Rutgers University Libraries: New Employee Handbook

For general information regarding the relocation process, please see: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/hr/employee_relocation_instructions.shtml.

For specific information on relocating to the New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden campuses, please see the boxes below.

Here are some resources to help with your transition to the New Brunswick area. Included in this section is information on purchasing a home, renting a property, renting furniture, moving and storage services, and short-term housing options.

Rutgers Off-Campus Housing Service

For general information for Rutgers University off-campus housing please visit: http://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/.  This site has descriptions of housing types, listing rates, and average rents, with information for all three campuses.

Princeton

Princeton is an easy commute to the RU New Brunswick campus and many RU faculty and staff reside there. Princeton University has an off-campus housing site which you can explore as a guest. To register as a guest, go to https://offcampushousing.princeton.edu/.

This site has information about: Affordable Housing Programs, Area Apartment Complexes-Furnished and Unfurnished, Furniture Rental, Princeton-specific links, Moving and Storage, NJ Landlord and Tenant Information, Real Estate Sales and Rentals, Short-Term Housing, and Transportation.

Renting

Rental apartments can work one of two ways in New Jersey--direct rental or broker rental. Most commercial apartment buildings/complexes can be rented directly from the apartments' rental office. Apartment complexes can be found through the usual channels like http://www.rent.com/, http://www.apartmentguide.com/, http://www.trulia.com/, www.zillow.com, and http://realestate.nj.com/for-rent.  The zip code at work (in New Brunswick) is 08901.

Most private rentals (e.g. houses and condos) require you to use a rental broker. Brokers charge a fee -- usually one month's rent. Sometimes the fee is paid by the landlord, sometimes by the renter, and sometimes the fee is split. The rental listing will usually say who pays.

Craigslist is another popular resource. For New Brunswick rentals use http://cnj.craigslist.org/ for Central New Jersey listings. If you are interested in parts of NJ closer to NYC use http://newyork.craigslist.org/jsy/.

Neighborhoods in the New Brunswick area

Housing options are endless and you can find all types of neighborhoods and living situations in Central New Jersey. It's impossible to describe all the local areas, but here are a few highlights nearby and further out.

Near Rutgers

The area near Rutgers is a mix of urban and suburban living. New Brunswick itself doesn't have many living options -- most housing is either for students or low income families. There are some exceptions, mostly in the high rise buildings dotting the area. A few of our colleagues live in New Brunswick.

Highland Park is the most popular local city. It's right across the river from campus and has a nice small town feel, with a decent downtown area. Many of our colleagues live in Highland Park. It's somewhere between urban and suburban.

Other nearby areas worth thinking about include North Brunswick, East Brunswick, Milltown, South Brunswick, Piscataway, and Somerset. All are in Middlesex County except Somerset which is in Somerset County. These all offer a suburban mix--some old buildings, some tract housing, some strip malls, some big box retailers. We have faculty who live in all of these locations.

Near NYC

If you prefer a more hip location, consider living near NYC. There are a couple of cities across the Hudson River from Manhattan that are more urban, lively, and city-like. Jersey City is supposedly the new Brooklyn now that Brooklyn has become too gentrified and expensive. Hoboken is also a popular location.

Near Public Transit

New Jersey has a robust local train system that makes it easy to get around. There's a train station at the edge of campus which makes it easy to commute in and out. The most common places to commute by train from are Princeton and Metuchen but lots of options are available (see "Beyond" below for more details). Some people from Princeton and Metuchen also choose to commute by car. If you want to know which communities are on the train line that runs through New Brunswick, here's a map of the stops on the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor line: http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=LineDetailsTo&selLine=NEC.

Beyond

We have colleagues who live in geographically diverse areas beyond those mentioned above. If you don't mind a commute, the options are endless. Some RUL colleagues live in Philadelphia, New York (Manhattan, the Bronx), on farms (with horses or pigs), near the shore, in the woods, etc. New Jersey is very diverse!

Explore the sections under this tab for further information on the many diverse communities that surround our campuses.

Note: Many thanks to Melissa Just, Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services, for providing suggestions regarding renting in the New Brunswick area along with some thoughts on neighborhoods in central New Jersey.

Here are some resources to help with your transition to the Newark area.

Newark

Newark Official Visitor's Guide: http://bcdcnewark.org/wp-content/upload/go-newark-official-visitors-guide.pdf
Transportation Information: http://bcdcnewark.org/newark-new-jersey/newark-transportation/
Maps and Directions: https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/masstransit
Shuttles: http://publicsafety.newark.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/files/all_shuttles.pdf

Harrison/Kearny

Harrison PATH: http://www.panynj.gov/path/harrison-station.html
Town of Harrison: http://www.townofharrison.com/
Town of Kearny: http://www.kearnyusa.com/
Bus Routes:

• http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0040.pdf
• http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0030.pdf
• http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0076.pdf

Shuttles: http://publicsafety.newark.rutgers.edu/kh-shuttle (Kearny/Harrison route only runs from 3:30pm – 12:30am Mon-Fri)

Belleville

General Information: http://www.bellevillenj.org/
Bus Routes:

• http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0013.pdf
• http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0007.pdf

Montclair

General Information: http://www.montclairnjusa.org/
Train Routes: http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/R0030.pdf

Camden is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan region (known locally as the Delaware Valley).  As such there are a number of communities easily accessible to the Camden Campus where many of our faculty and staff live.  For more information about Philadelphia – its neighborhoods and its cultural attractions – see Visit Philly (http://www.visitphilly.com/). Listed below are some of the communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that are nearby and accessible to Camden by public transportation and regional rail.

New Jersey

Haddonfield

Historic Haddonfield is a short PATCO Speedline line away from the Camden Campus. Haddonfield dates back to 1682 and is known for its charming shopping district and Victorian homes.  For information about the town see http://www.haddonfieldnj.org/. For PATCO schedules see http://www.ridepatco.org/schedules/schedules.asp.

Collingswood

The Borough of Collingswood traces its original settlers back to the late seventeenth century (see:  http://www.collingswood.com/). Like Haddonfield, it is on the PATCO Speedline and the commute to Camden is an easy one. Collingswood has won a number of awards as an exemplary small town (see: http://www.collingswood.com/living/awards). It is known for its Victorian and Arts and Crafts styled homes as well as for its famous Farmers Market.  Collingswood has been designated one othe “Classic Towns of Greater Philadelphia.”

Pennsylvania

Abington Township (Montgomery County)

Like its historic New Jersey counterparts Abington dates back to the pre-Revolutionary War era (see: http://www.abington.org/). The SEPTA regional rail, in combination with PATCO, makes this suburb easily accessible to the City of Camden (see http://www.septa.org/service/rail/). Among its many other notables, Abington is known for its excellent school systems.

Cheltenham Township (Montgomery County)

Historic Cheltenham Township has home that date back to Revolutionary times through to those designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Like Abington it has an award-winning school district (graduates of Cheltenham High include Benjamin Netanyahu).  Like Abington it is also an easy commute to Camden via SEPTA regional rail and PATCO. Cheltenham has been designated as one of the “Classic Towns of great Philadelphia.”

Other Considerations

For more information about what the Philadelphia suburbs have to offer see Philadelphia Magazine’s “Hottest Suburban Philadelphia Neighborhoods” (http://www.phillymag.com/articles/hottest-suburban-philadelphia-neighborhoods/?all=1). For other “Classic Towns” see http://www.classictowns.org/.