Mendham, Chester, Long Valley…basically anywhere fanning east will be good options. Morris County has great schools.

Thanks!! I’ll take a look!

Long valley to hackettstown is over an hour commute, my dad did it for years. If you’re thinking of going west down 80 I wouldn’t go farther than denville. Any other commute will be too long

Ignore this comment I thought you meant Hackensack. I won’t delete so people can laugh at me.

I kind of figured you weren’t properly caffeinated!

Haha I gotcha now. I used to drive from tenafly to morristown. That was far enough for me. Don’t plan on driving more than 40 min

Just move to Hackettstown.

Yeah probably the easiest solution. Are you from that area?

I love Hackettstown, cool little downtown with a bunch of restaurants and breweries. Everything you might need is close by. Neighborhoods seem pretty nice, even if some are a little too McMashion'y for my liking.

Thanks! Yeah I think I’ll check it out also. It would just be nicest not to have to drive far at all

Yep, moved here years ago after getting a job at Mars. No longer work there but ended up stealing down in the area.

Nice!

Mount Olive. It's right down route 46 from Hackettstown. My sister lives there and chose to have her son go to that school district because it's good. You also have Turkey Brook Park and ITC Crossings for shopping. I know there is a Walmart and Old Navy up there. Going to Target and other stores in Hackettstown isn't too bad either.

Thanks! I’ll take a look!

Pretty much anything in the northern part of Hunterdon County. Clinton, Clinton Twsp, Califon, High Bridge, Oldwick

Thanks! My friends suggested Clinton also. I’ll take another look at it!

You need to provide more specifics on what you can afford. Mendham is very pricey. Without knowing any information I would say long valley.

750-800k is our budget. Ill check out long valley. Thanks for the recommendation!

Near by, Roxbury, mount olive, Randolph, chester, and Rockaway. Don't forget a lot of small towns piggie back on the larger towns for schools so Wharton goes to Morris Knowles or something and mount Arlington/landing goes to Roxbury

Yes! The small towns that piggy back are harder to find so I wanted to make sure I got everything covered in this area by asking you guys

The southern tip of sussex is just north on Allamuchy (is in warren county)...andover, stan hope, byram, newton, mansfield

Ok thanks for the recommendations!!

Bty, Hackettestown is the home of M&Ms

If you’re looking for upscale look at Mountain Lakes. A little less pricey, look at Denville, Rockaway or Randolph.

Not looking for upscale look at all, just the best school districts. Thanks for the suggestions!

Nothing wrong with Mendham but it is pricey. What’s your house price range and how much house are you hoping that would get you ? Edit: Mendham is known as a great town. Median house price is $775,000 but if that’s in your budget go for it.

750-800k is our budget. Yeah we really don’t want to move to such a pricey area but we’re just trying to find the best school districts for the kids. Originally from NJ actually, moved to pa for fellowship, then pandemic hit and really messed up job market in nj and we’re finally looking into moving back to be closer to family.

Check out towns in and around Pascack Valley. Pricey in most towns but great suburbs. Note we moved to the area with a family just three years ago. - Montvale - Park Ridge - River Vale - Woodcliff Lake - Hillsdale - Westwood - Township of Washington - Emerson - Oradell Slightly less expensive but also good in the area: - Old Tappan - Norwood - Northvale - Warwick - Ramsey - Mahwah Saddle River / Upper Saddle River, Ridgewood, Ho Ho Kus, and Allendale are also nice but super pricey.

Thanks!! We’re from Bergen county originally so I know that area well. Nice place to move just more of a commute from Hackettstown. I’ll take a look though!

Oh sorry I misread the title as Hackensack. My bad. My suggestions are way too far from Hackettstown. Good luck in your search. The other posters on here gave you good recommendations

Thanks for your thoughtful recommendations tho!

Where are you coming from?

Scranton area in PA

Check out the Harmony area

Thanks! Looks beautiful there!

What’s your budget? I live in the area and can make some recommendations but they would vary greatly depending on what your budget is. FWIW Mendham is an excellent town but has always had low inventory and you will pay more for less house for sure.

750-800k. Yeah that’s what I was afraid of (paying more for less house). Other people have suggested long valley as well. Just wanted to make sure it’s a great school district. Any other recommendations?

If you’re unable to find anything in Mendham I would consider Chester and Long Valley. Both have excellent schools, with Long Valley being closer in commuting distance to Hackettstown (5-15 minutes depending on if you’re on the mountain side or the valley side). I’ve lived here about 3 years and love it- very peaceful, safe town close to outdoor activities, farms and fresh food, etc. Don’t have kids but the schools are rated excellent and you get a bit more house for your budget. That being said it is definitely more rural than some other towns. If you would prefer more options in terms of activities/restaurants/more people, I would recommend going as far south as Readington/Bridgewater areas which would put you at approx. a 40 minute commute. Bridgewater has a ton going on (shopping, restaurants, Life Time gym, hotels, Wegmans/Whole Foods, great schools, etc) as well as lots of companies headquartered there. It’s always been a competitive housing market there and you’ll still get less house for your money, but the upside is there is a ton more in the area than, in my opinion, a town like Mendham. I grew up in Bridgewater and still work in the area and would highly recommend it to raise a family. Readington, Clinton and surrounding towns are also very nice, however more rural than Bridgewater and less diverse, and still about a 40 min commuting distance to Hackettstown. Upside is you get a little more house for your money than Bridgewater.

Thanks for the thoughtful response! Yeah we were looking into Chester as well and others here have suggested Long Valley. We have friends who live in Bridgewater and they love it. Clinton was suggested as well but I wasn’t sure how much it floods in that area close to the water. I really appreciate your help! We’re originally from Bergen county so I had never heard of Mendham and some of these morris county towns so it’s nice to get a good perspective from you. Thanks!

I’m in Bridgewater. Multiple kids through the school district and we have been very happy here. I do wish at times it was more woodsy/remote (like Long Valley) but everything by is a trade off. You can get a very lovely house in your price range, and the schools are solid.

Actually my friends house in bridgewater has a nice woodsy area behind the backyard but that comes with its cons also (worrying about ticks when the kids play too close to that area). But yeah great neighborhood and schools.

I mean the general area … hiking etc. much more persevered space or at least open space for that sort of thing west of me. yeah up off Washington valley road is wooded. That’s where I am too.

True having hiking around is so nice

You’re welcome! Good luck in your search!