jersey Transit for train info.
Rete is offline  
Old Dec 19th 2010, 8:15 am
  #8  
Just Joined
Thread Starter
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2
csbarratt is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Guys,

Thanks for the update, very useful. I have a few other questions if you can help out!
  • What is the average mortgage multiples are against salary (single and joint salary)
  • What is the usual required minimum deposit on a house
  • Any thoughts on Parsippany Troy Hills as a location to commute to NYC, or any other locations near here?

Thanks for your help in advance!

Charles.
csbarratt is offline  
Old Dec 19th 2010, 8:54 am
  #9  
 
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Englishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond reputeEnglishmum has a reputation beyond repute
Question Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
Guys,

Thanks for the update, very useful. I have a few other questions if you can help out!
  • What is the average mortgage multiples are against salary (single and joint salary)
  • What is the usual required minimum deposit on a house
  • Any thoughts on Parsippany Troy Hills as a location to commute to NYC, or any other locations near here?

Thanks for your help in advance!

Charles.
Q1 - no idea

Q2 - if you don't put 20% deposit down - which is the norm - you normally have to pay PMI insurance (this is of no benefit to you, only the lender). They don't expect people to walk away from their mortgage obligations if they've put 20% of their own equity into their home.

http://www.ehomemortgages.com/home-m...age-insurance/ (explanation of PMI)

It's probable that many lenders are now wary of lending to people without rock-solid credit history or who can't put 20% down and I have no idea if PMI is easy to get these days due to the state of the property market in the US.

Q3 - You will need to be on a train line if you wish to commute daily into NYC...it would be crazy to drive there due to heavy traffic, tolls on the bridges and tunnels and the extortionate cost of parking in the city. For Parsippany/Troy Hills you would be going eastbound on either Route 46 or the Interstate 80. It would be like driving in the Greater London metro area.

As mentioned before, check out NJ Transit's website. We have some v. good friends in Boonton township - the spouse however works in Parsippany when he isn't overseas on Biz trips. There is a station in Boonton and the local schools are good (especially Mountain Lakes schools). Remember that for many station car parks, you have to live in the town/township to get a parking permit, with some towns you may even have to go on a long waiting list.

It's difficult to advise when you haven't listed your housing budget and with posters here possibly suggesting places which you wouldn't be able to afford to move to! Also what kind of place do you want to live in, or would dislike living in? Ages of kids - are they little or coming up to high school/university age?

PS: mortgages tend to be for either 30 years or 15 years. Also unlike the UK when lenders like the mortgage to be paid off by State retirement age, it's not uncommon in the US for mortgages to still be running when the person is well into their 70s...! Would you feel comfortable with that? I know that I wouldn't!

Last edited by Englishmum; Dec 19th 2010 at 8:57 am.
Englishmum is offline  
Old Dec 19th 2010, 2:43 pm
  #10  
Septicity
 
fatbrit's Avatar
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
fatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond reputefatbrit has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
  • What is the average mortgage multiples are against salary (single and joint salary)
  • What is the usual required minimum deposit on a house
A good primer on US mortgages can be found here: http://www.mtgprofessor.com

Don't forget that Americans have a credit history.....but you don't.
fatbrit is offline  
Old Dec 19th 2010, 7:49 pm
  #11  
A lion in your lap
 
elfman's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Sparta NJ
Posts: 7,605
elfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond reputeelfman has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Originally Posted by csbarratt
Any thoughts on Parsippany Troy Hills as a location to commute to NYC, or any other locations near here?
Definitely doable - we lived in Parsippany (actually Mount Tabor) for two and a half years and my Mrs commuted into the city in that time: train from Mount Tabor station to Hoboken - ferry to lower Manhattan - walk to World Financial Center. About an hour and a half door to door.

Last edited by elfman; Dec 19th 2010 at 7:55 pm.
elfman is offline  
Old Dec 29th 2010, 9:49 pm
  #12  
Just Joined
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1
Neilie is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: Moving to the US - Some advice on living location

Hi Charles,
I've been living in Little Silver, Monmouth County since July this year. Whilst I work from home I travel into the city a fair bit. The train journey to Penn Station takes about 1.20mins to 1.40 mins. It is the NJ coast line and tends to stop everywhere hence the longish commute time.

The ferry is the quickest option- takes 40 mins I think
http://www.seastreak.com/faresandschedules.aspx

Nice place to live though. Little Silver and Red Bank (neighbouring town) both have a bit of character & identity which is sadly lacking from other parts of NJ!! Monmouth beach is a really nice spot.

Princeton is a lovely town but about 45 mins drive from the coast. Think train time are a bit faster but not much.

Good luck give me a shout if you need more.

Neil



Originally Posted by csbarratt
Guys,

I have been given the opportunity to be sponsored into the US from the UK with work, and we are seriously considering the move.

The office is based in NYC business district, and we were just wondering which suburb would be a good choice to live in for a family, that is commutable to the office. We have seen Monmouth Beach area and looked at Princeton - are these good locations and indeed commutable?

One thing we couldn't determine is the commute from Monmouth Beach area into the city on train, I understand that there is a quick ferry but would like to get an idea on the train commute - can anyone help.

Thanks,

Charles.
Neilie is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.