Many young couples in New York City, especially in crowded Manhattan, eventually find themselves asking whether they should stay in the city, particularly as their young children grow and reach school age. While finding more space and quality education for their children top their priorities list, it also remains important for young parents to stay close to their jobs, friends and cultural attractions, most of which are located in the Big Apple. Couples facing this dilemma should consider the alternative of an urban suburban experience, namely, the kind of living available in Tenafly, New Jersey, just miles from New York City but also a world away in terms of quality of life.
Located a few minutes north of the George Washington Bridge, a key access point from New Jersey into New York, Tenafly is a Bergen County borough of 14,300 residents on the beautiful Palisades. For many years, the borough has attracted successful professionals in search of larger homes and properties that still keep them close to the city with all its world-class amenities. Tenafly takes it unusual name from the Dutch for “10 swamps,” a name given by settlers in 1688.
Chief among the reasons for moving to Tenafly, and many other Bergen County towns, is the quality of the school system, which ranks among the best in New Jersey. Teachers bring outstanding credentials in their field of expertise, along with a dedication to focusing on students, which helps to ensure personalized attention and excellent rates of admission to the country’s best colleges. Tenafly offers four elementary schools, a middle school, and Tenafly High school, named a Blue Ribbon School by the federal government in 2005. Moreover, the emphasis on education draws families who share that value to Tenafly, which means that students learn alongside a diverse group of peers united in their motivation for educational achievement.
The housing stock in Tenafly includes historic houses and two historic districts that require local approval before exterior changes can be made to home exteriors. However, many homes from the middle of the last century have been knocked down and replaced with larger mansions. The average sale price of a single-family house in the first nine months of 2009 was $873,973, while the average sale price for a condominium was $519,167. The median household income is $109,887, compared to a state average of $67,142, which could pose a challenge to first-time buyers, with the most desirable homes in Tenafly selling for $1 million range and up.
As much as housing, people are drawn to Tenafly because of the mix of nationalities and cultures. Popular languages other than English spoken at home include Korean and Hebrew. The 4.6-square-mile borough includes a vibrant Jewish community, with a community center and variety of synagogues to choose for worship. Notable personalities also are drawn to Tenafly, with famous residents having included baseball player Yogi Berra, actors Ed Harris and Paul and Mira Sorvino, and the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the bandleader Glenn Miller.
While a historic rail station sits in the center of town, there is no modern-day rail service from Tenafly to New York City, so most residents commute to work by car. It takes less than 10 minutes to reach the George Washington Bridge using Route 9W or the Palisades Parkway, though many drivers leave early in the morning to avoid traffic. Other commuting options include public and private buses, or a ferry ride to Manhattan from Edgewater Landing.
From a cultural standpoint, Tenafly residents flock to downtown in the evenings and on weekends for entertainment including restaurants, an art-house movie theater and unique shops. Nearby, Englewood on the southern border offers an active downtown scene. A comprehensive recreation used by a large part of the population includes sports teams and park facilities, and a golf club and two outdoor swim clubs are available. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy events at Huyler Park and the options at Davis Johnson Park and Garden and the Tenafly Nature Center, which offers hiking and cross-country ski trails.
Families from New York City often want to know where they can move to find more space and quality education for their children without sacrificing all the advantages of urban living. The borough of Tenafly in Bergen County, New Jersey provides a solution with excellent schools, diverse cultural offerings and outdoor space all within minutes from the jobs and attractions of Manhattan.