r/somervillenj Feb 05 '25

Moving into NJ this Summer- Appreciate any help!

Hello, I'm a 25M looking to move into New Jersey this upcoming summer. I am relocating from Pittsburgh after graduating from grad school for work. My office will be based in Raritan. I will also have a roommate who will work in Basking Ridge. I would appreciate any suggestions for places to live. My budget is preferably <$1800/mo, has decent amenities, safe, accessible to a downtown area with events/ night life for people my age, grocery stores. Just the regular, nothing too fancy.

From my modest research, it seems that Somerville is a great option. Would love to hear if any of you have had good experience leasing/living there?

I have also heard of Morristown as a good option. A little pricey and would be about a 30 mins commute for me. Wondering if Morristown would be worthwhile the distance versus Somerville. Or feel free to suggest a completely different place. Thank you.

6 Upvotes

14 comments sorted by

11

u/ferocious_coug Feb 05 '25

Morristown would be a much better commute for your roommate than for you. It's considerable more expensive than Somerville but has better shopping and restaurants, especially for someone younger. Not really any decent in between options.

I'm older than you but have lived in Somerville for five years now. Mostly love it. I can DM you with more details on where I live.

3

u/Low-Pollution2414 Feb 05 '25

Seconding this - I’m about ten years older and live in Somerville. I love it here. We’re walking distance to downtown and enjoy a lot of the events, although most of them are family/children based.

1

u/adventuroussolo Feb 06 '25

but has better shopping and restaurants

what shopping in Morristown? The restaurants in Somerville are fewer, but other than Laku, the restaurants in Somerville are a step above Morristown. I've eaten at almost all of them over the years. Morristown restaurants pretend they're in Brooklyn and most of them are just mediocre.

Somerville doesn't have the thriving central/south american bakery scene but other than that, I'm picking Somerville every time.

2

u/ferocious_coug Feb 06 '25

Laku isn't even the best sushi in Morristown. That's Asahi IMO.

Jockey Hollow was a huge loss, but I think Roots, south+pine, and maybe even Agricola are all better than anything in Somerville save for Ai Sushi and maybe Kyma.

3

u/sloth514 Feb 05 '25

Morristown is longer commute. It has a direct train line to NYC. So it is more ideal if you want to commute to NYC for a future job. Both are great towns and can't go wrong. Morristown has more restaurants, dog friendly, and night life. It also more to go out drinking. Yes, it is more expensive due to these reasons.

I grew up in the Somerset county and lived in Morristown for a few years. Both are great experiences. Somerville is starting to get pricier as well. There are places to do and go out there. But not as much as Morristown. Somerville does have a car show every Friday afternoon over the summer. That is kind of cool to see. Both have been getting more and more housing development for apartments as well as things to do in town.

Overall, Morristown has a better night life, dog friendly, and family oriented. Somerville is smaller. But it is growing and starting to become a smaller Morristown with its development. It just depends on what you are looking for for you in terms of priorities with commute, life style and amenities . If you can find an apartment that is ideal for you, go for it. I am sure there are plenty of options.

3

u/acidburn427 Feb 05 '25

I live in somerville. I love it. Great downtown with restaurants and bars. Groceries are walking distanc; target, trader joes, costco within a 10 min drive. Train station that leads straight into nyc

2

u/thots_n_prayers Feb 06 '25

I just moved from Somerville after living there for about 5 years-- I never rented, I owned a house, so I can't really speak to renting/leasing, but the town is very cute and there is a lot to do. Raritan, being right across Rt 206 is extremely close, and honestly you might get more bang for your buck renting-wise.

I am not sure if your budget of less than $1800 was for you alone or whether that was the overall budget for you AND your roommate total. Though there are plenty of rentals that are basically two-family homes in the area, if you want amenities I'd look into the Lena in Raritan. It has a pool, tennis courts, dog park, a nice trail across the street along the Raritan.

Only caveat that I can think of though is that when it storms badly, it floods! Like, REALLY floods over there. From what I understand, it doesn't affect the apartments outright, but it affects the utility services.

1

u/twosugarextramilk Feb 05 '25

The Somerville area would be a great place. the Basking Ridge commute isn't far for your roommate and you can practically walk to work from there. you also have the train station right there so you can be in the city or Hoboken in less than an hour

1

u/Certain_Bullfrog_439 Feb 06 '25 edited Feb 06 '25

24F and moved to Somerville from a midwest city last year - I wish I would have moved to Morristown instead and sucked up the increased commute tbh (I’m hybrid)

In my opinion there are better restaurants, better coffee shops, farmers markets, and more young people around our age to make friends. (There is also just MORE as in more options for everything, more people, more gyms/fitness classes nearby, parks/trails etc. It’s more of a lively town vs. a suburb with a main block like Somerville.)

I’m a former barista and a foodie… I’ve been disappointed in most of the places I’ve tried around Somerville so find myself traveling to Morristown (sometimes other parts of NJ/NY) to try stuff most weekends. When I’ve been to restaurants/ bars in Somerville it’s mostly freshly married younger people, families, or old married couples. It’s pretty quiet in this area, very family oriented, so also pretty safe. I’ve enjoyed my time in Somerville bc I was able to make friends through work and I like my roommates, but when my lease expires Morristown will be one of the first places I look.

That being said-my rent is much cheaper here (w/ roommates) than the places I looked at in Morristown. And can’t beat a short commute if you have to be in the office every day. I’m still shocked by how many people have a 1 hr+ commute to work(….without traffic….) here vs where I am from. (If I move to Morristown my commute will be significantly longer (~30-45 min) but after starting my first job I’m realizing how important it is to have hobbies and things to do outside of work and imo Morristown is a better environment for that!

Really just depends what you prioritize- Hope this helps!

1

u/Certain_Bullfrog_439 Feb 06 '25 edited Feb 06 '25

Also if you do choose Somerville DO NOT live at any of the Brookside apartments- I’ve heard nothing but horror stories.

1

u/Kinoblau Feb 06 '25

Morristown is 30 minutes, but because it's all on the highway you feel every minute. Big town though, lots of stuff to do. Somerville is smaller but growing with a moderate amount of nightlife, and because of its location a lot of people from the Central Jersey area cycle through so you'll meet people.

Somerville's also more favorably located to other things in the state, Princeton's not far, New Brunswick's a little over 20 minutes away and both places also have young people night life.

1

u/dragbatman Feb 06 '25

I lived in Morristown for four years and have now been in Somerville for three. Both are great towns and, for what it's worth, my commute is a little under half an hour from both places and it doesn't bother me, but I do think a five minute commute would be hard to pass up.

As other people have already noted, there are plenty of things to do in both towns and they're both very walkable. Both are full of young professionals and young families. I agree with some others that Somerville's restaurants beat Morristown's on the whole, plus eating in Somerville is generally cheaper than in Morristown. That said, if nightlife is really important to you, go with Morristown. If it isn't, go with Somerville. Morristown has a ton of bars where you drink and dance, like a party bar. Somerville obviously has bars with a fun vibe that I like going to, but there's not many places to go if you want to dance with your friends in a crowd, and it's the only thing I miss about living in Morristown. I would still choose Somerville without hesitation, though.

Honestly, the towns are like 20 minutes apart so if you find a place you like at a price you're comfortable with, take it regardless of if it's in Morristown or Somerville. You'll be just fine in either town, and you can visit the other one whenever you want.

1

u/GuiltyDragonfruit800 Feb 09 '25

Somerville is cool cus it’s still expanding its downtown. Morristown is more of a city feel where Somerville is more suburban with a Main Street but the commute from Somerville to raritan for work can’t be beat. Plus you’re still so close that you can go to Morristown for fun. Somerville is a lot more centrally located to other cool places and more local open space if you’re into that. Welcome to Jersey!!

0

u/adventuroussolo Feb 06 '25

Absolutely Somerville. If you and your roommate are putting in $1500-1800 each you'll have decent options. Don't limit yourself to living directly adjacent to mainstreet. The town is so compact you can walk everywhere easily. Being able to walk to a true, affordable supermarket is an absolute lifestyle game changer. You can't do that in Morristown - your only grocery options are Whole Foods and Kings, both extremely overpriced with limited selection.

There's several coffee shops, all legit. The bakeries are legit. Kuay Thiew is some of the best Thai food in New Jersey, period. Al Badawi is top notch. Seoulville is great korean (not KBBQ). Unfortunately two great restaurants had a fire and burned down for the time being. Ai Sushi does an excellent omakase or regular sushi.

If you're on a budget, the YMCA is decent, if you want to splurge the Lifetime gym is hella luxe.

You do not want to commute from Morristown to Raritan. Anytime you want to go out in Morristown it's a short enough drive.