Hillsdale has a fairly impressive sporting heritage, with plenty of players for the New York Yankees hailing from the borough, including Johnny Kucks, who won the last game of the World Series in 1956.
The borough is in Bergen County, New Jersey, and has a population of 10,219 as of the 2010 census. It covers about 3 square miles and is located roughly 10 miles from North Manhattan as the crow flies, making it a popular place to live for those working across the Hudson River in New York. Being in a heavily suburban area, Hillsdale is surrounded by other boroughs and cities, with several notable parks and lakes in the region, particularly over towards the Hudson. A short drive towards the northwest will open you up to a range of state parks and forest, including Harriman State Park, Wawayanda State Park, and Sterling Forest.
Moving to Hillsdale
Do you enjoy moving house? No, we thought not. Not many people do really. In fact, it's known to be one of the most stressful things you can do in life, so it's not really something people go into with too much enthusiasm. Of course, the process can be simplified and made slightly less mentally exhausting if you take the right steps. The first is to know exactly what sort of property you're looking for, and what's available in your intended location.
Property in Hillsdale
So, what do we have here then? Well, Hillsdale is primarily made up of single family detached housing. In fact, these account for over 85% of the market, which is great if you're looking for a family home for rent, but not so much if you're looking for rental apartments. In fact, apartments make up only about 10% of the market, so you're going to need to keep your eyes peeled during your search for apartments in Hillsdale.
Search early if you can
It's important that you start your search early for a new home in Hillsdale. Why? Because most housing is owner occupied, so places to rent are going to be hard to find. Of the 3,500 homes in the borough, about 11% are renter occupied, which is very low for the state and nation. To make matters even worse, the vacancy rate is also very low, so you're going to be searching for a needle in a haystack. So, that's precisely why you're going to have to get out there and start looking as early as you can. The earlier, the better.
Preparation is key
Get prepared even before your search. In other words, get your ducks in a line so that when you do find a place, you can get it locked down before anyone else can snatch it up. Make sure that you've got all your references ready and be prepared to go through a credit check. Also, have your check book waiting to put down a nice big deposit to secure the place before the landlord can change their mind!
Neighborhoods in Hillsdale
Finding a suitable neighborhood won't be quite so hard, however. This is pretty much solely because there are only two of them! The walk score for Hillsdale is a healthy 82, so you can probably do without a car, at least within town. In fact, most people use public transport to get out of the borough, so if you work in Manhattan you'll find it easy enough getting around.
Borough Center: Right in the center of the borough you've got Hillsdale Station, offering rail routes over to Manhattan, so it's useful for commuters to live nearby. You'll also find most local amenities here, such as restaurants like Cinco De Mayo and Peking House.
Piermont Ave / Kinderkamack Rd: Here you'll find Pascack Valley High School, and, for the golf enthusiasts, Edgewood County Club is sitting right on the doorstep as well.
Living in Hillsdale
Life in Hillsdale trickles by with the excitement and allure of New York a constant backdrop. For many, New York is where they work and play, while Hillsdale is where they live. It's largely filled with commuters living in detached homes, most of whom earn decent packets in the city. With a country club within walking distance from several streets in the east of the neighborhood, and a smattering of restaurants and shopping outlets nestled nicely into the center of the borough around the rail station, there's plenty to keep people busy when they're searching for a quieter time outside of the Big Apple. That said, anyone who is keen on heading to the city can do so easily via the aforementioned Hillsdale Station, or via several other bus and road routes. Just to the west the Garden State Parkway passes by, giving easy access southwards through the state, while several bus routes can be taken through the borough itself and towards Midtown Manhattan.