Ridgewood is nice but very much a family town, so if you didn't like Morristown's nightlife you probably won't like Ridgewood's either. Montclair, Jersey City, and Hoboken are probably the best spots for night life in North Jersey, albeit pushing the 45 minute commute limit you mentioned.

How much does commute factor into your decision? Montclair is probably what you're looking for. That'll mean Parkway and Rt 17 traffic every day but better than the Tappan Zee bridge and its toll if you go with White Plains.

Why not move to Mahwah? I lived there for about 5 years and loved it. Otherwise if you are looking for a more lively crowd you could go to Nyack.

It’s a beautiful area for sure but seems more for families. I’m afraid there won’t be much to do and will be difficult to meet people

I was looking at Nyack but barely any apartments in my budget

Agreed that Montclair seems like the best choice. Apartment options are slim but keeping my eye out.

Really? That's surprising. White Plains is definitely more expensive than Nyack imo. Ramsey has a train so you can get around. Not much nightlife anywhere around Mahwah as it's a family oriented suburb area.

True! What I meant about Morristown is I prefer a more chill bar scene. Every bar there becomes a club after 9pm. Jersey City or Hoboken would be great but rough commutes.

Try Ramsey. Nice town and your commute would be very short. Coming from Montclair could take a long time in rush hour.

You will love Ringwood!

If you want a pet, buy in Bogert Ranch Estates.

Don't you mean the Mario Cuomo bridge? (insert facepalm here)

But yeah, Montclair is nice for a younger person who doesn't want to live in a suburban family town or a place like Morristown. There's a lot of jazz if you're into that, OP

Do not, in any circumstance, live in Mall & Starview Apts (Franklin Tpk & Airmont Rd).

> White Plains

After commuting on I87 & across the Tappan Zee bridge, you will become an acolyte of Cthulhu.

Westwood has a decent town center too. Montclair is prob your best bet something walkable to Bloomfield Ave. I live close to there and it’s usually my date night town to go out

> Jersey City or Hoboken would be great but rough commutes.

The only way you could handle that was if your work location had a shuttle, to go to the train station.

Yeah I wish. I actually do have coworkers that commute from those areas but idk how they do it.

I’ll check it out!

Lmao good point on the commute

Montclair is sounding better and better!

I’ll check it out thanks!

Ridewood, Paramus, Hackensack, and potentially the Spring Valley/Nanuet Area of New York. Keep in mind your commute may be dramatically longer during rush hour

If by “rough”, you mean dangerous, definitely not. Downtown JC is gorgeous, extremely safe. Hoboken the same thing. Greenville JC can be a bit shady, but still not that bad compared to some other communities in Nj

Don’t call it that in Westchester or Rockland, you may be killed

Oh yeah definitely not worried about safety in those areas! I mean the commute would be rough as far as travel time and traffic

I was looking at Hackensack. Wondering if they have a downtown area with things to do

Yea, and getting out of JC in the morning is Murder

Endorsing u/jeabers' comment, rent across the street from work and use your commuting time and expenses to play in Nyack and Hoboken - if not the City as I did.

I was there a few times. There’s a nice shopping street there “Main St”. Plenty of amazing restaurants there, probably a lot of bars, although I can’t confirm that. Parking on that street is also manageable, especially since most businesses have a back parking lot for their customers. As a funny side note, there’s a ridiculous amount of barbershops in Hackensack, you’ll never need to worry about your hair ever again. GPS Right now says 22 minutes from there to mahwah, but expect 30-35 minutes during rush hour

Have you considered Englewood?

Consider Warwick too

Pearl River , Rockland County NY. Train to Hoboken and PATH to NYC. Close to Nyack.

Montclair is a battle commuting, if you like Ridgewood, look at the neighboring towns, Glen Rock, Waldwick, maybe even Midland Park.

Another vote for Montclair! I just recently moved out bc we had a baby and bought a house nearby, otherwise we would have stayed in our rental in Montclair for as long as possible. We were in a reasonably priced two bedroom off the Mountain Ave NJ Transit stop within walking distance to some amazing shops and restaurants. The nightlife isn’t as lively as Hoboken or downtown JC, but there are definitely a few bars, great restaurants, and tons of cultural events going on.

Your commute might be a little long at times but my neighbor commuted to Bergen County and didn’t have any issues. Feel free to PM me!

Any place with good nightlife will be rough...Fort Lee might be a good option. 171 to Radburn and then a train to Mahwah. It definitely pushes the amount of the time you were willing to spend to commute though

You'd probably like Bergen County, but generally apartments ain't cheap there.

Maybe someplace like Butler, Bloomingdale or Pequannock Twp?

It's kinda quiet though.

But it's pretty easy to get to more "happening" places from there. Just don't go too much further west if you need entertainment.

Long commute, I think. And I'd think rush hour might convince you otherwise.

Commuting to Mahwah from Hackensack is not too bad, since you’d be traveling away from the George Washington Bridge in the morning.

NJ Realtor here - Check out Hawthorne

Not too bad at all. Route 17 can get rough, but general going in the southern direction in the morning (Toward Newark). Going north on that highway in the morning shouldn’t be very painful

Thank you so much!! Montclair is definitely my first choice right now. If you have any apartment leads definitely let me know!

PM me and I can share some contact info for our former landlord!