Oakland, N.J.: A Rustic Version of Suburbia, 30 Miles From Midtown
Less pricey than surrounding areas of Bergen County, the borough has a secluded feeling, but highways make it accessible to the city.
By Jay Levin
March 3, 2021
On the first night in their new home in Oakland, in northern New Jersey, the Kumar family watched deer cross their backyard, leaving hoof prints in the snow. Prem Kumar said it was the first time he had ever seen deer outside of a petting zoo. He knew he wasn’t in Queens anymore.
“It’s a readjustment, but nothing we’re not happy about,” Mr. Kumar, 35, a civil engineer, said of the move to the wide-open borough of 13,000 in westernmost Bergen County.