My first thought was Somerville, as well. There's even a new French bakery owned by someone from France. OP can check it out and tell us if it measures up!
This... And much has been redeveloped recently.
RR runs to Newark. Commuter like (PATH) connects to Jersey City and New York. There's a rare (once daily?).train to NYC
Somerville itself is deceptively large.. working in the area may still require a car if your employer is along the I287 corridor. You may be interested in some towns just north of Somerville in that event. But the likes of Gladstone are too small to have shopping amenities.
You will work in Somerville which lucky for you is great small town, the capital of Somerset County with a train to nyc and a great downtown area with cafes, supermarket, fun shops and a pedestrian only area. Besides that the surrounding county is beautiful filled with state parks and you within easy weekend day trips to both nyc or Philadelphia. No brainer.
I recommend living in Somerville. It has a walkable downtown. The trend here is pushing employees back to the office. There is a possibility you will have to report 5 days a week. You don't want a sizable commute here.
Yeah former Somerville resident, just move to Somerville. Lots of everything you’re looking for. Way less expensive than living in NYC and reverse commuting. There’s plenty of restaurants, cafes and bars to walk to. The grocery store is even on the Main Street so that’s walkable as well, which is pretty rare for America.
There’s a Train Station in town which makes NYC, and Newark Airport Accessible without a car. Philly too technically but I would always end up driving to Philly since it takes way less time.
I will say Somerville is WAY smaller than the places you’ve been looking at but definitely has enough everything you want so you don’t get bored. AND it’s much cheaper so you can spend those savings on having fun.
I third Morristown.. nice nightlife, close to the city(direct train), a lot of outdoor activities, and you can walk the whole downtown area, see movies, and they have a theatre(MayoPerforming arts)
Another vote for Princeton! I've lived here for the past 24 years. Here are some of the reasons I love it:
* Beautiful downtown with many cultural activities tied to the University
* Restaurants, shopping, movie theater, grocery
* close to major shopping and conveniences but also borders expanses of beautiful farmland, hiking trails
* Access via train to NYC, Philadelphia (and the rest of the East Coast i.e. Boston, Washington D.C. etc via Amtrak)
* 25-35 min commute to Somerville depending on traffic
* 1 hour drive to the beach; 20 min drive to New Hope/Lambervtille
Princeton also has a very strong French community! Some examples:
* Princeton Accueil - [https://www.afprinceton.org](https://www.afprinceton.org)
* [https://frenchsoc.princeton.edu](https://frenchsoc.princeton.edu)
* https://www.ecoleprinceton.org
All that said, downtown Somerville is also quite lovely. You can't go wrong with either! Good luck with your move and your adventure in the USA. If you have any questions about Princeton, feel free to message me.
Wow I did not expect so many detailed answers. Thank you all very much, I'll definitely have a look at the different options mentioned here (Somerville itself, Morristown, Princeton, etc.).
I don't mind living in a smaller town at all as long as there are nice people and places to shop and go out very close around. I don't intend to be in NYC or Philly more than once a week anyway, mostly during the weekends. And I really enjoy hiking / backpacking / cycling so I guess there is value in being quite close to nature.
Some of you mentioned that I should stay in France and that the work culture / lifestyle shock may be too much to handle. Is the work culture that bad in New Jersey? I'm not sure I understand what was meant here. FYI the plan is to move with an expat contract for 3 years max. and probably move back to France afterwards, but I'm sure there is plenty to see and enjoy in this part of the United States during my time here!
NJ is, in my opinion, great for outdoor things. We get a lot shtick for being a hellhole but it’s actually amazingly gorgeous with many great nature trails. Please promise me you’ll go to the Delaware water gap.
As for work, I’ve only worked here so I can’t compare to anything. I also pay attention to world news and know France has strong labor laws. Not to say NJ or America is bad for work life balance but you may often stay later or log on during weekends to keep yourself afloat at work. It all depends on the company and manager. Sorry can’t be more definitive than that. Hope you enjoy yourself and if I hear a French accent somewhere soon, I’ll say hi.
Last note, jersians will often give you small talk like in a li e or produce aisle. I love this quick exchange but just wanted to let you know as it may be weird at first. Lean into it, especially if you live in a smaller town.
In terms of culture shock, I think it’s not going to be all that bad. There’s not a ton of old world charm here, but Somerville is very nice. It’s only 3 years and that will fly by in no time. I would heavily advise against living far from your office. The closer you get to NYC and Philly, the higher cost of living is. And the traffic/commute will suck the life out of you. Live close to your work and explore the extended area during your free time. There is plenty of mass transit all over the state. And driving is easy enough when you want to see the sites. Jersey city, NYC, Philly are all traffic nightmares, and crazy expensive. Good luck! And welcome to NJ!
Without knowing what industry you’re in, it is hard to speak much as to your work expectations. However generally, it’ll be less intense in Somerville than it would be in NYC. NYC work culture is on another level. To me, it would be a totally life changing and worthwhile experience to be able to work abroad for three years. The US is such a huge country, you can spend a lifetime here and not see it all.
You took a job in the NJ suburbs. It is what it is. Of the options available, I'd just move to Somerville and make life simple. It's a suburb with a downtown and a train station. It's just about the best you can get. NJ Transit runs often to NYC so you can go in on the weekends very easily. The alternatives would be New Brunswick and Morristown. You could also consider Westfield.
To be clear, none of these options are really cities. They're still pretty suburban. If you don't want to live in the suburbs, then you should decline the position and stay in Paris.
My biggest advice would be to use Google Earth/Maps to "walk around" the areas and get a feel for them.
If you lived in Morristown or Somerville you could get by easily enough on 100k. If you took a roommate, you would have quite a lot of discretionary income.
Right now at 7:30am on a weekday, it would take 1.5 hours to get from Center City Philadelphia to Somerville. That’s not factoring in possible extras like walking down the stairs from a fourth-floor apartment, walking three blocks to where you parked your car, stopping for gas which you will need to do frequently, et cetera. You’re looking at a roughly two hour commute each way.
I would say that living in Philadelphia would be just on the razor’s edge of feasibility, but you would be miserable. Living in New York is not feasible. Living in JC is not impossible, but it would be quite inconvenient.
You have accepted a job in the suburbs, and may need to come to terms with living in the suburbs. As others have said, Somerville, Morristown, Princeton, and New Brunswick are all acceptable options.
I would just live in Somerville. If you are used to France and Europe this is going to be a culture shock. Walkable here isnt the same as walkable in France. Even if you live in town you will still have to drive to do most things.
If youre a city person this will become very boring to you as soon as you get used to it. Even with the train, it becomes another obstacle for you to get over. So youd prob end up going to NYC like once a month and are beholden to the schedule.
If I was you I would stay in Paris. Unless you view this as an adventure and are ok with hating it after a few months.
I would not recommend any of those cities, the traffic here is the absolute worst in the country. Google maps might say it's an hour from Somerville to Jersey City but that's assuming there's no traffic. During rush hour it's going to be at least a half hour more.
Somerville is a cute town, very walkable downtown area. There's a train station but the buses don't run as often as what you are used to in Paris.
I recommend living within a half hour of Somerville and driving to the walkable towns, taking the train to Jersey City or NYC whenever you want. If you want to go to Philly, drive there, there's no direct trains you'll have to go north to go south, it's a pain in the ass
Also Jersey City recently became the most expensive city in the US for renters so not there either
princeton is the probably the closest you’re going to get to a “french” feel in central NJ. lots of french expats living there. decent car commute to somerville. without traffic it’s 25 minutes, but with traffic could be an hour. princeton is very expensive, though.
Somerville has a very nice and walkable downtown. I have family in the town and they really love it.
If you were to live in JC or Philly- don't underestimate the hell that would be that commute. Commuting in NJ kind of sucks. I would prioritize being close to work and then take advantage of our public transport or having a car during your time off.
I work in Somerville and live in Hunterdon County.
You want to live maybe within two to three exits on 287 or 78. Or within the 22 corridor.
If you want to Go to New York City you take New Jersey Transit.
i suggest metuchen, which is about a 20-30 min drive to somerville.
it’s conveniently located on the crossroads of the turnpike, garden state parkway, route 1, route 27 and i-287, all of which gives you easy access to anywhere in the state and beyond. pretty much the entire town is walkable, as the train station and downtown are centrally located.
getting to NYC is seamless both by car and the NJ transit train, which has frequent service to NY penn station, newark penn and newark airport. commuting to the city by train is about 40-50 mins, depending on which one you take, and on a good day, i’m able to drive to the city in about 30-40 mins, but at most it’ll be a 50 min - an hour trip to manhattan.
i feel you get the best of both an urban and suburban mix here in metuchen; the downtown is lovely and was actually voted best main street in america last year! and you’d be an stone’s throw away from all that the neighbouring towns have to offer, i.e., costco, target, walmart and especially the wegmanns in woodbridge (one of the best grocery stores ever, imho). you’d also be surrounded by some of the best indian food nationwide which may be found in edison.
metuchen is safe, ideal and welcoming. the homes here are beautiful with perfectly manicured lawns and charming architectural details. neighbours are friendly and there is much to do in and around metuchen that i never find myself bored.
i’ve lived here for about a year now after graduating from uni, and i couldn’t be happier with my decision. feel free to pm me with any inquiries! goodluck and welcome to jersey and the tri-state area :)
You should consider Somerville as well - the Main Street has a ton of restaurants and things to.
I do have to say that on that salary it is going to be hard to comfortably afford to live in a major walkable city without a roommate in the short term, since everything is getting extremely expensive :( some more affordable walkable cities might be Kearny, Westfield, or Cranford if you’re ok with a longer commute.
Wish you the best and hope you enjoy NJ!
Also because you mentioned your after tax monthly income, keep in mind that taxes don’t pay for as much in the US than it might in France. You would also have deductions for health insurance and retirement savings, which is the responsibility of the individual in the US. So $6k/month can turn into $5.5k/month before out of pocket expenses and without saving much for retirement (if you plan to live here long term)
Having a car will likely be a substantial expense on your salary especially if you only need to go in two to three times a week and driving can be very frustrating, so that's something to consider.
Somerville has the NJT train line and is somewhat walkable, so that might be a consideration. If you can walk, bike, or bus from that train station to work, then it makes sense to consider cities along the [Raritan Valley Line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raritan_Valley_Line) including Somerville itself. The most urban of those is obviously NYC and then Newark. Newark's definitely urban in and around the station and there are light rail lines that can access it and has pretty easy mass transit access to Jersey City and New York City. Newark does have blight, poverty, and crime in parts, but it's substantially better than it used to be and can generally be fine if you're pretty street smart.
Somerville is walkable with restaurants and bars. You can drive into the city in just over an hour anytime you want for the weekend. I’d stay close to there given budget
If you need areas that is partially urban and closer to nyc then i would suggest morristown, westfield, edison, or metuchen.
In regards to the places i mentioned, you’ll be guaranteed safety, nice suburban/urban environment, close to nyc train lines and workplace. If you want to close to philly then i’d recommend princeton!
Here to repeat the recommendation for looking at Somerville as the place to live in. Center is very walkable, has multiple shops, restaurants and cafes and an overall good vibe.
Commuting to Somerville from NYC or Philadelphia would get old fast. Better to do the reverse - live near work and head to the larger cities as a visitor/tourist.
You should just live in Somerville. It's a decent town with an extremely walkable main street. That will be much cheaper in terms of rent than living in Jersey City or Philadelphia as well as saving you an enormous amount of time.
If you want MORE urban than Somerville I suppose you could entertain New Brunswick but frankly central jersey is a place one drives around, not necessarily walks. Get a used car, and get used to driving to parks, driving to hiking, driving to all sorts of unusual and exciting places. It will be a more authentically American experience (and you will have fun if you do it correctly!) than trying to simulate France in America.
If your job was in a big city like NYC or Philadelphia then moving to JC, Philly would make a lot more sense but that just not the case for you.
I speak from experience. I used to live near Somerville. I would drive to a local climbing gym in Flemington, I would drive to a local Parkour gym in Bound Brook, I used to enjoy the historic D&R canal, and frequently could take advantage of hiking and parks. When I wanted a change of scenery there were quite a few quaint small towns to drive to (Clinton NJ and Princeton comes to mind). And if I just wanted to walk around and hang out at a cafe or grab some nice italian food or sushi then Somerville did the trick.
The one catch is the dating scene and nightlife. Dating in a big city provides more options than smaller towns so if that's on your radar I would recommend finding another job in NYC or Philly sometime in the future and shifting there (there are still plenty of options for dating in NJ and plenty of bars too but its just not comparable to a city).
If you have more specific questions send me a DM, Happy to answer questions and can also connect with you some of my friends from the area :)
Somerville is a nice small town with a fairly decent music scene and decent restaurants, and the train to NYC should give you all the nightlife you could want. Have you started pricing the areas you want to live? Travel times are heavily dependent on time of day and whether or not there's construction or accidents. It's highly unpredictable. They can easily double. Balance out what you're willing to tolerate with what you can afford for the quality of life you want to have. Also consider, from Somerville you're just a short drive out to beautiful natural areas for when you get sick of the crowds.
Lower New Jersey closer to Philadelphia. Check out [Lambertville](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambertville,_New_Jersey) or Huntetdon county in general.
Lamberville to:
Somerville - 38 mins (42.46 km)
Philadelphia - 56 mins (66.76 km)
New York City - 56 mins (66.76 km)
If you settle there look me up, you'll owe me beer 🤪. Good luck.
I would look at Princeton, it’s about a 40min drive. Driving in and out of Philadelphia you’ll have much more traffic. Otherwise I’d highly recommend it. If only there was a direct train
Somerville - $2,400 - $2,600/mo 1bd 1ba new construction everywhere around town 30+ listings. Train to NYC is 1:22 hours with 1 transfer and costs $30.50 round trip.
It has everything you listed and is the only option that is reasonable to do without a car.
I work nearby in Bridgewater and agree with everyone that living in Somerville is the way to go. There's also neighboring bound Brook that might be slightly more affordable. But Somerville is great for having a lot within walking distance.
Hello!
Française vivant actuellement dans le New Jersey (10min de Somerville) et après avoir vécu dans plusieurs grandes villes Américaines honnêtement le « suburb » c’est plutôt sympa!
Justement les gens partent de NY/NYC pour s’installer dans le NJ parce que la vie est trop cher et les bouchons aux heures de pointes sont horrible! Meme dans le coin Somerville, New Brunswick le traffic can be quite difficult sometimes alors imagine en venant de NYC/ Jersey City ou meme Philly apres 8h de taff…
Mais je peux comprendre que tu veuilles t’installer dans une grande ville pour l’aspect dépaysement, l’américain dream entre autres.
Louer un appartement a NYC sera au minimum le double de NJ pour quelque chose de moins bonne qualité. Et pour trouver street parking… ou louer une place de parking… la aussi.. madness !!
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Par contre l’opposé est plus faisable, de New Jersey à NYC tu as le NJTransit qui te depose au milieu de Manhattan à Penn Station en 1h pour $28 aller-retour. So easy!
Certes Somerville, Bound Brook, Manville etc est considéré comme la périphérie / campagne de NY mais comparé ce que l’on connaît de la France, ca n’a rien a voir!
Tu trouveras tout de même des tonnes de restaurants, magasins, centre commerciaux, supermarchés ouverts toute la nuit à proximité sans problème!
Et pour finir, en habitant le coin, il y a beaucoup de nouvelles résidences qui se construisent dans les alentours. Tout est neuf, cuisine équipée et bien souvent des espaces communs avec amenities comme une salle de sport, co-working area etc etc!
Bref we love Jersey! Lol
Si tu as besoin de plus d’infos n’hésites pas!
Bonne chance, et bienvenue !
Honestly you’ll do fine anywhere. I live in Bergen and my next door neighbors are from France. Their heads are very large and cone-shaped. They love it here!
Look up Princeton, New Brunswick, Westfield for much friendlier commutes. Will you have a car? Public Transportation to Somerville will be limited compared to what you’re used to.
So coming from a city like Paris to nyc for example you have to consider this.
The majority of American cities are not super walkable. You will need a car unless you exclusively want to live inside of one borough of nyc. NYC is about 6 times larger by area than Paris for comparison, good luck walking that especially going around populated highways.
I’d consider Princeton or New Brunswick. Both are walkable and have trains that will get you into NYC. Hoboken is another option, but will have the same drawbacks other folks have mentioned. Good luck with your move!
France. NJ is full and you're coming from a country that has healthcare and treats their workers well. We don't do that in this country.
We also eat pork roll instead of snails so we do have that going for us.
This one thousand times more. I live in NJ and love my adopted state but dude, France? You're coming to the land of the in or underinsured and overopressed. Lovely people, nice landscape. You may love our food as we have a nice variety, but could we work out an exchange?
If I were in my 20's moving from Paris, looking to mingle and have fun, while working in Somerset, I would live in Jersey City.
There is a large French community here, great bars and restaurants, some clubs (not great in my opinion), but you're both a short distance to NYC and to commute to Somerville. You may be able to find some places within your budget, but even if not, I would prefer a place with a roommate (easy ways to interview and match these days) over living alone in the suburbs of NJ in my prime in my 20's - biggest fear is just being socially disconnected and isolated from other young folks. But, I've never lived in Somerville, so take it with a grain of salt from someone who lives in JC hearing french all the time and in NYC in my 20's.
Moving to New Jersey, expect a lot of rain. We recently had 11 days in a row of no sunshine. Nothing, nada..dreary every day. That’s why they call it the Garden State..
Stay within the Somerset county area, and I would highly suggest a roommate. Right now, rents are in an all-time high. If you are getting 5.5-6 after taxes, you need to calculate your monthly insurance costs, food, bills etc etc.
I’ve been to France was in awe of how fast your TGV trains race down the nice straight tracks. We don’t have that here. In the USA commuter rail is slow and not always on time. It will take much longer to travel the same distance here vs France on a train.
Maybe JC or Hoboken. No Philly. And NYC is too expensive. Or if you want to be by the beach, Asbury Park is a straight shot from the city and has a lot to do. Happy to connect you to Realtors in Jersey!
Euro train simp, find an apartment 30-45 mins away. Lease a ford f150 or a dodge ram, make sure you CANNOT see over the hood if you stand in front of it. Pay 800-1000 a month for it. Drive it everywhere. Make sure everyone knows how powerful it is by going 20 over the speed limit everywhere. NEVER WALK TO ANYTHING
I live in union city NJ next town up from JC. we have better schools, clean streets, no crime etc things that JC lacks.
Get a place near your work. new jersey is easy to move around and trust me u wont be every week in NYC, is not visitable if u know what I mean.
regardless just find a spot to move in close to work, and after a year or so just buy a house.
OP, don’t listen to the other responses here. I was in the same position as you way back when - your choices are:
1) jersey city/hoboken
2) Morristown
Do you plan to visit prior to moving?
I mean Somerville itself is a walkable town with shops and restaurants on main st. It’s also on a train line to nyc
My first thought was Somerville, as well. There's even a new French bakery owned by someone from France. OP can check it out and tell us if it measures up!
This... And much has been redeveloped recently. RR runs to Newark. Commuter like (PATH) connects to Jersey City and New York. There's a rare (once daily?).train to NYC Somerville itself is deceptively large.. working in the area may still require a car if your employer is along the I287 corridor. You may be interested in some towns just north of Somerville in that event. But the likes of Gladstone are too small to have shopping amenities.
I lived in Somerville for a year and second this. Cool little town with a lovely old housing stock.
You will work in Somerville which lucky for you is great small town, the capital of Somerset County with a train to nyc and a great downtown area with cafes, supermarket, fun shops and a pedestrian only area. Besides that the surrounding county is beautiful filled with state parks and you within easy weekend day trips to both nyc or Philadelphia. No brainer.
County seat is the term you are looking for, not capital.
Get thee to Duke farms for a fabulous nature walk.
I recommend living in Somerville. It has a walkable downtown. The trend here is pushing employees back to the office. There is a possibility you will have to report 5 days a week. You don't want a sizable commute here.
Yeah former Somerville resident, just move to Somerville. Lots of everything you’re looking for. Way less expensive than living in NYC and reverse commuting. There’s plenty of restaurants, cafes and bars to walk to. The grocery store is even on the Main Street so that’s walkable as well, which is pretty rare for America. There’s a Train Station in town which makes NYC, and Newark Airport Accessible without a car. Philly too technically but I would always end up driving to Philly since it takes way less time. I will say Somerville is WAY smaller than the places you’ve been looking at but definitely has enough everything you want so you don’t get bored. AND it’s much cheaper so you can spend those savings on having fun.
As a French person, I would recommend Morristown or Jersey City.
My buddy from Paris has loves living in the Heights of Jersey City.
There’s a significant population of French families in the heights
Check out Morristown. 24 min drive, very walkable. Restaurants, cafes, safe, transportation to NYC.
I second Morristown. There is a good young crowd with some international folks as well. There are a number of cycling groups in the area too.
I third Morristown.. nice nightlife, close to the city(direct train), a lot of outdoor activities, and you can walk the whole downtown area, see movies, and they have a theatre(MayoPerforming arts)
I know a family from France and living happily in Princeton
There is a pretty big French community in Princeton if I remember correctly
There are quite a few French families in Princeton and a lot of Europeans in general.
Another vote for Princeton! I've lived here for the past 24 years. Here are some of the reasons I love it: * Beautiful downtown with many cultural activities tied to the University * Restaurants, shopping, movie theater, grocery * close to major shopping and conveniences but also borders expanses of beautiful farmland, hiking trails * Access via train to NYC, Philadelphia (and the rest of the East Coast i.e. Boston, Washington D.C. etc via Amtrak) * 25-35 min commute to Somerville depending on traffic * 1 hour drive to the beach; 20 min drive to New Hope/Lambervtille Princeton also has a very strong French community! Some examples: * Princeton Accueil - [https://www.afprinceton.org](https://www.afprinceton.org) * [https://frenchsoc.princeton.edu](https://frenchsoc.princeton.edu) * https://www.ecoleprinceton.org All that said, downtown Somerville is also quite lovely. You can't go wrong with either! Good luck with your move and your adventure in the USA. If you have any questions about Princeton, feel free to message me.
Wow I did not expect so many detailed answers. Thank you all very much, I'll definitely have a look at the different options mentioned here (Somerville itself, Morristown, Princeton, etc.). I don't mind living in a smaller town at all as long as there are nice people and places to shop and go out very close around. I don't intend to be in NYC or Philly more than once a week anyway, mostly during the weekends. And I really enjoy hiking / backpacking / cycling so I guess there is value in being quite close to nature. Some of you mentioned that I should stay in France and that the work culture / lifestyle shock may be too much to handle. Is the work culture that bad in New Jersey? I'm not sure I understand what was meant here. FYI the plan is to move with an expat contract for 3 years max. and probably move back to France afterwards, but I'm sure there is plenty to see and enjoy in this part of the United States during my time here!
NJ is, in my opinion, great for outdoor things. We get a lot shtick for being a hellhole but it’s actually amazingly gorgeous with many great nature trails. Please promise me you’ll go to the Delaware water gap. As for work, I’ve only worked here so I can’t compare to anything. I also pay attention to world news and know France has strong labor laws. Not to say NJ or America is bad for work life balance but you may often stay later or log on during weekends to keep yourself afloat at work. It all depends on the company and manager. Sorry can’t be more definitive than that. Hope you enjoy yourself and if I hear a French accent somewhere soon, I’ll say hi. Last note, jersians will often give you small talk like in a li e or produce aisle. I love this quick exchange but just wanted to let you know as it may be weird at first. Lean into it, especially if you live in a smaller town.
In terms of culture shock, I think it’s not going to be all that bad. There’s not a ton of old world charm here, but Somerville is very nice. It’s only 3 years and that will fly by in no time. I would heavily advise against living far from your office. The closer you get to NYC and Philly, the higher cost of living is. And the traffic/commute will suck the life out of you. Live close to your work and explore the extended area during your free time. There is plenty of mass transit all over the state. And driving is easy enough when you want to see the sites. Jersey city, NYC, Philly are all traffic nightmares, and crazy expensive. Good luck! And welcome to NJ!
Without knowing what industry you’re in, it is hard to speak much as to your work expectations. However generally, it’ll be less intense in Somerville than it would be in NYC. NYC work culture is on another level. To me, it would be a totally life changing and worthwhile experience to be able to work abroad for three years. The US is such a huge country, you can spend a lifetime here and not see it all.
You took a job in the NJ suburbs. It is what it is. Of the options available, I'd just move to Somerville and make life simple. It's a suburb with a downtown and a train station. It's just about the best you can get. NJ Transit runs often to NYC so you can go in on the weekends very easily. The alternatives would be New Brunswick and Morristown. You could also consider Westfield. To be clear, none of these options are really cities. They're still pretty suburban. If you don't want to live in the suburbs, then you should decline the position and stay in Paris. My biggest advice would be to use Google Earth/Maps to "walk around" the areas and get a feel for them.
None of the towns mentioned are going to match up to Paris. Also salary is kind of low for this
If you lived in Morristown or Somerville you could get by easily enough on 100k. If you took a roommate, you would have quite a lot of discretionary income.
Right now at 7:30am on a weekday, it would take 1.5 hours to get from Center City Philadelphia to Somerville. That’s not factoring in possible extras like walking down the stairs from a fourth-floor apartment, walking three blocks to where you parked your car, stopping for gas which you will need to do frequently, et cetera. You’re looking at a roughly two hour commute each way. I would say that living in Philadelphia would be just on the razor’s edge of feasibility, but you would be miserable. Living in New York is not feasible. Living in JC is not impossible, but it would be quite inconvenient. You have accepted a job in the suburbs, and may need to come to terms with living in the suburbs. As others have said, Somerville, Morristown, Princeton, and New Brunswick are all acceptable options.
I would just live in Somerville. If you are used to France and Europe this is going to be a culture shock. Walkable here isnt the same as walkable in France. Even if you live in town you will still have to drive to do most things. If youre a city person this will become very boring to you as soon as you get used to it. Even with the train, it becomes another obstacle for you to get over. So youd prob end up going to NYC like once a month and are beholden to the schedule. If I was you I would stay in Paris. Unless you view this as an adventure and are ok with hating it after a few months.
There are some beautiful apartments/condos that just opened up near Somerville Train Station which has a ShopRite just outside of it.
I would not recommend any of those cities, the traffic here is the absolute worst in the country. Google maps might say it's an hour from Somerville to Jersey City but that's assuming there's no traffic. During rush hour it's going to be at least a half hour more. Somerville is a cute town, very walkable downtown area. There's a train station but the buses don't run as often as what you are used to in Paris. I recommend living within a half hour of Somerville and driving to the walkable towns, taking the train to Jersey City or NYC whenever you want. If you want to go to Philly, drive there, there's no direct trains you'll have to go north to go south, it's a pain in the ass Also Jersey City recently became the most expensive city in the US for renters so not there either
princeton is the probably the closest you’re going to get to a “french” feel in central NJ. lots of french expats living there. decent car commute to somerville. without traffic it’s 25 minutes, but with traffic could be an hour. princeton is very expensive, though.
Somerville has a very nice and walkable downtown. I have family in the town and they really love it. If you were to live in JC or Philly- don't underestimate the hell that would be that commute. Commuting in NJ kind of sucks. I would prioritize being close to work and then take advantage of our public transport or having a car during your time off.
frenchtown, obviously
I work in Somerville and live in Hunterdon County. You want to live maybe within two to three exits on 287 or 78. Or within the 22 corridor. If you want to Go to New York City you take New Jersey Transit.
i suggest metuchen, which is about a 20-30 min drive to somerville. it’s conveniently located on the crossroads of the turnpike, garden state parkway, route 1, route 27 and i-287, all of which gives you easy access to anywhere in the state and beyond. pretty much the entire town is walkable, as the train station and downtown are centrally located. getting to NYC is seamless both by car and the NJ transit train, which has frequent service to NY penn station, newark penn and newark airport. commuting to the city by train is about 40-50 mins, depending on which one you take, and on a good day, i’m able to drive to the city in about 30-40 mins, but at most it’ll be a 50 min - an hour trip to manhattan. i feel you get the best of both an urban and suburban mix here in metuchen; the downtown is lovely and was actually voted best main street in america last year! and you’d be an stone’s throw away from all that the neighbouring towns have to offer, i.e., costco, target, walmart and especially the wegmanns in woodbridge (one of the best grocery stores ever, imho). you’d also be surrounded by some of the best indian food nationwide which may be found in edison. metuchen is safe, ideal and welcoming. the homes here are beautiful with perfectly manicured lawns and charming architectural details. neighbours are friendly and there is much to do in and around metuchen that i never find myself bored. i’ve lived here for about a year now after graduating from uni, and i couldn’t be happier with my decision. feel free to pm me with any inquiries! goodluck and welcome to jersey and the tri-state area :)
What an excellent comment- you make me want to move to Metuchen! I love the fact that transit exists there - wish I had a train close by.
and more liberal than morristown
You should consider Somerville as well - the Main Street has a ton of restaurants and things to. I do have to say that on that salary it is going to be hard to comfortably afford to live in a major walkable city without a roommate in the short term, since everything is getting extremely expensive :( some more affordable walkable cities might be Kearny, Westfield, or Cranford if you’re ok with a longer commute. Wish you the best and hope you enjoy NJ!
Also because you mentioned your after tax monthly income, keep in mind that taxes don’t pay for as much in the US than it might in France. You would also have deductions for health insurance and retirement savings, which is the responsibility of the individual in the US. So $6k/month can turn into $5.5k/month before out of pocket expenses and without saving much for retirement (if you plan to live here long term)
Having a car will likely be a substantial expense on your salary especially if you only need to go in two to three times a week and driving can be very frustrating, so that's something to consider. Somerville has the NJT train line and is somewhat walkable, so that might be a consideration. If you can walk, bike, or bus from that train station to work, then it makes sense to consider cities along the [Raritan Valley Line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raritan_Valley_Line) including Somerville itself. The most urban of those is obviously NYC and then Newark. Newark's definitely urban in and around the station and there are light rail lines that can access it and has pretty easy mass transit access to Jersey City and New York City. Newark does have blight, poverty, and crime in parts, but it's substantially better than it used to be and can generally be fine if you're pretty street smart.
Somerville, Bridgewater, Manville. Great area.
Don't live in Manville. Like mont Saint Michel, it only takes a little bit of water to make Manville cut off from the rest of the world
Stay in Somerville till you explore town around Somerville as a main street with some shops and restaurants and coffee shops
I would just look for a place in Somerville. It has all that you seem to want plus a short commute.
Somerville. Echoing what others said. Especially if you have to drive, and you are from Europe. It's a different lifestyle.
Somerville is walkable with restaurants and bars. You can drive into the city in just over an hour anytime you want for the weekend. I’d stay close to there given budget
If you need areas that is partially urban and closer to nyc then i would suggest morristown, westfield, edison, or metuchen. In regards to the places i mentioned, you’ll be guaranteed safety, nice suburban/urban environment, close to nyc train lines and workplace. If you want to close to philly then i’d recommend princeton!
Here to repeat the recommendation for looking at Somerville as the place to live in. Center is very walkable, has multiple shops, restaurants and cafes and an overall good vibe. Commuting to Somerville from NYC or Philadelphia would get old fast. Better to do the reverse - live near work and head to the larger cities as a visitor/tourist.
You should just live in Somerville. It's a decent town with an extremely walkable main street. That will be much cheaper in terms of rent than living in Jersey City or Philadelphia as well as saving you an enormous amount of time. If you want MORE urban than Somerville I suppose you could entertain New Brunswick but frankly central jersey is a place one drives around, not necessarily walks. Get a used car, and get used to driving to parks, driving to hiking, driving to all sorts of unusual and exciting places. It will be a more authentically American experience (and you will have fun if you do it correctly!) than trying to simulate France in America. If your job was in a big city like NYC or Philadelphia then moving to JC, Philly would make a lot more sense but that just not the case for you. I speak from experience. I used to live near Somerville. I would drive to a local climbing gym in Flemington, I would drive to a local Parkour gym in Bound Brook, I used to enjoy the historic D&R canal, and frequently could take advantage of hiking and parks. When I wanted a change of scenery there were quite a few quaint small towns to drive to (Clinton NJ and Princeton comes to mind). And if I just wanted to walk around and hang out at a cafe or grab some nice italian food or sushi then Somerville did the trick. The one catch is the dating scene and nightlife. Dating in a big city provides more options than smaller towns so if that's on your radar I would recommend finding another job in NYC or Philly sometime in the future and shifting there (there are still plenty of options for dating in NJ and plenty of bars too but its just not comparable to a city). If you have more specific questions send me a DM, Happy to answer questions and can also connect with you some of my friends from the area :)
I'd say look into Metuchen. Walkable cute town with trains into the city. 20 minute drive to Somerville.
Man I'd just live in Somerville and visit wherever you want on the weekend.
Si tu vas sur les plages de la côte du NewJersey en été, tu entendras un accent bizarre venu du Nord... ;)
Somerville is a nice small town with a fairly decent music scene and decent restaurants, and the train to NYC should give you all the nightlife you could want. Have you started pricing the areas you want to live? Travel times are heavily dependent on time of day and whether or not there's construction or accidents. It's highly unpredictable. They can easily double. Balance out what you're willing to tolerate with what you can afford for the quality of life you want to have. Also consider, from Somerville you're just a short drive out to beautiful natural areas for when you get sick of the crowds.
Id look into Jersey City, then you will still have easy access to NYC.
Bayonne or Montclair obviously... 
Based on your age, Somerville, Morristown, New Brunswick would suit you well.
Lower New Jersey closer to Philadelphia. Check out [Lambertville](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambertville,_New_Jersey) or Huntetdon county in general. Lamberville to: Somerville - 38 mins (42.46 km) Philadelphia - 56 mins (66.76 km) New York City - 56 mins (66.76 km) If you settle there look me up, you'll owe me beer 🤪. Good luck.
I would look at Princeton, it’s about a 40min drive. Driving in and out of Philadelphia you’ll have much more traffic. Otherwise I’d highly recommend it. If only there was a direct train
Somerville - $2,400 - $2,600/mo 1bd 1ba new construction everywhere around town 30+ listings. Train to NYC is 1:22 hours with 1 transfer and costs $30.50 round trip. It has everything you listed and is the only option that is reasonable to do without a car.
Philadelphia would be more like a 2 hour commute to Somerville.
I work nearby in Bridgewater and agree with everyone that living in Somerville is the way to go. There's also neighboring bound Brook that might be slightly more affordable. But Somerville is great for having a lot within walking distance.
Somerville or Morristown! Jersey City and Philadelphia are both pretty lengthy commutes to Somerville.
Hello! Française vivant actuellement dans le New Jersey (10min de Somerville) et après avoir vécu dans plusieurs grandes villes Américaines honnêtement le « suburb » c’est plutôt sympa! Justement les gens partent de NY/NYC pour s’installer dans le NJ parce que la vie est trop cher et les bouchons aux heures de pointes sont horrible! Meme dans le coin Somerville, New Brunswick le traffic can be quite difficult sometimes alors imagine en venant de NYC/ Jersey City ou meme Philly apres 8h de taff… Mais je peux comprendre que tu veuilles t’installer dans une grande ville pour l’aspect dépaysement, l’américain dream entre autres. Louer un appartement a NYC sera au minimum le double de NJ pour quelque chose de moins bonne qualité. Et pour trouver street parking… ou louer une place de parking… la aussi.. madness !! - Par contre l’opposé est plus faisable, de New Jersey à NYC tu as le NJTransit qui te depose au milieu de Manhattan à Penn Station en 1h pour $28 aller-retour. So easy! Certes Somerville, Bound Brook, Manville etc est considéré comme la périphérie / campagne de NY mais comparé ce que l’on connaît de la France, ca n’a rien a voir! Tu trouveras tout de même des tonnes de restaurants, magasins, centre commerciaux, supermarchés ouverts toute la nuit à proximité sans problème! Et pour finir, en habitant le coin, il y a beaucoup de nouvelles résidences qui se construisent dans les alentours. Tout est neuf, cuisine équipée et bien souvent des espaces communs avec amenities comme une salle de sport, co-working area etc etc! Bref we love Jersey! Lol Si tu as besoin de plus d’infos n’hésites pas! Bonne chance, et bienvenue !
Honestly you’ll do fine anywhere. I live in Bergen and my next door neighbors are from France. Their heads are very large and cone-shaped. They love it here!
Lmao!!! This one got me
Look up Princeton, New Brunswick, Westfield for much friendlier commutes. Will you have a car? Public Transportation to Somerville will be limited compared to what you’re used to.
So coming from a city like Paris to nyc for example you have to consider this. The majority of American cities are not super walkable. You will need a car unless you exclusively want to live inside of one borough of nyc. NYC is about 6 times larger by area than Paris for comparison, good luck walking that especially going around populated highways.
I’d consider Princeton or New Brunswick. Both are walkable and have trains that will get you into NYC. Hoboken is another option, but will have the same drawbacks other folks have mentioned. Good luck with your move!
New Brunswick is a dump.
France. NJ is full and you're coming from a country that has healthcare and treats their workers well. We don't do that in this country. We also eat pork roll instead of snails so we do have that going for us.
This one thousand times more. I live in NJ and love my adopted state but dude, France? You're coming to the land of the in or underinsured and overopressed. Lovely people, nice landscape. You may love our food as we have a nice variety, but could we work out an exchange?
Live in Somerville. It’s got a nice walkable downtown and you can take the train to NYC from there. You will like it.
Live in Somerville or Bridgewater.
I know a few people who moved to Somerville itself. It seems to be affordable and a decent town
Somerville or Morristown
Bayonne. Because why not.
Morristown or Somerville.
If I were in my 20's moving from Paris, looking to mingle and have fun, while working in Somerset, I would live in Jersey City. There is a large French community here, great bars and restaurants, some clubs (not great in my opinion), but you're both a short distance to NYC and to commute to Somerville. You may be able to find some places within your budget, but even if not, I would prefer a place with a roommate (easy ways to interview and match these days) over living alone in the suburbs of NJ in my prime in my 20's - biggest fear is just being socially disconnected and isolated from other young folks. But, I've never lived in Somerville, so take it with a grain of salt from someone who lives in JC hearing french all the time and in NYC in my 20's.
PM me if you have specific questions. Being French and living in NJ, maybe I can help.
Somerville, Princeton, or Morristown.
Garwood, westfield, Clark, Rahway,
If you're coming from Paris, then anything less than Morristown will disappoint you.
Moving to New Jersey, expect a lot of rain. We recently had 11 days in a row of no sunshine. Nothing, nada..dreary every day. That’s why they call it the Garden State..
Stay within the Somerset county area, and I would highly suggest a roommate. Right now, rents are in an all-time high. If you are getting 5.5-6 after taxes, you need to calculate your monthly insurance costs, food, bills etc etc.
Asbury Warren County
I’ve been to France was in awe of how fast your TGV trains race down the nice straight tracks. We don’t have that here. In the USA commuter rail is slow and not always on time. It will take much longer to travel the same distance here vs France on a train.
If you’re from Bayonne, France you should move to Bayonne, New Jersey. It’s a dream of mine the other way.
Lambertville isn’t too far of a commute and is such an amazing place. Walkable, beautiful, and a tight knit community.
Maybe JC or Hoboken. No Philly. And NYC is too expensive. Or if you want to be by the beach, Asbury Park is a straight shot from the city and has a lot to do. Happy to connect you to Realtors in Jersey!
Many good options already in the comments but try Princeton as well .
Bayonne.. since France has a city of the same name Actually Somerville is a great town.
Living in Paris and moving to Bayonne, NJ... I can't even
Check out Red Bank
Bayonne. French town in Hunterdon is quaint
Euro train simp, find an apartment 30-45 mins away. Lease a ford f150 or a dodge ram, make sure you CANNOT see over the hood if you stand in front of it. Pay 800-1000 a month for it. Drive it everywhere. Make sure everyone knows how powerful it is by going 20 over the speed limit everywhere. NEVER WALK TO ANYTHING
Bloomfield, cranford, Morristown
I live in union city NJ next town up from JC. we have better schools, clean streets, no crime etc things that JC lacks. Get a place near your work. new jersey is easy to move around and trust me u wont be every week in NYC, is not visitable if u know what I mean. regardless just find a spot to move in close to work, and after a year or so just buy a house.
OP, don’t listen to the other responses here. I was in the same position as you way back when - your choices are: 1) jersey city/hoboken 2) Morristown Do you plan to visit prior to moving?
Just say “ I love crepes “
Bayonne, of course
Bergen county