When it comes to people who live in waterfront condos and town houses, longtime area Realtor Nelson Chen said it used to be that as soon as a wife got pregnant, the couple didn't just read the "What to Expect" books-they also grabbed the real estate section. Now Chen said, he's seeing more and more families staying put along the Hudson, not only for their children's early years - but in some cases, even beyond. "In some cases they are waiting well into middle school to make the move that a few years ago they might have made at birth," said Chen. The easy commute to New York, builders' increased emphasis on family oriented amenities, and better schools, shopping and dining nearby are a few of the key reasons more families are staying longer. When Kevin and Asma Salmon were looking for a new home because they were expecting their first child, they initially looked to suburban communities like Englewood Cliffs. Coming from a one-bedroom in midtown Manhattan they were aching for more space for their son, due in mid-November. "But I just wasn't ready to mow the lawn yet," joked Kevin Salmon. In September they bought one of the town houses at Henley on Hudson in Weehawken which range in price from $579,000 to about $3 million. Salmon said he liked the idea of the space in the suburbs, "but what I was not looking forward to was the heating and the oil bills and the maintenance of the roof and the yard." Asma Malik Salmon said she didn't want to be so far away from the city lifestyle. Kevin and Asma Salmon, whose first child is due in mid-November, chose a town house at Henley on Hudson in Weehawken as their new residence. "A lot of the moms have gotten to know each other and have support, they have things to do with each other and it can be harder to make connections in the suburbs." Scott Selleck, Realtor "We wanted the happy medium," she said. Michael Skes, director of operations for the Lennar Northeast Urban Division, which developed Henley on Hudson along with Roseland Property Group, said that if the project had been launched 10 years ago, there would not have been nearly as many families there. "Ten years ago you had to be a pioneer," Skea said. When waterfront projects began, there were fewer shopping and dining options. Now, light rail and ferry transportation into New York City have expanded, parks have been renovated and private schools have started he said. Because the company knew it wanted to go after families-not just young couples or singles-it invested in amenities like an indoor playroom for the 164-home community. "If we had launched even five years ago, I don't know that there would have been a playroom," he said. Out of the last 18 sales, Skea said, about a half dozen have been either families with young children or expectant couples. Weehawken Schools Superintendent Kevin McLellan said he is seeing students enroll from the waterfront developments, though he pegged the numbers at modest levels- about a dozen students out of the 1,200 student body. In Edgewater the number of students has grown so much that the district is seeking to build a new school for children ages 3 to 7. Realtor Scott Selleck said he's seeing more clients remain in condos and town houses along the waterfront-or move to larger apartments in neighboring developments or nearby towns. "A lot of the moms have gotten to know each other and have support, they have things to do with each other and it can be harder to make connections in the suburbs," he said. A soft seller's market can also have an impact, if a couple want to wait a while to get a better price for their home, he said. Randy Brosseau can talk about the trend of families remaining on the waterfront both as a developer and a dad. He's the metro New York president of K. Hovanian Homes, and he's chosen to remain with his wife and 2-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter in the company's Jacob Ferry community in West New York. Brosseau moved into the development about 10 years ago, before he even worked for the company. At that time, he said, few of his neighbors had kids. "It was mostly single people, but they got married, had kids and stayed," he said. Now he estimates that about 50 percent of residents have children. Brosseau said one of the biggest reasons he thinks families want to stay in the area is the easy commute to New York City. "I know that when I look at the cost of commuting and the time away from my family, it's not very interesting to me," he said. Dawn Ruggiero, the property manager for 300 Winston Drive, one of the two Winston Towers buildings in Cliffside Park, said she thinks more families are staying because the buildings offer luxury without the hassle. "People could afford to move, but they don't want to," she said. John Cheesman said he and his wife, Maureen, go to open houses in leafy suburban neighborhoods in towns such as Tenafly every few weeks, and he checks out listings online every now and then. But for now, he said, the couple, who have a 3-year-old daughter, Sophia, have no plans to leave their two-bedroom Fort Lee apartment at the Royal Buckingham.