Northeast - Possible transfer to NJ

Hi all....unfortunately my company may want to transfer me to NJ from my warm, wonderful home in Georgia. Having lived in GA for the past 10 years I am not looking forward to the lousy northeast winters but I grew up in CT so I have lived through it before.

Anyway.....my office will be in Fairfield NJ so I am looking for some feedback on where to live. Looks like west/northwest of there is the way to go for a suburban environment. Anything east of Fairfield is not appealing. Any suggestions? Whats the traffic like coming into Fairfield on 46?

Lastly, how's the riding out that way?

Riding is definitely better north and west (i.e. rural roads). Lots of good hills. Just east and south of Fairfield is far more congested. On the flip side, someplace like Montclair has a more 'urban' feel and probably offers more culture (by NJ standards) than surrounding suburbs.

I assume you plan to commute by car? East toward Fairfield from anywhere west isn't pretty, at least on 80. I assume 46 isn't much better - Parsippany is a godawful mess.

What type of living arrangement are you seeking? Single family? Townhouse? Apartment? New construction is very expensive in this region, as are taxes. There is lots of older stock from the 60s and 70s, but depending on location, it can still be expensive. The farther west you go, the more affordable. Prepare for sticker shock. Of course, in the current economy, I have no idea where home prices are.

Fairfield itself is fairly dense, unfortunately, the places that are nicer will also mean a worse commute. If you can live west of I-287 it is better but then again, all the traffic goes east in the morning so you have that to deal with (driving wise) However, I know of some places that you could possible bike commute, kind of depends on where in Fairfield and on which side of Rt 46 or I-80. Many of the crossings of those two major major highways aren't so nice.

Feel free to email or pm me for data, I work in wayne so I'm familiar with the area.

Jay