anyone live in Saddle River/Upper Saddle River

I know some information about the town(s) as I have several friends that live in SR and USR.

Regarding your questions:

- The neighborhood mainly consists of multi million dollar mansions spotting the landscape, there is a small village area with small shops/delis/restaurants

- The school system in SR/USR is a regional system consisting of Allendale, USR, SR. Northern Highlands was (may still be) a blue ribbon school

- Most of the homes are custom built and I am reasonably confident all new homes MUST be built on a minimum of 2 acres of property and not have more than a 3-car garage (not 100% on these two rules).

- Taxes I am not so sure on


Essentially, Saddle River and Alpine are the two premier towns in Bergen County; you can't go wrong with either town or their respective region. Saddle River is notorious for being home to many notable celebrities/athletes/CEOs.

Good luck with your search, I hope I helped.

 

A good website from a reputable realtor is

http://www.specialproperties.com/areainfo.html

^^---gives plenty of useful information about the region

 

+1

Family lives there... fantastic living environment

 

I live next door to SR and USR in Ho Ho Kus.

SR is a beautiful town, but given the nature of the town the school system isn't neccessarily ideal if you have multiple children. Don't get me wrong, it's a great school, but the average class is in the neighborhood of 25 (graduating class) and may not be the best way to socialize children.

USR is a great place as it is more family oriented and also not as "high brow" as SR.

You can't go wrong with either, but you should make a decision based on your individual situation and desire to raise a family.

I passed on SR for just that reason and couldn't be happier in HHK.

As for taxes...SR has the lowest in Bergen County. They do not have public utilities and as I mentioned the school system is extremely small.

Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood (in advance).

 

Damn! Suddenly finishing in the "top 25" doesn't mean as much.

 

Saddle river Day school is a private school in saddle river which is K-12. I went there for middle school-graduation.

 

That explains alot!!!

 

For $25k a year your kids can be exposed to the best drugs in Bergen County!

Nice school...but the kids who come out of there tend to have "dependencies" due to the amount of coin associated with the student body.

 

We looked in USR and SR four years ago before moving out to Morris County. We liked the idea of two acre zoning in SR but the school thing turned us off (we were moving to escape NYC private school tuition for 3 kids) and the prices were high. USR could have worked but we wanted more space between houses. As for Alpine ... um, no.

We promised ourselves that we wouldn't go outside the 287 ring and we almost made it. We have a lot more house and property than we cold have looked at in Bergen County, in exchange for a much longer commute. Taxes are nasty but probably comparable to USR. Schools are outstanding. People are very friendly. OTOH, minorities are very much in the minority here. Schools are open on the Jewish High Holidays as well as MLK.

 

Very well stated. I sell real estate all over NJ and this is by far one of the best areas around NJ. The homes are just simply amazing. If you are in need of a realtor, feel free to PM me with your details.

 

how so?

 

First off welcome to the area!

We lived in USR for 5 years before just moving to Mahwah. Large lots are pretty easy to come by in SR - though you will DEF pay for it.

As far as schools, USR/SR are basically the same since, as mentioned above, it is a regional system. The area is not too diverse (mostly Anglo White and Asian), VERY low crime, close to everything, yet tucked away just enough. Don't expect friendly neighbors though -- everyone pretty much keeps to themselves.

Taxes in SR are actually lower than in USR (the main reason we moved to Mahwah).

SR is a very highly coveted area for real estate and you do get what you pay for. The market right now is a bit soft and I am aware of a few houses ($2MM +) that have been on the market for quite some time.

I wish you luck in your search -- any questions let me know!

Anthony

 

I may know who he is...I've spoken with a USR 993 owner via Rennlist before.

I also recommend you look at homes in Ho Ho Kus given your family situation and desire for Blue Chip schools. I've lived in the area my entire life and the atmosphere in HHK is unmatchable.

It is a wealthy town...but with a down to earth family oriented atmosphere (not only do we speak to our neighbors...we socialize with ALL of them as well). Difficult to describe, but I came from Ridgewood which is also a fantastic place to raise a family and HHK is yet another level beyond that.

I think you will see if you look that Real Estate in HHK reflects the desire of folks to move here. There is no "softness" in HHK due to the population of approx 4k.

Good Luck and feel free to reach out with questions.

 

Rob you you actually attend classes there? The way you worded that sounds like you just visited to watch the other kids graduate.

I think RPM Roger was just being silly.