Safe, affordable, and pet-friendly apartments near Princeton?

April 8, 2009 9:14 PM

Looking for safe, affordable, and pet-friendly apartments in the Princeton, NJ area.

My little sis is moving to the Princeton, NJ area for a new job in a few months, and I’ve volunteered to help her search for apartments. She will be living by herself, so something in a safe community is highly desired. Her budget will probably allow her to afford ~$1000 a month in rent, and she’ll be bringing a medium sized dog. She will have a vehicle, but would use public transportation if it were close. Does anyone have suggestions for nice apartments we should look at in the Princeton area?

posted by Nematoda to home & garden (5 comments total)

Paying only $1,000/month rent is going to be extraordinarily hard in Princeton, I'm afraid, if she also wants to live by herself. For an apartment that's large enough for one person and a dog I'd expect to pay around $1,400/month, at least.

I don't know about which apartments are or aren't dog-friendly, but in her position I would either add several hundred dollars to my budget (if I could manage it) or look into living in a nearby town (e.g. Lawrenceville) that allows for a short commute.
posted by Prospero at 4:21 AM on April 9

I sublet a student apartment in Princeton one summer: $1200 in 2006 for a nice two-bed place. Check out this link for the current listings. Obviously this would only be temporary, but it might give her time to find somewhere more permanent, along with the convenience of living in the area whilst doing so. Can't speak for animal-friendliness, though.
posted by jeatsy at 5:03 AM on April 9

When I said "Princeton area" this includes all nearby towns within a 30 minute commute, and she can afford something in the $1000 range, probably up to $1300 or so. Sorry I wasn't more specific. We're looking for a generally safe apartment community or town to look for apartments in. The online rating sites really don't give you a good picture of any of the apartments because they are mostly negative comments regardless of the apartment complex.
posted by Nematoda at 9:19 AM on April 9

She shouldn't have trouble staying within her budget if she looks in the towns near Princeton. 1-bedroom apartments in Plainsboro, which is about 10 minutes to the north or Princeton tend to be in the $900s and 1-bedroom apartments in the part of Lawrenceville where I've looked cost about $1300. I have friends who live in Plainsboro and are satisfied, and I'm planning to move to Lawrenceville over the summer (when I get kicked out of grad student housing in Princeton, itself. I pay almost $1000 for a one-bedroom apartment that's subsidized by the university, which tells you something about prices around here). I can't say anything about the pet friendliness of any of the apartments, but I'm a young, single woman, and I would feel safe living in these areas.
posted by capsizing at 9:35 AM on April 9

If she qualifies for low-income housing, Millstone Apartments off Route 1 on Lakewood Terrace (behind Ruby Tuesday and in front of Lake Carnegie) is a wonderful choice. You're steps away from the "tow path" trail for biking and hiking along the canal. It's owned by the university but 1/2 of the units are reserved for people in the community.

You'd be surprised how high the "low income" cutoff is. It's a very good deal, costs much, much less than market rate, from studios on up.

Mainly grad students and low-key other people live there. And pets.

It's that miserable little town's best kept secret. (Sorry, I tried to bite my tongue but missed)
posted by vincele at 10:12 AM on April 9