I second Bloomfield. I lived there for a few years, but recently moved back out to Morris County. I loved the Bloomfield area. I felt safe walking most areas by myself (as a female), relatively affordable compared to Montclair, and easy access to nightlife either in Montclair, Hoboken, JC, or even NYC. Just beware that the trains on Montclair Boonton line have an odd schedule on weekends, but if you take a Morristown and Erie train to Newark Broad from NYC or Hoboken, you can usually catch a bus that gets you relatively close to most parts of Bloomfield.